Eleven VERLINDE hoists are installed in the new induction heating equipment plant of Belgian company INDUCTOTHERM backing up the latter’s seven overhead cranes and two semi-gantry cranes.
INDUCTOTHERM EQUIPMENT BELGIUM, a member of the international Inductotherm group since1985, is specialized in the design, manufacture and commissioning of induction heating equipment for use in the steel industry. Located at Herstal in the Wallonia province of Liège, Inductotherm with its workforce of more than 100 achieves almost all of its annual turnover of €40m in exports with customers in China, India, USA, Korea, Japan and elsewhere. The company delivers between 20 and 30 metal induction heating installations annually. INDUCTOTHERM is the world’s leader in this sector.
Inductotherm 1: The 32 and 3.2 tonne gantry cranes in the bay designated High Bay are100 m long by 50 m wide with a lifting hook clearance height of 9 m.
A new factory for enhanced production
Serge Houet, new factory project manager: "Our old plant at Herstal dates from the twenties and we absolutely needed to modernize our production organization. To meet our needs for greater space we therefore took the decision to build a new plant of 10,000 m² on the Hauts Sarts industrial estate in the commune of Herstal. We were already experienced in operating Verlinde lifting and handling equipment. Europa-Levage secured the awarded contract by proposing the supply of Verlinde hoists that met our specifications in every detail.
Unique positioning in the Inductotherm group
Serge Houet: "We are the only unit in the Inductotherm group to produce metal heating equipment by high frequency induction. Even if the technique has been with us for some time, the implementation for heating sheet metal plates up to 2.10 m wide and being reeled off at180 m/min, requires mastery both of high frequency technology and of the design and cooling of the induction “reel”. The latter, made of 150 mm cross-section copper bars, conveys tens of thousands of amps and produces an electromagnetic field appropriate to the temperature at which we have to handle the sheet metal".
Precision, efficacy and low space requirements
Serge Houet: "The big advantage of induction compared with other methods of metal heating is that firstly there is no contact between the material and the source of heat, thus enabling fast and uniform heating while ensuring continuous reeling-off of the sheet metal. Secondly, the high density of power is available within a limited space at the scale of a steel plant. The induction heating equipment we deliver can be used, for instance, for paint baking or coatings on claddings or on electrical appliances, or even for the processes of annealing and in-line galvanizing. The advantage of being able to put several heating units in line enables heating process requirements to be met while complying with the two additional parameters of the temperature of the metal sheet and of its reel-off speed".
VERLINDE hoists are integral to production organization
Serge Houet: Our new 10,000 m² building includes a main bay that we call High Bay, 100 m long by 50 m wide with a lifting hook clearance height of 9 m. At right angles to High Bay, we have five “Low Bays” 50 m long by 20 m wide with a lifting hook clearance height of 6 m. For our lifting / handling operations in these six bays we have installed seven overhead cranes, two semi-gantry cranes and eleven VERLINDE hoists.
High Bay equipment.
Serge Houet: " The High Bay, in which we assemble parts and components made in the Low Bays, is equipped with a double girder box-type crane bearing two VERLINDE hoists, one a 32 tonne EUROBLOC type VT4 and the other a 3.2 tonne type VT1. These two hoists on the same overhead crane are used individually to move loads or together to turn parts over. We have also installed in High Bay another overhead crane, a single box-type, fitted with a 3.2 tonne VERLINDE EUROBLOC VT1 for back-up handling operations.
"Low Bays" equipment
Serge Houet: "The Low Bays have a lifting hook clearance height of 6 m. The first four are equipped with single girder box type overhead cranes with a 3.2 tonne VERLINDE EUROBLOC VT1 hoist. In the fifth Low Bay a double girder box type overhead crane equipped with a 12.5 tonne EUROBLOC VT3 hoist and a 3.2 tonne VT1 hoist enable the handling of heavy items such as copper induction reels. Lastly, at the extreme end of each of the first two Low Bays, a semi-gantry crane with a 3 m lift height, is equipped with a 1 tonne hoist to handle small loads. These two gantry cranes travel on one side on the same roller path".
VERLINDE technology
Serge Houet: "We handle and move heavy, cumbersome loads across significant horizontal and vertical distances, so safety and reliability of the cranes and hoists operated by the personnel are decisive aspects. It was important for us that the equipment of our new plant benefitted from the latest handling equipment technology. For instance, for all overhead crane and hoist travel we decided on frequency variation speed control electric motors that offer great flexibility, greater precision, are jolt-free, offer low load sway and smooth braking thus keeping not only brake pad maintenance to a minimum but also ensure low wear of mechanical drive components. For travel safety we added anti-collision systems to the limit switches and rubber stops in order to eliminate any shock between equipment units. Finally, all cranes and hoists are radio-controlled.
On the 32 tonne EUROBLOC VT4 hoist in the High Bay, an electronics force gauge displays the weight of the finished equipment, a useful datum for customer information and for purposes of transportation.”
How did collaboration with Europa-Levage come about?
Serge Houet: "We have known Europa-Levage and Verlinde equipment for a long time. Bernard Rousseau, with whom we worked on this project, was aware of our requirements and helped us take decisions with solutions meeting the specification sheet and within the planned budget. We are still in the trial period for the new plant but in the mid-term we know we will have to improve the transfer of loads between the Low Bays and the High Bay.
Inductotherm 2: The 32 and 3.2 tonne gantry cranes in the High Bay.
Inductotherm 3: The 12.5 tonne gantry crane in the fifth Low Bay is 50 m long by 20 m wide with a lifting hook clearance height of 6 m.
Inductotherm 4: The 3.2 tonne overhead cranes installed in the first four of the Low Bays.
