Smelting Cranes and Equipment
American Crane & Equipment Corp. manufactures material handling tools for some of the world’s harshest, most demanding industries. Our specialty crane and hoist systems can be found in clean rooms, shipping facilities, aerospace operations, wastewater treatment facilities, and countless other high-performance applications.
We also offer cranes specially designed for metal processing and smelting, which involve high temperatures, heavy loads, and extremely corrosive environments. Built to withstand these harsh settings, our smelting cranes offer a range of unique benefits, including anti-sway control, intelligent operating systems, and specially designed lifting devices.
Industrial Metal Processing and the Smelting Process
The smelting process is a crucial part of copper, nickel, lead, silver, and iron production; most of these ores begin with impurities present and must be processed prior to industrial use. The metal ore, once heated with chemical reducing agents, is split to separate waste elements from elemental metals, which are then refined and used.
The primary smelting process involves mining the primary metal — such as lead — then separating it from its ore and refining it for use in a wide range of products. Heat is combined with coke, charcoal, or other reducing agents for purification. In addition to smelting, the ore can also undergo sintering to remove sulfur via hot air combustion. Additional refining is also possible for specific application needs.
The secondary smelting process recovers metals from used objects. For instance, secondary lead can be removed from used lead-acid batteries for reuse in other products. This process does not involve additional sintering or purification, but does utilize high heat and reducing agents in specialized furnaces.
Smelting Pot Lid Lifters and Feeders
Due to the various load handling challenges and potential dangers involved in smelting operations, American Crane has developed specialized smelter-specific equipment designed to ensure optimal safety and efficiency. Below are a few of our leading smelting solutions.
- High-capacity smelting pot lid lifters are double-girder top-running overhead traveling cranes, specially equipped with a heavy-duty four-point lift. The lift is built with a rigid mechanical apparatus for precise performance and synchronized lift without any reliance on cables or drums. Rotary-induced horizontal motion is translated into vertical lift through a series of linkages and concentric cams. This machine allows for only a few inches of lift travel, enabling lids to be easily raised and transferred to a temporary location.
- Intelligent smelting feeding overhead cranes, used for lifting material feeding buckets, feature sophisticated automation capabilities to allow for high-precision performance. These cranes are especially popular for nickel-iron smelting feeding.
- Anti-sway cranes for smelting feeding processes are used to carry out essential positioning tasks using a fully automatic spreader. A full host of automatic capabilities — recognition, hooking, feeding, and bucket changing — allow for optimal precision, and the process is fully controlled, monitored, and operated by the machine’s own program.
Smelting Crane Solutions From American Crane
Offering everything from ¼-ton hoists to 1,000-ton cranes, American Crane is proud to offer industry-leading design and fabrication services for a wide range of material handling applications.
With over 40 years of experience and a commitment to optimal equipment longevity, safety, and reliability, we ensure every piece of machinery is tailored to clients’ specific needs. And before anything leaves our facility, it’s subjected to our comprehensive in-house quality assurance program.
Our in-house overhead crane experts are available to address any questions you may have. To learn more about our smelting equipment or discuss how we can help with your next project, reach out to the team today.
