Custom crane solutions are essential for industries that require specialized equipment to handle unique challenges with their operations. Tailored crane systems not only improve productivity but also enhance safety and efficiency. Let’s explore the top industries that rely on custom crane solutions, including aerospace, automotive, construction, and energy.
Aerospace Industry
The aerospace sector demands high-precision lifting solutions to handle delicate and complex components. From assembling aircraft parts to performing maintenance operations, custom cranes play a vital role in ensuring safe and efficient handling of large and sensitive materials. Tailored systems are designed to support intricate operations such as precise placement and secure transport of fuselage sections, wings, and engines.
Custom-built gantry cranes are often deployed for moving helicopters into trucks for off-site repairs, addressing the size and maneuverability requirements unique to rotorcraft. Additionally, process cranes optimized for transporting large aircraft components help streamline production and reduce handling risks. For maintenance, inspection, and repainting operations, telescoping crane platforms customized with anti-collision technology ensure safe and efficient access to all parts of an aircraft.
American Crane & Equipment Corporation (ACECO) has a proven track record of meeting these specialized needs, having provided advanced lifting equipment for many companies including NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner production. The Kennedy Space Center required a crane that would safely move aerospace equipment, parts, and components without exposing or contaminating them with dust and other airborne particles. Our team manufactured a top-running double-girder cleanroom crane with a 25-ton capacity, which provided precise movement and control in a dust-free environment, ensuring aerospace components remained uncontaminated. This tailored solution met stringent requirements and played a key role in the construction of the Orion spacecraft.
Automotive Industry
In the automotive industry, efficiency is necessary to maintain fast-paced production lines. In assembly lines, custom crane systems can streamline material handling by efficiently transporting parts. Custom cranes can also be designed to handle heavy dies, moving them from storage to the press and even rotating them for maintenance. They can also be specialized for tasks like the precise removal of engines.
In an automotive repair shop, ACECO installed a Columbus McKinnon ShopStar Electric Hoist onto an existing I-beam trolley to address the challenge of removing engines from tight engine compartments. This custom solution enabled the safe, efficient removal of large engines, which are often difficult to extract from small vehicles, and ensured precise placement during reinstallation, improving overall repair efficiency.
Construction Industry
Construction projects often involve the handling of heavy loads, making custom crane solutions essential for lifting steel beams, concrete structures, and prefabricated components. Rugged and versatile crane systems are tailored to meet the demands of challenging job sites, including tight spaces, unusual lifting angles, or specialized materials.
In a unique challenge, our team was asked to assist in the installation of an art exhibit titled Skies Painted with Unnumbered Sparks created by Janet Echelman. The 3,500-pound sculpture was to be hung between Vancouver, Canada’s 24-story Fairmont Waterfront and the Vancouver Convention Center. Our team’s solution involved using Columbus McKinnon Master Links and Master Rings that connected the braided material of this traveling sculpture to the existing city architecture. These Herc-Alloy links and rings, a brand of rigging hardware made of triple alloy steel, are known for their strength, durability, and lightness, and have working loads from 10,000 up to 86,000 pounds. Using these we were able to safely suspend the art exhibit in the sky without jeopardizing pedestrians below.
Energy Industry
In the energy sector, custom cranes and hoists are vital for precise, efficient, and safe handling of heavy equipment. In wind turbine maintenance, custom hoists lift and position large components like blades and nacelles, often in remote or challenging locations. Hydropower plants rely on stop log hoists to manage heavy gates for flow control and turbine maintenance. In nuclear facilities, specialized cranes handle radioactive materials and reactor components with extreme precision, incorporating advanced safety features. Solar farms benefit from custom cranes designed to lift and position large solar panel assemblies. The oil and gas industry often requires explosion-proof cranes to lift drilling equipment and pipeline components in harsh environments. Additionally, custom hoists are key in battery storage facilities for safely handling heavy storage units and in high-voltage transmission line maintenance, where cranes with specialized reach capabilities lift transformers and other electrical components.
To address the challenge of moving turbine generator components in a plant housing a combustion turbine generator, steam generators, and related equipment, our team provided a custom 90/20-ton top-running double-girder Class A turbine crane. Specifically manufactured for the facility, the crane features a robust design with a 110-foot span, ensuring reliable and durable performance. This powerhouse crane enables safe, efficient operations in a demanding environment while protecting the plant’s most valuable and expensive equipment.
Optimal Solutions for Your Needs
Custom crane solutions are vital for a wide range of industries, from aerospace and automotive to construction and energy, among many other industries. By addressing specific operational challenges, these tailored systems help companies achieve greater efficiency, safety, and productivity. From initial design to final installation, we help you achieve the perfect lifting solution, ensuring your project’s success. To learn more about how ACECO can provide custom crane solutions for your industry, contact us today.