“If continuous operational reliability is required, I will always choose a cable track over a cable car system.”

Overhead cranes for offshore distribution station

CraneSolutions provides both standard and special cranes and lifting equipment from design to installation and delivery. For distribution stations in the North Sea, the company makes customized overhead cranes that must meet stringent requirements. “To ensure high quality and operational reliability, we choose high-quality products and long-term cooperation with strong partners including Stahl and igus,” states Guido de Esch, project leader at CraneSolutions. He elaborates on offshore lifting equipment in this article.

In recent years, the demand for overhead cranes for offshore distribution stations has increased significantly. These stations collect the generated energy from offshore wind turbines for transport towards land. Here, the cranes are located in an enclosed, conditioned space with constant temperature and humidity. The design of the overhead cranes must meet strict requirements. Thanks to years of pioneering offshore crane design, CraneSolutions is excellently positioned to respond to the growing demand for these overhead cranes. The Katwijk aan Zee-based company is a leader in overhead cranes, hoists, manipulators, lifting equipment and parts.

Advantages

“We use components from STAHL Cranesystems, among others. The company supplies crane components that meet the highest European quality standards,” explains Guido de Esch.

“For the cabling we sought contact with igus. The cooperation started years ago and is now very robust. The offshore overhead cranes use cable tracks from igus, the so-called guidefast system. Cable tracks are easy to install and replace compared to festoon systems. They are compact, provide tighter, controlled cable routing and optimal cable protection leading to less wear and tear and higher operational reliability. In addition, they are halogen-free, UV-resistant and silicone-free to minimize the risk of ignition or smoke generation in case of emergencies. The choice for igus’ cable tracks in the cranes at the offshore distribution stations was therefore quickly made.”

Custom made

The cranes for the distribution stations are custom made like most of Cranesolutions“ cranes. ”We started building cranes for this specific, offshore application about five years ago so we have gained a lot of expertise by now. Broadly speaking, the structure is the same so we quickly have a good idea of what the crane will look like in detail and what the dimensions and requirements are for the cabling and cable tracks. When I submit the request to igus, I immediately receive an overview of what is needed. The cooperation always goes very smoothly. The lines of communication are short and we are always informed about new products that may be of interest to us."

Wind Tunnel

The partners also find each other in other challenging projects. A great example is an application in a car manufacturer's wind tunnel where aerodynamics are measured with sound. “For the twelve-meter high wind tunnel, we designed a flexible measuring bridge for the sound recording devices. This measuring bridge can be raised to the right height by the car manufacturer via a scissor mechanism. Choosing the right cabling required customization and a lot of engineering, as nothing was standard. Together with igus, we translated the project requirements into the required cabling and cable tracks. Thanks to close consultation and good coordination, we were able to complete the project brilliantly.”

Collaborate

CraneSolutions is all about reliability, customization and long-term cooperation. “We find it important that customers can count on innovative lifting solutions that perfectly match their specific requirements. This requires mutual trust; a principle we apply not only in our customer relationships, but also in our cooperation with partners such as igus,” de Esch concludes.