The wind power industry is one of the most demanding industries in the world and faces unique challenges in manufacturing and installing towers, monopiles and transition pieces. However, many other end markets also have some things in common: lifting heavy objects from different angles, worrying about equipment damage during handling, and high attention to safe lifting and rigging operations.

Crosby Group's product portfolio for the renewable energy market includes a series of vertical and horizontal lifting clamps and pipe hooks specifically designed to meet the needs of wind energy applications. An outstanding feature of CrosbyIP brand standard and custom fixtures is that they can use the least damaged cam segments and pivots, the clamping parts of the fixture. 

"When using lifting fixtures to handle steel plates, the clamping cam segments and pivots often leave dents on the surface of the material-called scratches. Due to the high standards of the wind energy industry, these dents must be kept away from the surface. This rework takes time And money. By reducing the height of the teeth of the cam segment and the pivot, the pitch between the teeth can be reduced, and more teeth can be in contact with the material surface, thereby reducing the depth of the indentation," said Kees Gillesse, product marketing manager. Crosby Group. 

CrosbyIP vertical lifting fixture adopts welded alloy steel body, which can minimize the size but increase the strength. Forge alloy parts as required. The lock open and lock close function has a latch for pre-tensioning and releasing the material. Each product has its own serial number and verification load test (twice the work load limit), the date is printed on the body, and each fixture includes a user manual with a test certificate. Manufactured in an ISO 9001 certified factory, all sizes are equipped with RFID. 

Practical solutions to specific problems   

CrosbyIP is also known for manufacturing special fixtures whose requirements may exceed the capabilities of the standard range. 

"The Crosby Group develops practical solutions for specific problems. Our mission is to become an innovation and quality leader in the field of lifting fixtures by manufacturing products with uncompromising quality and providing solutions for specific lifting situations. If our The standard product series may not meet the specific needs of customers. CrosbyIP brand lifting fixtures can provide a wide range of customization or customization options," Gillese added. 

A recent example of custom manufacturing is a special universal vertical fixture (model IPU10X3) with a capacity of 22.5 tons. The fixture is specially designed for German wind energy manufacturers. It has an extra-wide cam segment and three pivots to reduce surface pressure to further reduce indentation. At the same time, the deep jaws allow the inclined panel and structure to be lifted. When the lifting fixture is in a horizontal position, the lifting bracket makes positioning easier. The universal hoisting ring allows hoisting from all directions. 

Another special product is the 6t capacity universal horizontal clamp (model IPHGUX1), which provides many of the same benefits to the end user and is ideal for rolling larger plates. This is the new high tonnage product of the universal level lifting fixture series. Finally, a 70-ton capacity pipe hook (IPPH type) is designed for pipes with a diameter of 5,700 mm to 7,000 mm, with a maximum thickness of 100 mm. It uses mild steel replaceable inserts and is equipped with a 40-ton G-2140 shackle. Using universal horizontal clamps and pipe hooks, other capacities and jaw openings are available on request. 

Gillese, based in Arnhem-Utrecht, the Netherlands, said: “A common problem is that most standard pipe hooks damage the pipe surface when lifting. The general solution is to use aluminum inserts to prevent damage to the pipe surface. However, with aluminum, the pipe steel may be contaminated, which affects the welding quality when welding the pipe sections together. The replaceable inserts of the CrosbyIP pipe hooks are made of mild steel to prevent such contamination and damage." 

Future-oriented engineering growth

Progressive Media International Co., Ltd. Registered address: 40-42 Hatton Garden, London, EC1N 8EB, UK. Copyright 2021 Progressive Media International Limited. all rights reserved.