Rebuilt Billet Cranes That Stopped a Mill Cutting Its Own Steel
Two refurbished 40-ton P&H cranes let a bar mill handle full 40-foot billets, cutting lifts by two-thirds and ending torch-cut scrap.
A U.S. mini-mill bar producer was torch-cutting every billet down to 11 or 14 feet so its billet bay cranes could handle it. Those cuts turned about 1,100 tons of good steel into scrap every year.
Han-Tek refurbished two P&H bridge cranes to handle full 40-foot billets, with magnet service, AC drives and climate-controlled cabs, and managed the whole multi-vendor build. Lifts fell by two-thirds, and the yield gains paid back the cranes, structure and a new furnace in under two years.
Every billet was cut down before it could be lifted
The mill wanted to run full-length 40-foot billets, the long steel bars it reheats and rolls into finished bar. Its billet bay crane setup could not handle them, so every one was cut into shorter pieces first.
Steel lost to scrap
Torch cuts to 11 or 14 feet turned about 1,100 tons of steel a year into scrap.
Three times the lifts
Shorter pieces meant about 600,000 crane lifts a year.
On the critical path
The cranes were needed to install a new gas furnace, while the mill kept running.
The cranes also needed a new support structure and had to work with legacy mill equipment.
Every torch cut turns good steel into scrap. Across a year of billets, the cuts added up to about 1,100 tons, roughly the weight of 550 cars.
Rebuild two proven cranes for 40-foot billets
Han-Tek refurbished and reinstalled two P&H top-running double-girder bridge cranes at 40 tons each, and managed every vendor on the job.
- Hoists: the cranes were re-reeved from 80 to 40 tons, which doubled the hoist speed.
- Magnet service: billet magnets with rectifiers, cable reels and variable-frequency drives for speed and load control.
- Controls: new AC drive panels replaced the old DC system using the same physical interfaces, so spare parts and maintenance routines stayed largely the same.
- Cabs: insulated, air-conditioned operator cabs built for 160°F ambient, plus separately air-conditioned drive enclosures.
- One project manager: the mechanical rebuild was done at a Wisconsin crane shop and the cabs were built in Canada. Han-Tek's own crew handled staging, rigging, wiring, debug and integration on site.
Whole billets, a third of the lifts, paid back in two years
| Area | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Billet length handled | Cut to 11 or 14 ft | Full 40 ft |
| Crane lifts per year | About 600,000 | About 200,000 |
| Steel lost to cutting | About 1,100 tons a year | No torch cuts |
| Drives and controls | Legacy DC | AC drives with self-diagnostics |
| Payback | Cranes, structure and furnace | Under two years |
- 1,100 tons of steel saved a year: 40-foot billets go straight to the furnace with no torch cuts.
- Two-thirds fewer lifts: about 400,000 fewer crane cycles a year, with less energy and wear.
- Fast payback: yield gains alone paid for the cranes, the new structure and the new furnace within two years.
- Easier upkeep: the AC drives diagnose their own faults, and the climate-controlled cabs and enclosures protect electronics from mill heat.
- Certified and in service: both cranes passed 90,000 lb load tests and went straight into production.
Questions about crane refurbishment
Is it worth refurbishing an older crane instead of buying new?
Often, when the structure and mechanics are sound. Here, two proven P&H cranes got new drives, controls and cabs, and the project paid back in under two years along with a new structure and furnace.
What does re-reeving a crane do?
It changes how many parts of wire rope hold the load. Fewer parts lower the rated capacity and raise the hoist speed. These cranes went from 80 to 40 tons, which doubled hoist speed.
Can DC crane controls be swapped for AC without retraining maintenance?
On this project, the new AC drive panels used the same physical interfaces as the old DC system, so spare parts and maintenance procedures stayed largely the same.
How do crane cabs hold up in a hot mill?
These cabs are insulated and air-conditioned for 160°F ambient, and the drive panels sit in their own air-conditioned enclosures to protect the electronics.
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