A Severe-Duty Charger Crane That Doubled Forge Capacity
A 12-ton CMAA Class F crane carries 20-foot ingots between furnaces and press, installed in one mobilization while the forge kept running.
A specialty alloy producer needed to double its plant capacity with a new charger crane: the crane that carries red-hot ingots into furnaces and to the forge press. And the forge could not stop while it went in.
Han-Tek managed a 12-ton, CMAA Class F charger crane from specification through commissioning, built by a heavy-crane fabricator and installed by Han-Tek's own crew in a single mobilization. It came in on budget, inside the 12-month window, and doubled capacity.
Double capacity without stopping a live forge
A charger crane has no hook. It carries a rigid rotating mast with a "peel," a pair of heavy tongs that grip hot ingots and load them into furnaces. The new one had to do that harder, faster and more precisely than the old crane.
Severe duty
20-foot ingots, furnaces up to 2,500°F, and loads near rated capacity all day long.
Precise loading
Continuous 360° rotation and furnace loading with no hand-correction by the operator.
Keep what works
Replace an old DC crane with AC drives, but reuse the existing peel tool.
All of it in 12 months, on a firm budget, with the forge running.
A Class F crane, installed in days
Han-Tek ran the project from specification through commissioning, with the crane fabricated to CMAA Class F standards by ACE World Companies.
- 1
Built for the duty
12-ton, 65-foot-span double-girder crane. Bridge speed up to 300 ft/min, even at 198,700 lb.
- 2
Built for precision
AC flux-vector drives on all four motions, continuous 360° rotation and a laser anti-collision system.
- 3
Installed fast
Han-Tek's crew rigged, erected, wired, debugged and turned it over in one mobilization.
- Same peel: the crane uses the existing peel attachment, so spare parts and procedures carried over and both cranes can run interchangeably.
- Operator cab: climate-controlled and filtered, with a full-swivel chair, mill-duty joysticks and a hydraulic power unit for the peel.
- Anti-collision: lasers manage crane-to-crane spacing and end stops in the shared bay.
- Start-up support: around-the-clock help through the first full production week, and training for all three shifts.
It is the highest crane duty class: cranes built to handle loads near rated capacity continuously, under severe conditions, for their whole life.
Twice the capacity, on time and on budget
| Area | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Plant capacity | Limited by the old charger crane | Doubled |
| Drives | Legacy DC | AC flux-vector on all four motions |
| Collision protection | Operator judgment | Laser crane-to-crane and end-stop system |
| Peel tool and spares | Existing | Same peel, same spares |
| Schedule and budget | 12-month window, firm budget | Met both |
- Capacity doubled: the new crane delivered the increase the plant needed.
- One mobilization: the full install was done with minimal disruption to the live forge.
- On budget, on schedule: inside the original capital budget and the 12-month window.
- Safer, faster handling: precise rotation and laser anti-collision let operators move 20-foot ingots faster with less collision risk.
- A long relationship: part of multi-year work at this plant, with follow-on runway extensions and radio control upgrades.
Questions about charger cranes
What is a charger crane?
A crane that carries hot ingots into and out of furnaces and to the forge press. Instead of a hook, it has a rotating mast with a peel, a set of heavy tongs that grip the ingot.
What is CMAA Class F?
The highest duty class in the CMAA crane specifications. It covers cranes that handle loads near rated capacity continuously under severe service conditions.
Can a new crane reuse our existing tooling?
Often, yes. This crane was designed around the plant's existing peel attachment, so spare parts and operating procedures carried over.
Can a crane be installed without shutting down production?
On this project, Han-Tek's crew completed the full install in a single mobilization lasting days, while the forge kept running.
More heavy-duty crane projects
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