Cranes are essential in modern construction and industrial projects, providing the power and precision needed to lift and move heavy materials. In 2022, the U.S. crane market was valued at $44 billion, reflecting its crucial role in infrastructure and development. The market is projected to grow by 4% annually from 2023 to 2033, driven by increased investment in infrastructure and rapid urbanization as industries recover and expand after the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the industry grows, the demand for reliable crane parts becomes increasingly essential to maintain efficiency and minimize downtime. Choosing a trustworthy crane dealer ensures that your equipment remains operational and meets the needs of your projects. Here’s how to determine when to trust your crane dealer for quality and value.

Crane Dealer Research

An essential step in choosing a top provider of crane parts is to pick a company with a clear track record of success. The best company consistently adheres to top-tier standards, ensuring their parts are dependable. Look for a company that supplies parts from leading manufacturers, including the following:

• Stromag
• Witchita
• Johnson
• Formsprag
• SEW-Eurodrive

Online forums or reviews may provide insights into parts suppliers with the best reputations among customers. Consider contacting these companies directly and inquiring about their experience servicing customers in your industry. Reliable companies can meet the needs of clients in the following types of industries:

• Wind power
• Railroad
• Ports
• Petroleum/oil
• Mining
• Steel and iron
• Farming/agriculture

Ask your top companies about their components’ lifespans, too. Other offerings to inquire about include preventative maintenance, crane maintenance tips, and crane repairs.

Ensure your chosen company is transparent about their pricing, which helps you understand how long their products are expected to last. Additional hallmarks of a reputable replacement parts provider include exceptional post-purchase customer support and a willingness to offer references from pleased customers.

Surveying Crane Parts

Choose genuine original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts. These components are intended to meet specified performance requirements, assuring longevity and compatibility. Key crane components include the hoist rope, trolley wheels, control panels, and load blocks.

The hoist rope is essential for lifting heavy materials. Quality materials are essential for withstanding tremendous loads and stress. Trolley wheels allow the hoist to travel horizontally along the crane tracks, so they should be durable.

Quality control panels are crucial since they provide safety and precision information. Load blocks secure the load and hoist rope, so quality ones are important for efficient and safe lifting.

Explore Certifications

Check your chosen parts supplier’s industry certifications. Reliable companies’ quality management systems have earned accreditation for meeting International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001 requirements.

Certification demonstrates compliance with solid quality control standards. It helps ensure they meet industry norms and laws. 

How We Can Help With Industrial Cranes

Positive customer reviews and referrals demonstrate that reputable crane dealers offer high-quality parts and service and have earned industry certification for complying with established standards.

At Kor-Pak, we offer preventative maintenance and crane repairs. Our parts come from only the best companies in the market. Complete your projects more effectively by choosing us today! 

A typical tower crane has a maximum lifting power of almost 20 tons. That kind of capacity can be a considerable boon in construction but also means multiple tons of weight can be wearing down various parts of the crane when it’s in use.

Tower cranes are mighty machines, but if something goes wrong, it can be disastrous. Learn how long to expect one to last and what to watch out for here.

1. See the Signs in Tower Crane Deterioration

Tower cranes, among other crane breeds, are especially powerful, so safe operation should be a priority. 

There are two critical features linked to crane deterioration: structural fatigue and corrosion. 

While the latter can be more detectable, structural fatigue requires assessment through testing.  This is just one of the reasons why testing is essential.  

In short, structural fatigue is simply the growth of a crack in the crane.  This is more common in welded connections due to inconsistencies in the metal used for welding.  

Here is a helpful process for diagnosing how long a crane is safely functional:

1. Assess the number of cracks and crack potential to determine current crane condition
2. Estimate crane life before testing
3. Conduct regular testing process as scheduled
4. Estimate crane life after testing

The crane life estimations in this process aren’t just operator predictions, which are prone to human error. 

Instead, these estimations are generated computer models of the crane’s overall condition, which incorporate structural drawings as well as the crack assessments.  

If anything, this process outlines how necessary testing is. In this case, testing is used as a landmark within a crane’s life. 

2. What to Expect in Tower Crane Life Expectancy

While some cranes can last decades, some don’t, and it can be challenging to determine the future quality of performance for the ones that do last. 

To estimate a crane’s condition, you can assess the crane’s “load cycles.”  

For these load cycles, you can record three parts of data from the crane lifting process: 

1. The boom strains: the amount of wear that the crane’s lifting arm takes.
2. The loading line forces: the amount of force that the main hoisting cable faces.
3. The number of “picks”: the number of lifts that crane performs.
4. The tower strains: the amount of wear that the tower faces. 

While there isn’t a way to determine exactly how much service life a crane has, counting cycles determines how much action the crane has experienced.

In a study conducted by Haag Engineering Company, the average age of a crane was estimated to be around 16.9 years old.

Although crane life expectancy varies depending on various factors, cranes have also been expected to live to 25 years or more. 

Evidence of remaining service life for a crane relies upon the amount of accumulated damage.  Without assessing machinery wear, there is no way to determine how a crane can be further used.

Compared to crack assessment, counting the loading cycles may be less exact.  This is because the results from crack assessment are based on specific measurements of inflicted damage and not just use. 

3. Tower Crane Testing Reveals Hidden Machinery Risks  

Testing altogether avoids the issue of making false assumptions about a tower crane’s life.

In the past, older cranes were often more dangerous than expected or immediately apparent. The fact was that older tower cranes didn’t (and don’t) always show clear signs of fatigue. 

Most crane owners now install only newer components, because older ones pose safety risks.

However, without operational testing and inspections, cranes can appear to operate normally but remain structurally unsound. 

This is why various parts of the crane, especially the old climbing cages, are required to appear in “like-new” condition.

The Best Way to Understand Tower Crane Life 

Although there are many variables in crane life, awareness is the best course of action for safe operation.  It may seem intuitive, but staying aware of the condition for each crane informs how much service it can give you.  

In addition to this, you can find out how to improve tower crane life through crane modernization and upgrades.

Is your industrial workplace safe?

The industrial workplace can be a dangerous place, as the 2.8 million people who suffer workplace injuries each year would tell you. But it doesn’t have to be! There are many things you can do to help protect yourself and your co-workers while you are on the job.

Read on for our top 9 safety tips to help you stay safe in the workplace.

1. Proper Training

Anyone that uses equipment, including tools, needs to be sure that they know how to use them safely. That means appropriate training and certifications, even if they don’t regularly use the equipment.

Ensure that anyone’s certifications are up-to-date. Machinery and best practices change regularly, so having different workers following different safety practices can be as dangerous as not following them at all.

2. Appropriate Clothing

Employees in an industrial workplace should always wear protective clothing. Even items as inconsequential as non-slip shoes and correctly fitting gloves can prevent significant injuries or mistakes.

The exact requirements will differ between every workplace, but workers should always be protected against their environment and any predictable accidents.

3. Label Hazardous Zones

You should have clear labeling and signage for hazardous areas. For example, where you store dangerous equipment. Also, use tape or paint black and white stripes on the floor to mark these zones.

4. First Aid Training

Wall-mounted first aid stations are a must for dealing with emergencies. Stock them with all the relevant medical supplies that employees might need.

Also, provide first aid and safety training for all employees and repeat regularly. It’s essential to make sure everyone is aware of the work safety tips and emergency information. 

5. Clear Emergency Exits

Never place anything in front of any emergency exits or emergency machine shut-off points. It’s surprising how often you see forklifts, ladders, and other items blocking the way. This could prevent a safe exit from the building in emergencies.

6. Avoid Heavy-Lifting

For heavy- lifting, provide aids like forklifts, cranes, and wheelbarrows. Otherwise, you and your employees are at risk of injuring yourselves. Also, make sure there is appropriate training on the correct lifting techniques.

7. Understand Workplace Risks

It’s vital that all employees know the workplace risks. Carry out a workplace risk assessment and give this to the workforce. Important things to note are fire hazards, emergency protocol, and first aid locations. Also, provide an FAQ of workplace safety awareness tips. 

8. Regular Servicing

Don’t wait for tools and machinery to break before carrying out a full service on them. You should try to prevent malfunctions where possible. Proper maintenance should be regular and thorough and include:

• Inspections
• Test Runs
• Replacements and adjustments
• Log keeping

This maintenance should follow the manufacturer’s recommendations. This ensures it’s done to the best industry standard.

9. Regular Breaks

By providing frequent breaks, you’ll help employees feel more alert and fresh. There should be a cool, comfortable area for them to rest. Regular, shorter breaks can be more effective than a single, long one. It will help employees focus, reduce stress, and help maintain satisfaction.

Safety Tips at Work

In the last four decades, the number of workplace deaths has decreased by almost 2/3rds and continues to trend downwards. By following these nine safety tips, you can do your part to keep these numbers down and help create a safer workplace.

If you want to keep your heavy industry machines running safely and efficiently, contact us today. 

There is an average of 71 fatal accidents involving cranes in the United States every year.

It’s essential to understand overhead crane safety to avoid injury or death to your workers. By following these simple tips, you can help prevent numerous workplace accidents.

Keep reading to learn more about overhead crane operation and how to ensure the safety of everyone in your company.

1. Set up Daily Inspections

You should be doing a full, in-depth inspection of your crane every single day. Everything that’s checked should be noted in a log book where anything unusual can be written.

Some things to check every day include:

• Operating mechanisms
• Lines, tanks, and valves
• Hooks
• Hoist chains and ropes
• Slings

Any unusual findings should immediately be addressed and the crane should never be operated if there are any suspicions that it may not be working correctly.

2. Inspect Before Every Lift

You should also be doing a quick visual inspection before every lift. This ensures nothing unusual has happened since the previous lift. It also allows you to make sure the loading area is clear of anything that could interfere with the next lift.

3. Always Confirm Suitability

If you always lift the same amount of weight with your crane, you can skip this step. However, if you are frequently moving objects of different weights, you need to ensure that your crane is capable of lifting them safely.

Carefully check everything from the type of motor you have to the sling and hook before lifting something. If you attempt to lift something heavier than what your crane can handle, the lift could end in disaster.

4. Use Clear Communication

In most cases, you won’t be able to speak directly to the crane operator. That’s why it’s crucial to have a qualified crane operator signal person on the ground.

This person should know the proper hand signals needed to safely direct the crane operator, so the job is completed without putting anyone in danger.

You’ll also want to communicate with everyone on the ground when a load is going up. This allows workers to clear the area while the crane is in operation.

5. Limit Crane Access

Crane access must be limited to only those who know how to operate it. In the wrong hands, an overhead crane can be deadly. Use locks and keycards to restrict crane access.

6. Minimize Load Swing

Make sure your crane operators are both qualified and skilled at operating a crane. This means they can smoothly move the load to minimize the amount of moving it does.

When the load swings, it puts unnecessary pressure on components and can create an unsafe work environment.

7. Keep Equipment Clean

This should go without saying, but avoid storing slings and other crane equipment on the floor. By keeping everything clean, you can keep it in good working order which will decrease the chances of failure.

Learn More About Overhead Crane Safety

Now you have a list of ways you can ensure the safety of yourself and your employees when using cranes.

Check out our article on small mobile crane maintenance. There, you’ll find additional information on how you can keep your crane running the way it should.

Mining accidents now claim more lives than ever worldwide. According to the Chicago Tribune, deaths and injuries reached an all-time high in 2017 with 15 deaths occurring in the United States.

And more recently, a mining accident in China killed 22 miners. But many of these mining accidents can be avoided sparing the lives of many mining professionals.

If you work in the mining industry, here’s what you need to know about mining to keep yourself and your employees safe.

5 Safety Tips to Prevent Mining Accidents

Accidents aren’t intentional, but they’re often preventable. Here are five crucial mine safety tips.

1. Be Aware Mining Is A Dangerous Business

The first thing you need to keep in your mind is that mining is a hazardous business. Be diligent of your surroundings while you work. You need to be vigilant and alert every second.

Be aware of not only your own actions and surroundings but the people around you.

2. Protect Yourself with Safety Equipment

Having the best mining equipment is a must, but when you’re down below, always wear safety equipment. Check to make sure your workers have on helmets and are wearing safety glasses and safety gloves.

It might feel more comfortable to work without safety equipment, but in the event of mining accidents, it can be the difference between life and death. If you’re the supervisor, insist safety equipment must be worn. Many workers’ lives have been saved by wearing helmets.

3. Don’t Overlook Safety for Production Goals

During planning stages, it’s important to consider safety as well as efficiency. As a supervisor, you may want to cut corners to reach work deadlines.

But never overlook safety requirements to speed up production, save time and boost revenue.

Investigate potential accidents, always evaluate risks. When you discover a risk, inform your workers with specific directions on how to avoid each risk or the possibility of mining accidents while working in the mines.

4. Clearly Define Safety Procedures

In the case of a mining accident, employees need to know how to handle it. To make this happen, clearly, define safety procedures from the outset. When documenting safety procedures, list the possible incidents that could take place.

Then follow up the potential incidents with the actions that need to be taken and the appropriate supervisor to contact. To keep safety procedures in the minds of workers, post signs in areas where your mining team can view them.

5. Know and Follow Up-to-Date Safety Standards

It’s essential to keep up to date with the most recent safety standards. Make sure your company services all safety equipment frequently and the equipment matches the current standards for safety.

When equipment no longer meets safety regulations, replace the equipment immediately even if you have to delay your project timeline. Don’t permit your miners to use outmoded safety equipment.

Final Thoughts on Preventing Mining Accidents

While there’s no guarantee that all mining accidents can be eradicated, many accidents can be prevented when exercising proper safety precautions.

Follow these five safety recommendations to avoid careless mistakes that others have made to keep your team safe and in the know, avoid mining accidents and possible tragedies.

Kor-Pak is your go-to provider for braking systems for mining applications and much more. Contact us today to learn more about our competitively priced mining products.

Industrial vibrators make processes faster, more efficient, and more effective.

Whether your industry is farming, construction, food production, shipping, or storage, you can benefit from these devices.

In this article, we’ll explain the many ways they are used.

Common Uses for Industrial Vibrators

Mechanical vibrators make everything easier. Read on to find out how.

Improve Dust Collection Systems

Many production lines require dust to be collected and removed. A mechanical vibrator is often part of this process.

Dust can be removed from the production line and collected in bags, cyclones, or even electrostatic precipitators. Once it’s been collected, a vibrator can be used to shift the dust out of the system and into a waste receptacle.

Merely opening a hopper or chute and allowing the dust to drop out on its own isn’t enough. Vibration is required to shift dust that sticks to the sides and into crevices and clear it completely.

This same principle is applied when using vibration in dump trucks. The force allows contents to be shifted and released more easily. Vibration is more effective than pounding, which can cause unnecessary damage.

Product Quality Control

Industrial vibrators can also be used to carry out shock testing and weatherproof testing on products and packaging during the quality control process.

Vibration frequency can be adjusted to recreate different shipping conditions and levels of impact. This allows testers to see which conditions cause damage to occur.

Compact Materials

Vibration can be used to compact materials, parts, or products before shipping so that they take up less space.

Storage boxes can be placed on vibrating tables during or after the filling process. As the table vibrates, the contents will shift, becoming more compact than they were before. This requires no human input at all and can be done entirely automatically.

This makes the entire shipping process cheaper and more efficient. As shipping volume is decreased, so are your costs.

Compacting is also required in construction work. Soil, concrete, and other materials need to be compacted when constructing roads, foundations, and buildings.

Settle Materials

In food and beverage production, vibration is used to settle materials and ingredients evenly and remove any trapped air and excess water. This is particularly important for chocolate production.

Vibration can also help ingredients flow more efficiently through a production line along feeders and conveyors, and cool and dry more quickly. This prevents any blockage from occurring, so everything can run as smoothly as possible.

Reap the Benefits for Your Business

Now that you know how industrial vibrators can be used, you can identify how to apply them in your business.

The next step is to find out which one is best for you. At Kor-Pak, we supply parts and machinery for just about any use you can think of. See our complete buying guide to find out what you need.

Once you’ve received your order, you can use our industrial vibrator installation guide to get it up and running.

You know how sometimes you can hear a phrase for a while and not really know what it means? You nod along as everyone talks, but in the back of your mind, you hope nobody asks a direct question. That can happen to even the most seasoned crane operators when it comes to discussing a variable frequency drive.

Sometimes called a VFD for short, the market for these drives is expected to continue to climb to over 24 billion by 2021. These drives are often found in cranes and hoists, so a quick refresher on what they are and why they work well is time well spent.

The Nuts and Bolts of a Variable Frequency Drive

A simple analogy for what a VFD motor does is to picture a harness or bridle on a horse. The horse is your electric motor, and the harness is your VFD. Sometimes, it’s okay for your horse to run at full speed. Other times, you want to hold him back a little.

There is, of course, a place where every analogy breaks down, but hopefully, you get the idea. A VFD gives you the option to control the current of electricity going to your motor. If the motor can run without a full allotment, then a variable frequency controller may help.

5 Benefits of a VFD

Now that you have a basic picture of how it works let’s look at some of the benefits that come from one of these VFD drives.

It allows for a slow or measured ignition. Not all electric motors need a full jolt to get started. A VFD measures the actual output needed at ignition and provides only the amount needed to start.

Energy savings = cost savings. The overall reduction in energy doesn’t stop after the initial startup. A VFD drive saves energy while controlling all of the functions and output of the motor.

Smooth take-off. Instead of a jolt as the full force of electricity is sent to your motor, a VFD allows for a smooth release of power. This allows the motor to “ramp up” as needed and saves wear and tear that occurs when a motor gets repeatedly battered with the full force.

Smooth landing. Equally important to an engine being able to ramp up is the reverse. A smooth deceleration saves on wear and tear in the same way as a smooth acceleration.

Longer life. One of the main benefits of a VFD is, it grants your motor longer life. Less wear and tear on a motor is always something to strive for so the use of a VFD drive makes sense for your crane or hoist as well.

Know Your Equipment

Now that you’ve had a brief refresher on what a variable frequency drive is and some of the benefits, you will be ready for the next time it comes up in conversation.

If you are a crane operator, the benefits of knowing more about your equipment and how it works far outweighs being able to talk about it with your coworkers. If you still have questions, contact us today for more information.