Straw bale handling
Straw needs to be transported and stored for various purposes in many processes. It is often used as an efficient source of energy in biomass power plants. Double-girder process cranes with versatile smart gripper units in connection with position measuring systems to achieve high positioning accuracy have proven themselves in these applications. The system can be controlled by a warehouse management system (WMS) with an interface to the customer’s ERP system. Straw is fed to the furnaces on the basis of moisture levels in biomass power plants. Sensors that utilise microwaves are used to measure the moisture levels of the straw bales.
Wooden panel handling
Process cranes also play an important role in wood processing operations. Handling high density fibreboard panels (abbreviated as HDF panels), which are mostly transported in stacks, is just one of many applications. Here, electric motor-powered grabs on Demag double-girder overhead travelling cranes provide for convenient handling. When they are permanently reeved with the hoist unit via four rope attachment points, this is not only very safe and reliable, but also enable a high level of efficiency.