A pressing move without interruption to production

Hungarian heavy lifting and machine assembly specialist, Megakran Plc, relied upon its Enerpac SL400N hydraulic gantry to move an 85t sheet metal press between factories located in Somogy County in southwest Hungary. The SL400N gantry provided easier access to the press than using a mobile crane.

With a large vehicle production industry, Hungary is one of Europe’s leading automotive manufacturing centres. Megakran offers a range of crane and machinery installation services to handle industrial moves for the sector. “In most cases we are able to use a mobile crane for press moves,” said Gábor Tóth, operational leader, Megakran Plc. “However, for some moves, the route through the factory can be very narrow and so we deploy the Enerpac SL400N for the lift. In addition to a safe and quick move, using the gantry means the customer does not have to disrupt production to allow mobile crane access.”

For positioning the press, Megakran used the gantry’s SL400N side shift units allowing them to customise the below-the-hook distance to suit header beam dimensions and project requirements. Controls for the electric side shift are integrated within the gantry base units and wireless control system used to operate the gantry.

The SL400N Super Lift Hydraulic Gantry is the lifting industry’s highest capacity narrow track gantry. It can lift up to 400t (first stage) with a 7.7m lifting capacity on a narrow 0.6m skidding track. By using a narrow track gauge, the gantry can be easily moved around obstacles during industrial moves. As well as spending less time either navigating obstacles or moving them, lifting companies need fewer resources to mobilise and demobilise the equipment.