Foundry operating conditions can involve intense heat and noise combined with dust and chemically-laden atmospheres, resulting in some of the most difficult and potentially dangerous working environments. Add to this the need to move and manually manipulate heavy loads, then you have tough conditions that demand the very best, not only from tools and equipment, but also from the workforce. The range of air-operated hoists manufactured by J D Neuhaus have been designed to provide safe and reliable load-handling facilities, with 100% duty ratings and minimum downtime to maintain maximum production efficiency, no matter how difficult the working conditions. The absence of any electrical or electronic equipment, combined with highly robust air vane motors ensures that the JDN range of hoists are suitable for operation even in potentially explosive atmospheres.
With workplace safety paramount, the hoists also provide a high degree of lift, lower and load-positioning control to ensure full compliance with prevailing working practice regulations. Typical operations encountered within foundries include the handling of raw materials (sand and scrap metals etc), lifting moulds and cores for stacking or storage, handling molten metal ladles, mould shakeouts and sand reclamation, shot blast and grinding operations in cleaning areas, together with final machining, painting and product-packing operations. With individual castings varying in their size and weight from under 1kg to several metric tonnes, JDN hoists can be successfully utilised in all areas of foundry operations, with varying individual hoists providing load handling requirements from 125kg up to 25t or more.
The Mini series of JDN hoists can be supplied for load capacities of 125, 250, 500 and 980kg. These compact, lightweight hoists can be supplied with trolleys for overhead rail mounting to accommodate load-traversing operations, utilising manual, reel chain or motorised trolley operation. A Mini Manipulator version can also be provided where single-handed load handling and positioning can be safely undertaken.
For heavier handling requirements, the rugged JDN Profi TI product range is widely utilised. These hoists are suitable for operation in the toughest industrial situations, providing individual lift requirements from 250kg up to a full 100t if required. Where working conditions involve a restricted working height, low headroom trolley monorail-mounted hoists can be supplied, including ultra-low headroom variations where there are serious reservations on the working space available. Big bag-handling equipment, with single or twin load hooks for use with standard or more complex cruciform lifting beam designs can also be supplied.
For longer loads, twin monorail-mounted hoists can be used in tandem and connected with tie bars, or twin hoists mounted on overhead rails can be supplied. All hoists are provided with rugged pendant controllers for lift, lower and load-traverse movements, including precise load positioning, with a built-in emergency air shutoff valve also incorporated.
All JDN products are humidity and dust resistant, capable of operating in temperatures from -20°C to 70°C (mini 50°C). They also operate on a compressed air supply of 6 bar with a low-maintenance instant-starting vane motor. A failsafe disc brake holds loads in the event of an air supply failure, with anti-climb and anti-drop devices incorporated as well as overload protection where specified. The products, except the mini series (Ex II 3 GD IIA T4), have explosion-protection classifications of Ex II 2 GD IIA T4 / II 3 GD IIB T4 and Ex II 2 GD IIB T4 or II 2 GD IIC T4, with increased spark protection also provided where required.