Custom Hard-Anodized Aluminum Gantry Crane for Medical Manufacturing
EC&MW was contacted by a Georgia-based manufacturer of precision plastic medical implants to design and manufacture a lightweight aluminum gantry crane with a 1,000-pound lifting capacity. The crane’s primary purpose was to safely remove and install molds used in the company’s plastic injection molding machines.
Because the crane would operate in a semi-clean room environment, every aspect of its design was carefully evaluated to meet the customer’s lifting requirements while helping maintain a clean and controlled workspace.
Designed for Semi-Clean Room Applications
Meeting the clean room requirement was well within EC&MW’s capabilities.
Although aluminum is not always the first material selected for clean room environments, EC&MW had previously engineered and manufactured several custom aluminum gantry cranes for similar applications.
The manufacturing process begins by completely fabricating and factory testing the crane before the entire aluminum structure—including the I-beam—is hard anodized.
Hard anodizing provides several important advantages:
- Creates an exceptionally durable surface
- Helps reduce aluminum oxidation
- Improves corrosion resistance
- Produces a cleaner surface better suited for semi-clean room environments
- Extends the crane’s long-term durability
Efficient Hard Anodizing Process
After fabrication and proof testing are complete, the crane is carefully disassembled and packaged into custom-built reusable shipping crates.
These crates are specifically designed so the anodizing company can:
- Safely unpack the crane
- Perform the hard anodizing process
- Repack every component
- Ship the finished crane directly to the customer
This streamlined process eliminates the need to return the crane to EC&MW’s manufacturing facility in Nevada after anodizing.
Once the crane arrives, the customer installs the casters and safety labels on-site—a step most customers prefer to complete themselves.
Stainless Steel Hand Winch System
While the hard-anodized finish was a key feature of this project, it was not the crane’s only unique characteristic.
One of the customer’s most interesting requests was to use a hand-operated lifting winch instead of a conventional chain hoist.
Although the exact reasoning was not provided, it was likely intended to minimize the possibility of particles falling from a moving trolley or chain while working directly above expensive injection molds.
Thern Stainless Steel Winch
To satisfy this requirement, EC&MW equipped the crane with a Thern® hand-operated lifting winch designed specifically for overhead lifting applications.
The winch features:
- 316 stainless steel construction
- 316 stainless steel wire rope
- Stainless steel lifting hook
- Integral automatic brake assembly
These corrosion-resistant components make the lifting system especially well suited for semi-clean room environments where cleanliness and reliability are essential.
Factory Proof Tested for Safety
The photograph above was taken immediately before the crane underwent its factory proof load test.
Like every EC&MW aluminum gantry crane, this system was proof tested to 125% of its rated lifting capacity to verify safe operation and confirm compliance with its 1,000-pound lifting capacity.
Following successful testing, the crane was:
- Disassembled
- Packed into custom reusable shipping crates
- Sent to the hard anodizing facility
- Shipped directly to the customer in Georgia
Engineered for Specialized Manufacturing
This project demonstrates EC&MW’s ability to engineer custom aluminum gantry cranes for highly specialized manufacturing environments.
From the hard-anodized aluminum construction to the stainless steel hand-operated lifting system, every component was selected to provide safe, reliable material handling while meeting the unique cleanliness requirements of the customer’s medical manufacturing operation.
