Overhead crane to your facility? Have you heard phrases like “modular crane,” “engineered crane,” or “process crane” thrown around and wonder what type of bridge crane might be best for your business?

The main difference between a modular crane system and a process crane is the amount of engineering required to design and build the bridge crane system. Special consideration has to be given to:

• The lifting application
• Working environment
• Actual usage and runtime
• Budget
• Any additional features or add-ons required

In this article, we’ll compare modular cranes and engineered / process cranes and provide you with a comprehensive breakdown of:

• The advantages and disadvantages of each crane system
• The components and design requirements for each system
• Common uses (including lifting applications and operating environments for each)
• Reasons why you would benefit from one system over another
   

What is a Modular Bridge Crane System?

A modular crane is a popular type of pre-engineered system that includes all of the components for a bridge crane—excluding the bridge girder(s) and the paint system. These types of crane systems aren’t necessarily designed for a specific process but are designed to be general purpose material movers. They typically run at fairly low speeds and are used infrequently.

Because of this, a modular crane system is mostly going to play in the lower capacities of 10 tons and under and fall within more standard span and runway ranges.

Typically, the crane’s electrification, controls, hoist, motors, and drives are all standard off-the-shelf parts. These components have been selected for use within pre-specified ranges for capacity, span, and usage. All of these components are compatible with each other and are designed to be “plug and play” with the included electrical panels.

The cranes themselves can be top running or under running. The bridge girders can be configured in a single girder or double girder design and are fabricated to order based on the desired span and capacity of the system.

When it comes to duty cycle, modular cranes mostly fall somewhere in the CMAA Class A, Class B, or Class C ratings—however, some modular crane systems could be classified as Class D.

However, make sure you carefully understand the ratings and specifications of a modular system that has been rated as Class D. Some of the individual components may be using European FEM standards that fall just short of the CMAA and HMI Class D specifications when it comes to motor starts/stops and bearing life recommendations.

What Drives the Need for a Modular Crane?

Modular cranes aren’t driven by a specific lifting application and are most commonly used in general industry, light manufacturing or fabrication, and maintenance or machine shops.

There are a couple of different factors that an overhead crane manufacturer will consider when recommending a modular crane system:

• Usage: The crane will be a general purpose crane used for moving material through a facility. The crane won’t be used frequently and doesn’t need anything more than average speed, average capacity, and basic controls.
• Application: The crane will be used in general industry or light manufacturing/maintenance facilities. There aren’t typically any environmental considerations that would require specialized components.
• Price: Cost is a major factor and the purchaser is probably focused on an economical and short-term solution that can be delivered quickly. However, they may not be thinking long-term and considering costs beyond the next 3-5 years.
• Lead Time: Once a purchase order is received, a modular crane system can be turned around pretty quickly. Often, the components can be sourced within 4 weeks and the project can be completed with about 30-40 hours of fabrication time

A modular crane system is a great fit when a manufacturer receives a customer request like, “I know I need a 5-ton crane to move some loads through my building. I want it motorized in all three directions. It doesn’t need to be fast, and it won’t be high usage. Oh by the way, I want it cheap and I need it quick!”

Modular Crane Components

Most commonly, a modular crane system is going to be comprised of standardized off-the-shelf components including the hoist, end truck wheel bases, drives, and festooning. Everything in the system is packaged with components that have been pre-engineered to work together—all the way down to the connection points and individual bolts.

This may sound like you’re just assembling an erector set, but you still need a professional crane manufacturer to fabricate and install your overhead crane system, so that everything is square and within precision tolerances. Otherwise, you’ll get a crane system with all kinds of problems—including alignment issues and premature wear to brakes, wheels, and end trucks.

Modular cranes typically don’t come with the bells and whistles of an engineered crane system, but that’s not to say that certain components can’t be upgraded or specialized based on special requirements or application.