PROJECT OUTRACH SUMMARY

Project: Custom Fabrication Shop Jib Crane
This project is primarily focused on tackling the specific issue of a particular fabrication shop with a custom solution. The issue is that this shop operates a plasma table rated for sheets of steel up to 5 by 10 foot. With material of this size, a large amount of floorspace and forklift operation is required to transport pieces into and out of the table. With a jib crane installed above the table capable of reaching outside the shop doors, the efficiency, speed, and ease of operation would drastically increase.
Primary technical merits involved with this project include variable distance loads, rotational capabilities, and structural integrity including a sizable factor of safety.
The crane is designed around the maximum material rating of the plasma table in question, which is steel sheets measuring 10 feet by 5 feet by 3/4ths if an inch. Material pieces of this size are roughly 1500 pounds. Given this criteria, and the fact that the end of the crane is intended to be a high powered rare earth magnet rated for that same weight, the crane should be able to withstand a load greater than the magnet. With this in mind, the magnet will fail before the crane, allowing for substantially increased lifespan.
Another criteria to consider while designing this crane is its footprint on the shop floor. With the shop already having limited floorspace, this crane must have as small a footprint as possible. Optimizing this footprint will be a primary focus of the project.
A known challenge of this project is designing the crane around the existing structure to bind effectively. The current intent is to reinforce a supporting column nearby with a sheath of steel box tube, and attach the crane to the reinforcement, allowing the crane to only take up the floorspace of the sheath.
Assistance required by the industry would include the materials and facilities to fabricate large scale hardware measuring up to 13 feet tall.