Keeping cleanrooms free of contamination and regulatory compliant is a top priority for industries such as food and beverage, pharmaceutical, laboratories, electronics and other industrial sectors, particularly as this sector has annual growth predictions through to 2030 in South Africa. The Konecranes belt hoist, specifically designed for applications within cleanroom environs, is lubrication-free with completely sealed pulley bearings thereby minimising the risk of cross contamination.
“The Konecranes belt hoist, is fast becoming a preferred choice for these specialised environs, and indeed, any area where abrasive dust, powder or flour is present as these will not adhere to the unlubricated belt. The hoist’s featured white Dyneema belt helps in the quick identification of dirt particles and equipment emissions on the belt enabling corrective action to be undertaken,” said Ian Grobler Sales Manager for Konecranes, South Africa.
“The belt hoist was recently introduced to the market and is now being chosen as a replacement to the previous chain and wire hoists of up to SWL 2000kg.With the belt being lubrication-free, it eliminates oil or grease contamination concerns, is resistant to aggressive and harsh environments, including acids, bases, mineral salts, solvents and oil, and can assist in the protection of the customer’s equipment and processes,” said Grobler.
Easy to install on various lifting systems such as overhead traveling cranes, Konecranes KBK workstation lifting systems, jib cranes, monorails and stationery applications, the hoist can support up to 6.3 tons. It offers the highest of UV and chemical resistance and the hoist has as standard high-strength polyamide guiding pulleys that are fully corrosion-free. The pulleys and belts don’t produce any metal particles that can become detached or contaminate products.
The Konecranes belt hoist’s electromagnetic self-adjusting brake delivers reduced maintenance requirements and has optional stainless-steel hooks, hook blocks, wheels, frames and cubicles. The bearings are securely sealed making the belt hoist easy to clean. The belt hoist is available in two frame sizes: BH2 from 125 kg up to 2 tons and BH5 up to 6.3 tons.
Belt Hoist Safety Features
With Ingress Protection (IP) compliance for water and dust protection to IP66 for the motor, IP65 for the pendant and IP55 or IP66 for the hoist control panel, electrically isolated hook block, self-adjusting brake and a geared limit switch for upper and lower hook positioning. The belt hoist maximises safety no matter where it is used via its hoisting motor and thermal protection and overload device which protects both the equipment and operators from potential hazards associated with overheating and overloading.
Versatile Configurations
Versatile hoist configurations include the ‘stationery hoist’ suited to applications where no horizontal travel is needed, the ‘normal headroom hoist’ where every centimetre of lifting height is crucial, and the ‘articulated hoist’ with manual or motorised operation for smooth movement upon curved tracks (BH5 version only).
“Konecranes recognises the critical importance to minimise contaminators in the cleanroom environment and the need for quick corrective action to eliminate contaminatory particles so that the required standards can be achieved. We believe our belt hoist successfully meets the criteria set-down by our customers,” concluded Grobler.