Pintsch Bubenzer USA to Present at AIST Crane Symposium

Pintsch Bubenzer USA, a manufacturer of high performance disc and drum brakes for steel cranes and other severe duty applications, has been invited to deliver a presentation at the Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST) Crane Symposium, which takes place 2-4 June 2019 at the Hilton Seelbach in Louisville, Kentucky.

The 30-minute paper, titled “Crane Emergency Brakes in Critical Lift Applications”, will be given by Joel Cox, president at Pintsch Bubenzer USA, at 8:45 a.m. on the opening morning of the event. He will address plant maintenance staff; applications, electrical, mechanical, safety, service and design engineers; operations and maintenance personnel and management; and other steel industry professionals. Cox, who is a member of the Cranes Technology Committee within AIST, previously presented to the delegation at the corresponding event in 2015.

This Pintsch Bubenzer emergency brake acts directly on a ladle crane’s drum, eliminating any chance of drivetrain failure causing a dropped load on a critical lift.

Electric overhead traveling (EOT) cranes are commonplace in steel mills where they can be up to 450 tons or more in capacity and lift ladles of molten metal that are poured into casting machines. Symposium attendees will be urged to consider the safety benefits of installing emergency brakes, especially in environments where critical lifts are commonplace.

Cox said: “The AIST community gathers key decision makers in our largest growth market. Our safety-centric products are well suited to the evolving steel sector. Nucor Corporation has recently retrofitted cranes at a number of locations and we’ve since seen others follow their lead. Practically, the paper will look at brake sizing methodology, obstacles, install, testing, and other safety-related content. We will also explore potential accidents, say, when a gear shaft should fracture and a load is dropped.”

The symposium generally will deliver practical information and experiences from crane maintenance personnel, crane manufacturers, equipment manufacturers and engineering consultants who strive to make EOT cranes and their runways the safest, most reliable, durable machinery and equipment in the industry. The program, which may qualify for up to 14 Professional Development Hour (PDH) credits, will include other presentations focused on safe work practices.

The 30-minute paper will be given by Joel Cox, president at Pintsch Bubenzer USA, at 8:45 a.m. on the opening morning of the event.

Mike Astemborski, executive sales manager at Pintsch Bubenzer USA, will also be in attendance. He said: “Why would anyone be comfortable about making a critical lift, where a crane is moving an expensive and / or dangerous load, without an additional emergency, failsafe brake? A new ladle crane might represent a $7 million investment for a steel mill and we’re talking about a potentially lifesaving addition at a tiny fraction of that cost.”

• In the meantime, Pintsch Bubenzer will have a 20 ft. by 20 ft. booth at this year’s AISTech, which takes place at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on 6-8 May (the broader conference lasts a day longer). Booth 731 will showcase a number of products, including a range of emergency brakes.