For most food and beverage production as well as for pharmaceutical companies, a stainless steel hoist will be required as standard equipment. These hoists are also ideal for use in production and manufacturing environments where wash-down capacity, high humidity or the presence of specific types of chemicals or corrosive agents may be a factor to consider.
In some applications, particularly in oil and gas production, the need for specially designed hoists that are both spark as a well as corrosion resistant may be a requirement. For these applications, all exposed components of the hoist may be made of stainless steel. This includes the use of stainless steel load chains, hooks, latches and hand chains.
Capacity
It goes without saying that the first factor to consider when choosing a hoist is that it is designed to meet the maximum lifting capacity for the application. Most companies will recommend increasing this to purchase a hoist capable of lifting more, particularly if the weight amount is close to the maximum for a specific model.
Going to a larger stainless steel hoist builds in protection for the equipment. All other specifications and factors also have to be taken into consideration, including the physical space available for the hoist.
Use Frequency
Different manufacturing, production or logistics types of facilities will have different needs for their crane systems. Some may only use the chain systems on a weekly basis while others may use the cranes continually on an ongoing basis.
Plants and facilities may operate on a standard business day while others may run shifts around the clock. When use frequency in production is ongoing and the use of the crane will literally be 24 hours a day every day, choosing a system that has built in redundancy of the hoist may be an essential consideration.
Operational Requirements
Within the line of stainless steel hoist offered by top crane system manufacturers, there will be different features and options available in the hoist. This could include manual or motorized lifting capacity, variable speed operation or even if the trolley needs to be motorized or operated manually by push/pull.
For many applications in industrial and manufacturing facilities, it will be essential to consider a remote radio operated system. This allows the crane operator to be a safe distance away from the load being lifted and moved, while still maintaining full control over the lifting and lowering of the load and the movement of the hoist trolley along the rails.