Cleveland Tramrail

Using the overhead bridge cranes to load and service the machines reduces handling time considerably compared to using a conventional fork truck.

Fishers, NY (PRWEB) March 18, 2009

Cleveland Tramrail® cranes by Gorbel have been helping a glass manufacturer safely move their product for over 25 years.

Cardinal Glass CG is a major supplier of coated glass for residential window manufacturers. The company installed their first Cleveland Tramrail® system in 1984 to load and service its first glass coating machine. As the business grew and the process of coating glass evolved, Cleveland Tramrail® was the lifting solution they turned to for systems that would be reliable, compatible with existing cranes, and easy to maintain.

At one of Cardinal's coated glass facilities, clear glass is coated with an ultra-thin metallic layer to reflect the sun's rays in the summer time, and absorb them in the winter. The glass is coated in a process that sends raw product through a series of cathodes over a long conveyor. The cathode tubes rest in box casings that are 2 feet wide, 4 feet tall and 14 feet in length. Each casing weighs about 4,600 pounds. When a cathode needs maintenance or replacement, it needs to be quickly removed from the conveyor line and replaced to keep production flowing. Once the cathode has been removed, it is transferred to a maintenance area which is parallel to the main production line. This area features a 300 foot runway with two 34' bridges. According to the maintenance manager, this area services an average of five, but as many as 10 cathodes per day.

"Using the overhead bridge cranes to load and service the machines reduces handling time considerably compared to using a conventional fork truck," said a Cardinal Glass representative. "It is definitely a safer method and more efficient means of servicing the machines."

One of the many benefits that Cardinal Glass experiences with Cleveland Tramrail® is reduced maintenance costs and compatibility of new components with systems that were purchased in 1984. Throughout the facility are systems that have runways varying in depth and capacity, but compatible thanks to the consistent width of the patented track's lower running flange. This allows the Maintenance department to keep a low number of repair parts in stock since they are compatible throughout the factory's systems.

Since the installation of their first system, Cardinal Glass has added several CT systems in their facility, including one that has grown to more than 900' in length and features both single and dual girder bridges with mixed capacities to 4 tons.

"A lot has changed in 24 years," said Len McNamer of Cardinal Glass. "We could not have moved along without the Cleveland Tramrail® overhead bridge crane systems."

Contact for Interviews & More Information:

Jeff McNeil, Marketing Manager

Telephone: 800-821-0086, ext. 6241

Contact for High Res Photos, etc:

Susan Griepsma, Marketing Coordinator

Telephone: 800-821-0086, ext. 6733

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