Demag strengthen bond with Castle Cement
Demag Cranes & Components Ltd have installed two process cranes from their Bulkmaster range at Castle Cement’s production facility at Padeswood, North Wales. The installation is part of a new kiln development that has increased production capacity at the site by 50%.
Demag installed two fully automatic, 23-tonne SWL 25m-span cranes, each incorporating an open frame winch with a bucket, to move up to 15 tonnes of material per lift. They each have a travel speed of 150m/min and a hoisting speed of up to 85m/min, providing each crane with the capacity to move 275 tonnes of material per hour.
The fully automatic crane systems are programmed and monitored from an operations room via a radio Ethernet remote control. The cranes also incorporate ISDN modem links to Demag’s central facility, permitting remote monitoring, diagnostics and software uplinks. Controls on the cranes are housed within an air-conditioned enclosure to provide the optimum operating temperature and eliminate the ingress of dust into the motor and machinery.
The cranes are used to move raw materials to the hoppers that feed the kiln, while also distributing clinker produced in the kiln. Sensors on the hoppers inform the control system that stocks are low and the crane travels to the location where the appropriate material is stored, picking up the load and depositing it in the relevant hopper. When unloading material the crane ‘remembers’ the height of the last load and gently deposits the next full grab on the heap, minimizing the amount of dust created.
Castle Cement chose Demag because of their experience in the cement industry, including having completed a similar project for Castle Cement at their Ketton works.
