The order, taken by Condra’s Santiago-based agent Mantex SA, comprises a mix of five SH-Series units of various capacity, and 11 KSeries hoists modified to articulated specification.
The articulated hoists will be installed in crushing plant maintenance and service areas, where supporting i-beams will follow curved routes around and between water, fuel and gas pipes.
Crawls for these hoists were fitted with modified cross-heads and articulated assemblies that allow them to negotiate bends with radii of between 1-3m, facilitating the movement of loads between trucks outside the plant and maintenance areas within.
The recent shipment to Chile is the second batch of articulated hoists that Condra has supplied to the Codelco Copper Mine since 2005.
Capacities of the latest shipment vary between 2 and 25t, and feature lift heights up to 28m.
Condra managing director Josef Kleiner said at least three other companies had submitted bids for the order. He added: “Competitors apparently had difficulty combining the articulated crawls with relatively high lifts and a tight lead time.” And continued: “There was also a special voltage of 575V, so electrics had to be re-designed and re-wired. Condra has the advantage of being able to complete motors, brakes and electrics in-house, whereas many other companies have to outsource. This helped us to comply with the specified delivery schedule,” he said.
Components common to both the SH-Series and K-Series hoists allowed Condra to adapt the crawls to Mantex’s articulated specification without needing to change the recommended spares holding.
Manufactured since 1972, Condra’s K-Series hoists have been installed worldwide under a wide variety of operating conditions, and in configurations that include foot-mounted, monorail and double-rail crab configurations.
The K-Series offers lift heights up to 150m and capacities up to 250t. The SH-Series Titan hoists have been designed to make maximum use of expensive factory space, headroom as well as floor. Hoist profile is some 20% lower than other models with lifting capacity up to 16t, according to the manufacturer.
