Vulcan Cranes Introduces Synthetic Hoist Rope with Dyneema® DM20 Fiber
For Improved Cleanroom Productivity and Further Reduced Contamination Losses
14 September 2020
Avient, a global science-based company in Nutrition, Health and Sustainable Living recently delivered Dyneema ® DM20 fiber to help our customer, Vulcan Cranes, improve perceived performance and operational effectiveness.
Traditional indoor hoists with steel chains or from steel wire introduce steel particles and oil pollutions. However, a hoist rope with Dyneema ® DM20 fiber is easy and safe to handle due to its soft touch, flexibility and light-weight to increase productivity and improve load handling.
In 2016, Avient Protective Materials began working with Vulcan Cranes in Wuxi, China (www.vulcancranes.com) to develop the next generation of overhead cranes for clean industries. “After several years of exploration, this is the first time we see the advantages of synthetic fiber rope as the cleanest hoist lines ever.” explains Li Dasong, Avient regional business manager of Asia Pacific.
Traditional indoor hoists with steel chains or from steel wire introduce steel particles and oil pollutions and cannot be used in cleanrooms directly. A protective cover around and below the hoist is needed for use in clean environments. However, the cover introduces safety risks as it hinders the inspection of the hoists itself.
Mr Yong-Le Liu, (Regional Technical Manager, DSM) adds: “Such rope with Dyneema® DM20 fiber is rust free. It is self-lubricant by having a low Coefficient of Friction (CoF) at 0.05~0.07, while the CoF for steel is 0.74, and it is 0.16 if lubricated with oil. That synthetic hoist line avoids damage costs and production losses from contamination by steel particles and oil pollutions.”
The overhead crane with synthetic hoist rope is also safer. A hoist rope with Dyneema® DM20 fiber is easy and safe to handle due to its soft touch, flexibility and lightweight, which is only 1/8th of the weight of steel chain at the same strength. Ductility, flexibility and smooth surface damp vibrations, common for chain hoists. Such rope with Dyneema® has fewer inspection costs to ensure continuous safe operation.
The new crane increases productivity and improves load handling due to the combination of reduced vibration, flexibility and low elongation of the hoist rope, made of Dyneema® DM20. It has a typical elongation at break of 3% only. At a load safety factor of 10, the elongation at workload is 0.3% only. Different from other UHMWPE fiber grades, Dyneema® DM20 is ultra-high creep resistant and has zero permanent elongation at designed work conditions. The overhead crane with synthetic hoist line keeps precisely working over the entire designed lifetime with the lowest cost of ownership.
Mr Huang Weiwei (CEO of Vulcan Cranes) summarizes: “All benefits we get from the greatest safety of Dyneema® DM20 fiber, and no particle and oil contamination, and precise load handling, Vulcan’s cleanroom cranes with synthetic hoist rope have been successfully installed in semiconductor, pharmaceutical, chemical and aerospace industries. It is really an excellent collaboration with the strongest fiber in the world - Dyneema® fiber”.
