Running three shifts around the clock throughout the week doesn’t allow production downtime on the anodizing line at the Southern Aluminum Finishing Co. (SAF) site in Atlanta. In the past, however, that line frequently ground to a halt due to demand for maintenance on its cranes’ dry-clutch brakes. SAF Crane BrakeThe situation was a constant headache for Josh Berris, the general manager of the Atlanta operation. It was such a headache that he dedicated a member of his team to primarily repairing/rebuilding those brakes. Eventually, Berris decided to replace them with units featuring oil-shear technology from Force Control Industries, Fairfeld, OH (forcecontrol.com). Equipped with Force Control’s MagnaShear brakes, the site’s anodizing line has been back up and running, 24 hours a day, five days a week,
The anodizing line’s cranes are used to manually guide parts through a process that involves continual starting/stopping/jogging items into position. With a 1-ton capacity and independent front and back action, a crane performs as many as 20 clicks per move, and many hundreds of moves per shift. To stop and position the load, Baldor 5-hp motors from ABB Motors and Mechanical Inc., Fort Smith, AR are mounted with the brakes