Steel & Metallurgy Series – Weihua Crane, Overhead Crane, Gantry Crane

Ladle crane

cn_whcrane — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 11:56:57 +0000

Weihua ladle cranes are heavy-duty handling equipment used in core processes such as smelting, casting, and charging in metallurgical plants (e.g., steel enterprises). They operate at a special heavy-duty (A8) working class and are specifically designed for lifting high-temperature molten materials like steel ladles. They meet stringent standards for reliability, safety, and environmental adaptability, incorporating modern design concepts such as lightweight construction and intelligence.

Ladle cranes are primarily used for charging molten iron into converters in the converter charging bay; transporting molten steel ladles to refining furnaces in the refining bay; or lifting molten steel onto the continuous casting turret in the steel ladle receiving bay.

Ladle cranes can be divided into five types: four-girder four-rail double-trolley type, four-girder six-rail double-trolley type, double-girder double-rail single-trolley type, double-girder four-rail double-trolley type, and double-girder double-rail主副 trolley type.

Advantages & Features

Structural Composition

The structure of a ladle crane is more complex and robust than that of a general overhead crane. Its core components and design features are shown in the table below:

Component	Description & Features
Bridge Structure	Often adopts a rigid bridge design with four girders, four rails, and double trolleys. This structure offers high rigidity, effectively dispersing the huge loads and thermal radiation effects generated when lifting steel ladles, ensuring stability.
Hoisting Mechanism	Configured for double trolleys, with each trolley equipped with an independent, redundant hoisting system. This is a core safety feature; even if one system fails, the other can safely lower the steel ladle, preventing major accidents.
Spreader	Equipped with specialized spreaders according to the process, such as the main hook of the ladle crane for lifting steel ladles. Charging cranes might be equipped with a four-point tilting gantry hook to complete charging operations.
Electrical & Control System	Utilizes power supply devices resistant to high-temperature radiation (e.g.,拖缆 systems). Modern models typically integrate variable frequency speed regulation, PLC, and intelligent control systems for precise anti-sway, automatic positioning, and remote monitoring.
Safety Protection System	In addition to conventional limit switches and overload limiters, it is equipped with overspeed protection devices, interlocking protection for various mechanisms, and special alarm devices for high-temperature environments, forming multiple safety barriers.

Optional functions that can be provided on ladle cranes according to customer requirements:

Rotatable gantry hook spreader.
Gantry hook spreader with variable hook spacing.
Gantry hook spreader with rigid guide posts.
Precise load weighing and display.

Applications

Weihua ladle cranes serve the core production processes of the metallurgical industry. Their main application areas are highly concentrated:

Core Applications: Ferrous metal smelting (steel industry) and non-ferrous metal smelting (e.g., copper, aluminum industries) in smelting workshops and foundries.
Specific Process Stages:
1. Steelmaking/Ironmaking: Responsible for lifting and charging molten iron and molten steel in blast furnace, converter, and electric arc furnace workshops.
2. Casting & Charging: Transporting molten metal to the casting area, or charging scrap steel and raw materials into smelting furnaces.
3. Secondary Refining & Continuous Casting: Transporting steel ladles between refining furnaces and continuous casting machines.
4. Product Export: Serves overseas projects for major international steel groups, such as those in Kazakhstan, as key production equipment.

Forging crane

cn_whcrane — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 11:59:33 +0000

Forging cranes are one of the main pieces of equipment in the large-scale forging manufacturing process. They primarily work in conjunction with forging presses that apply pressure to metal blanks, causing plastic deformation to obtain products with specific mechanical properties, shapes, and dimensions. Forging cranes are used for the lifting, turning, and handling of metal blanks, and are equipped with buffer devices to prevent damage to mechanisms or structural components caused by impact loads.

Forging cranes mainly have two structural forms: double-girder double-rail single-trolley and three-girder four-rail double-trolley. The structural form of the forging crane is closely related to the layout of the forging shop and the hydraulic press.

Components of a forging crane: Electrical control system, main (auxiliary) trolley, crane travel mechanism, bridge, spreader, and turner.

Advantages & Features

Applications

Weihua ladle cranes serve the core production processes of the metallurgical industry. Their main application areas are highly concentrated:

Core Applications: Ferrous metal smelting (steel industry) and non-ferrous metal smelting (e.g., copper, aluminum industries) in smelting workshops and foundries.
Specific Process Stages:
1. Steelmaking/Ironmaking: Responsible for lifting and charging molten iron and molten steel in blast furnace, converter, and electric arc furnace workshops.
2. Casting & Charging: Transporting molten metal to the casting area, or charging scrap steel and raw materials into smelting furnaces.
3. Secondary Refining & Continuous Casting: Transporting steel ladles between refining furnaces and continuous casting machines.
4. Product Export: Serves overseas projects for major international steel groups, such as those in Kazakhstan, as key production equipment.

Slewing charging crane

cn_whcrane — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 12:12:41 +0000

The slewing charging crane was developed to solve challenges in production workshops such as spatial limitations, large tilting angles of charging buckets, and high-capacity charging requirements. It features a 270-degree slewing capability, high maneuverability, a high safety factor, excellent stability, and low friction, making it widely applicable in the steel industry.

The core of the slewing charging crane lies in the coordination between the slewing trolley and the hoisting and tilting mechanism:

Grabbing and Tilting: The hoisting and tilting mechanism is typically equipped with main and auxiliary hooks. During operation, the dual hooks connect to the charging bucket through a linkage mechanism, similar to a “parallelogram”. By controlling the two hoists to operate in a coordinated manner (one lifting while the other lowers), the bucket can be smoothly lifted, moved, and precisely tilted for discharging.
Slewing and Positioning: The slewing trolley enables the spreader and charging bucket below to perform a 270-degree horizontal rotation. This allows the bucket to be flexibly aligned with the charging port, significantly overcoming the issue of insufficient operating space caused by plant columns, equipment, or ladle obstructions.

Advantages & Features

High Flexibility: Solves spatial dead zones with 270-degree rotation, allowing operation even when the bucket is close to walls or in tight spaces.

Safety & Stability: Designed for harsh metallurgical environments with high temperatures and dust, featuring enhanced protection levels for electrical components and heat insulation for structural parts, ensuring high reliability.

High Operational Capacity: Meets the demands of large-tonnage and large-angle (>60°) charging, enabling complete discharge of scrap material in a single operation.

Advanced Technology: Incorporates Weihua’s advanced technologies such as high-precision control and anti-sway systems.

Applications

Weihua slewing charging cranes are primarily used in the smelting and processing of ferrous and non-ferrous metals.

Core Application Scenarios: Mainly used in steel plants within steelmaking workshops for adding materials such as scrap steel and alloys into converters, electric arc furnaces, or ladles.
Extended Application Potential: The “slewing + tilting” operation mode is also suitable for other industrial scenarios requiring the handling of large volumes of bulk high-temperature materials, such as furnace charging processes in non-ferrous metal (e.g., copper, aluminum) smelting and large-scale foundries.

Quenching crane

cn_whcrane — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 12:12:46 +0000

Weihua intelligent quenching crane is a high-precision automated equipment specifically designed for metal heat treatment processes. Its main function is to transport high-temperature profiles or bars (such as workpieces just removed from the heating furnace) to the quenching tank for rapid cooling.

The core process flow is as follows:
High-temperature bars are discharged from the furnace → transported to a designated position by a transfer car → the crane lifts the workpiece → travels to above the quenching tank → lowers into the water for quenching → lifts and places it onto the next workstation.

Advantages & Features

Applications

This equipment is a typical specialized equipment for process industries, mainly used in:

Core Field: Steel and non-ferrous metal processing workshops in the metallurgical industry, particularly in production lines involving heat treatment of bars and profiles.
Extended Fields: Any area of heavy machinery manufacturing, forging, and component production that requires rapid and precise quenching of high-temperature workpieces.

Slab handling crane

cn_whcrane — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 12:23:54 +0000

Weihua slab handling crane, also known as a clamping overhead crane, is a powerful type of special lifting equipment. Its core mission is to solve the handling challenges of heavy slabs, especially hot slabs with temperatures up to 650°C or higher. This equipment can be equipped with specialized clamps, flexibly adapting to slabs of different thicknesses, lengths, and weights, enabling fully automated handling across the entire process from production and transfer to stacking.

To meet the rigorous challenges of a持续 high-temperature environment, Weihua incorporates unique innovations into its design. For example, its patented technology, “a slab handling crane,” specifically optimizes the water-cooled cable system that powers the trolley. This system is protected by a specially designed trough-type cable tray, with radiation shields and heat insulation plates installed on the outer side of the tray, forming multiple thermal barriers. This significantly enhances the reliability and service life of core electrical components in high-temperature radiation environments.

Advantages & Features

Weihua slab handling crane integrates several core technologies from Weihua Group’s “New Chinese Style” crane series, forming显著 product advantages:

Applications

Weihua slab handling cranes are mainly targeted at modern industrial fields requiring efficient handling of heavy plates and slabs:

Core Application – Iron & Steel Metallurgy Industry: This is the primary application area, used for the全程 transfer and stacking operations of hot slabs within steel plants, from the continuous casting machine to the reheating furnace, from the rolling line to the slab yard or finished product warehouse.
Extended Application – Heavy Material Processing & Logistics: Also suitable for locations such as shipyards, large port storage yards, and heavy machinery manufacturing plants for loading, unloading, and handling room-temperature thick steel plates, profiles, and other large metal structural parts.
Related Technology Extension: Its advanced plate handling technologies (such as vacuum suction cup systems) are also widely used in industries requiring the handling of large flat materials, such as construction machinery, aluminum processing, wind turbine blade manufacturing, and tunnel engineering.

200t ladle crane

cn_whcrane — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 01:56:14 +0000

Weihua QE200 (100+100)t – 20.7m A7 Ladle Crane (hereinafter referred to as Weihua 200t Ladle Crane) is a landmark product independently developed by Weihua Group, representing the latest achievements in China’s high-end heavy lifting equipment.

With a rated lifting capacity of up to 200 tons, this product is one of Henan Province’s first (set) major technical equipment in 2024. It is not merely a product but a symbol of Weihua’s complete series and full-process coverage of lifting equipment in the metallurgical industry, demonstrating the company’s strong innovation capability and technological leadership in the field of heavy-duty and special cranes.

Advantages & Features

The Weihua 200t Ladle Crane deeply integrates the design philosophy of the “New Chinese Style” crane with cutting-edge intelligent technologies, aiming to solve the core pain points of ultra-large tonnage, ultra-high reliability, and intelligent handling in heavy industries such as metallurgy.

Safe & Reliable

Redundant Design: Multiple backups for key mechanisms, ensuring safety even with single-point failures. Comprehensive Monitoring: Online wire rope monitoring, cable fire protection, overspeed protection, enabling predictive maintenance.

Intelligent System

Digital Twin: Virtual models映射 physical equipment for simulation, prediction, and optimization. High-Speed, High-Precision Control: Operating speed up to 200 m/min, positioning error <1 mm.

Efficient & Stable

‘New Chinese Style’ Gene: Lightweight structure, comprehensive energy consumption reduced by over 20%. Superior Stability: Anti-sway and cushioning technology reduce operational impact by 90% and sway by 95%.

Applications

The Weihua 200t Ladle Crane is specifically designed for extremely demanding heavy industrial material handling scenarios, with a highly focused core application area:

Core Field: Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Metal Metallurgy
- Application Scenarios: Handling and feeding of raw material (ore, coke) charging boxes in front of large blast furnaces; transfer and docking of molten iron ladles and steel ladles in steelmaking workshops; lifting of large steel slab charging boxes in continuous casting workshops; stacking and transfer of heavy materials such as electrolytic copper plates and aluminum ingots in non-ferrous metal smelting.
- Pain Points Addressed: Replaces the traditional mode of multiple small-tonnage cranes operating collaboratively. A single machine can complete the lifting of ultra-heavy materials, simplifying processes, reducing equipment investment, and avoiding coordination risks, particularly suitable for large-scale production in modern integrated metallurgical enterprises.
Extended Field: Heavy Material Logistics & Ports
- Application Scenarios: Loading and unloading heavy containers, large equipment components, or bulk material boxes at large ports and railway freight yards; assembly and transfer of large components in heavy machinery manufacturing plants.
- Pain Points Addressed: Provides large-tonnage, high-efficiency, and intelligent fixed-point handling solutions, meeting the dual demands of throughput capacity and operational precision at heavy logistics nodes.
Basic Support: National Key Projects & Major Equipment
With its ultra-high reliability and precision, this class of crane is capable of serving the lifting tasks of heavy modules in national strategic projects such as the West-to-East Gas Pipeline, South-to-North Water Diversion, large nuclear power plants, and跨海 bridges, providing critical support for the construction of major national equipment.