Crucible Handling Equipment

Crucible handling is an integral process in the casting of aluminum. Whether you are transporting crucibles around your plant or pouring molten aluminum, you need to select the proper lifter for your application. This post will discuss the different lifters available for handling and pouring crucibles. 

The simplest device for transporting crucibles around your plant is the crucible lifting beam. Bradley crucible lifting beams are custom-designed to handle your specific crucibles by carrying underneath the trunnions. Bradley crucible lifting beams include replaceable j-hooks to allow for easy repair in the case of excessive wear or damage. 

For applications that involve pouring molten aluminum, a crucible tilt bail is the most common solution. Bradley crucible tilt bails are similar in construction to Bradley crucible lifting beams, except they include a winch assembly to pivot the crucible about the trunnions for pouring aluminum. The winch used can be either electric or air-powered to suit the existing infrastructure of your crane.

A rotate drive, also electric or air-powered, can be included to allow the crucible tilt bail to be positioned without contact from an operator. Finally, when headroom is an issue, Bradley crucible tilt bails can be reeved directly into your crane to eliminate the need for a hook block.  

If you are looking for a completely hands-free solution for pouring crucibles you should consider a Bradley motorized crucible tilting beam. The legs of the motorized crucible tilting beam are driven open and closed to engage and disengage the crucible trunnions. A rotation drive is mounted in each leg to rotate the crucible by the trunnions. In some cases, the crucible trunnions will need to be modified to allow the crucible trunnion carrying bracket to provide positive engagement. 

Hopefully, this brief overview of the different types of crucible handling equipment gave you a better understanding of your lifting options. Bradley Applications Engineers are always available to assist you. If you have any questions Click Here to contact us, and we will be glad to answer any of your questions.