A lifting clamp is a tool that is being used to place, move, and transport goods from one location to another vertically or horizontally. Lifting clamps come in a variety of shapes and sizes, allowing them to meet nearly any lifting and transportation need in any business.
Lifting clamps are used to place, hoist, and transfer items like sheets, plates, mills, pipes, grinders, and other materials. This avoids the need to dig into the material or make a hitch. They use heavy forces that enable the clamp to become more one with the object being hoisted when in operation.
They are commonly employed on plates, sheets and fabrications; as a result, most people refer to them as ‘sheet clamps’ or ‘plate clamps’.
Beam clamps basically are devices that latch onto a structural steel beam for uses such as support, hoisting, and hauling. Wires, fixtures, threaded rods, and other hardware are suspended or secured using this temporary mounting option, also called girder clamps. Beam clamps make it easy to add a hoist to a runway or lifting beam in a quick and easy way.
Lifting Clamps Are Used in Many Industries
Lifting clamps are an essential feature of practically any industry because of the numerous purposes for which they may be employed. They make the job of operators and maintenance workers safer and more efficient. Lifting clamps are frequently used in the following industries-
Transportation Industry
Lifting clamps have been most commonly used in this sector. In this example, transportation describes the movement of large objects from one location to another. They’re used to load automobiles onto trucks, finished goods into boxes, and large things in construction and manufacturing.
Mining Industry
Oversized loads and difficult circumstances are common in mining operations, that’s why it is critical to comply with all safety regulations. Numerous extraction and manoeuvring procedures rely on lifting clamps with enough force to handle and carry any type of cargo or material while remaining safe.
Steel Industry
Because this sector is one of the largest and most crucial in modern history, improved safety features and working practices are being implemented. The use of automated lifting clamps allows tasks in particular conditions such as foundries, manufacturing facilities and metalworking to be carried out remotely.
Construction Industry
Lifting clamps are used to efficiently load and unload manufactured building components like iron sheets, large windows and doors, and metal bars. Lifting clamps are sometimes used to transport other materials such as wood used in residential construction, big doors, flooring, ceilings, and windows.
Dos and Don’ts of Lifting Clamps
Here are some simple safety tips to keep you and your load secure while using a lifting clamp, based on safety rules.
DO
- 1. Use the right clamp for the task. Make sure the clamp is well-rated for the weight and thickness of the materials to be lifted.
- 2. If clamps and appropriate procedures are used, lift only one piece of material at a time.
- 3. To support a lengthy or variable load, employ two or more clamps
- 4. Follow the owner’s manual provided by the manufacturer.
- 5. Before every use, thoroughly check the clamps.
- 6. Place the clamp(s) over the load’s centre of gravity.
- 7. Consider utilizing a locking device with vertical lifting clamps to avoid inadvertent release.
- 8. Always utilize clamps that are rated for their base size and capacity.
- 9. Before lifting a cargo, double-check that the clamps are securely fastened.
- 10. Between the clamp and the cranes or hoist hooks, employ slings.
- 11. When hoisting completed and polished plates, use non-marring (rubber pad) clamps in combinations.
- 12. Lift slowly and gently to minimize jolts.
- 13. If you need to use a tag line, tie it to the clamp when moving the plate.
DON’T
- 1. Lifting workers and standing near a load is not a good idea – Stand away from a load that is obvious. Remember to think about how the burden will fall once it lands.
- 2. No clamp should be overloaded or underloaded.
- 3. With a vertical-only clamp, do not lift from the side.
- 4. Lifting things from the bottom of a stack is not a good idea.
- 5. The lifting clamp should not be used to drag the load.
- 6. Use a clamp with a minimum jaw opening that is bigger than the load’s size.
- 7. Hanging loads should never be left unattended.