Rope and Sling Specialists Ltd. (RSS) has delivered two 10-weight test sets and a cradle for mobile crane load testing at an international aerospace, defence, and security company. The cranes are used predominantly for lifting military equipment at an undisclosed site.
RSS provided two 7.5t sets—each comprising six 1t, two 0.5t, and two 0.25t weights—and a cradle to fit them in, manufactured by its Gemmak Engineering business unit. The cradle weighs 2t but offers a 25t safe working load (SWL). It was initially delivered to RUD Chains Ltd. as the primary contractor, prior to transportation to the end user, where it will be used for testing a fleet of cranes as per Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER).
The one-piece cradle, which has RUD ABA weld-down lifting points, is designed to hold the same weight on each side so the centre of gravity allows for a true test. The user can utilise rigging gear from its on-site store combined with load cells or other force measurement technology to meet load testing requirements, document findings, and return the cranes to work.
The project served as another example of RSS’s expanded engineering capability, having acquired the Gemmak business, located near to de facto headquarters in South Wales, in 2019. RSS has more than doubled Gemmak’s turnover during the last 12 months, principally through the design, manufacture, fabrication, and repair of lifting beams, swing jibs, lifting platforms, pipework, runway beams, and lifting brackets, in addition to providing bespoke equipment for the steel, shipbuilding, petrochemical, and other heavy industries.
Steve Hutin, managing director at RSS (and Gemmak), said: “We will fabricate anything metal, using the latest design, cutting, and welding technology. At the centre of our suite is a solid modelling CAD [computer-aided design] and computer-aided engineering computer programme [SolidWorks], backed by state-of-the-art tooling technologies. We could feasibly generate £1 million-worth of business through the machine shop in the next year, increasing the volume of one-off projects, plus batch orders, and even maintaining ongoing production lines for customers.”
Gemmak’s tooling includes various guillotines, a plasma cutter, radial drills, magnetic drills, pillar drills, a centre lathe, an iron worker / press, an abrasive wheel, a band saw, a circular saw, a threading machine, and welding sets, plus fume extractors and air compressors. Hand tools include a series of 4-inch to 9-inch grinders and multiple cordless drills.
