Video Transcript
Time: 0:00-0:06
Hi, I'm Daniel Caldwell and I work as a mechanical engineer at Tandemloc. As a mechanical engineer, I provide engineering support to various other departments at Tandemloc.
Time: 0:06-0:24
For sales, we provide detailed cost analysis for custom product inquiries and work with the customer through the sales department to reach the most efficient design that serves each customer's unique needs. We also handle all of the day-to-day engineering questions that our customers might have about our products.
Time: 0:24-0:40
A big part of my job is the design and validation process for the immense range of lifting and securing products we design and manufacture in-house. Even in something as simple as a standard lift beam, the level of engineering consideration can be significant.
Time: 0:40-0:54
We have to consider the potential failure modes for each component in the lifter and ensure that everything adds up to a safe and reliable product that the customer can trust. To give an example, there are typically at least four failure modes to consider for a pin connection like a pad eye that receives a shackle.
Time: 0:54-1:17
Beyond the design and validation of each and every one of the products we sell, our engineering department interfaces with the production shop on a daily basis to respond to any questions or concerns that might arise during the manufacturing process. For below-the-hook lifting devices, Tandemloc designs will meet or exceed ASME B30.20 standards.
Time: 1:17-1:43
But that's just one of the many standards we have to be aware of in our industry. For example, ASME B30.1 covers jacks and rollers, while B30.26 covers rigging hardware. There's even a standard just for hooks, and that's only the tip of the iceberg. All of the standards I've mentioned so far are safety standards, but there's also design standards which lay out best practices and requirements for the design of lifting and securing equipment.
Time: 1:43-2:17
ASME BTH-1 is one example of a design standard that we use here at Tandemloc, and it pertains specifically to the design of below-the-hook lifting devices. Because so much of our product revolves around the ISO shipping containers, we also have to be familiar with standards like ISO 3874, ISO 668, and ISO 1161, which dictate things like the proper ways in which containers can be lifted or secured, the specific structural and dimensional characteristics of the container, and detailed information on everything you could ever want to know about corner fittings.
Time: 2:17-2:44
The safety factor is just what it sounds like: it's a buffer in terms of strength between the design working load of a device and the point at which bad things start to happen. The buffer can be very small in some cases where the risk level is low, or it can get very large when the risk level is high. For example, ASME B30.20 design category B requires the structure of a below-the-hook lifter to have a three-to-one factor of safety.
Time: 2:44-3:12
That means that we designed the product to not experience any permanent deformation until 300 percent of the working load has been applied. Safety factors can range anywhere from one and a half to over five times, and they can even vary based on the product type, application, applicable standards, or customer requirements.
Time: 3:12-3:18
All of our welders are required to qualify per AWS D14.1, and all of our weld inspectors are certified in accordance with ASNT TC1A Level 2 for the types of weld inspections they perform.
Time: 3:18-3:36
This includes visual inspection for all welds, magnetic particle inspection for all primary welds, and dye penetrant inspection for primary welds on aluminum or other non-ferrous metals. In most cases, these tests are performed after proof testing and media blasting.
Time: 3:36-4:02
A low-height test lift is recommended at the onset of each lift event. A certified proof test, like the one that comes with your lifter when it's new, is typically recommended annually; however, customer specifications may require a different schedule. ASME standards don't really specify an interval for this recertification, but many of our customers take advantage of our recertification services to ensure everything is still up to spec.
Time: 4:02-4:11
When we get a product back in-house for recertification, we can sandblast it, do a thorough weld inspection, inspect the slings and other hardware, reproof test, and refinish.
Time: 4:11-5:40
While this isn't the cheapest option for recertification, it is definitely the most comprehensive. Simply put, a spreader is designed to carry only compression loads between the lift points, while a lift beam is designed to carry shear and bending moments between the lift points. Spreaders are typically lighter in weight than a comparable lift beam, but they will always require a top lift sling which can really increase the overall distance between the crane hook and the load. Lift beams will usually be heavier, but they don't require a top lift sling, and the crane can connect directly to the lifter.
Time: 5:40-6:02
This tends to make lift beams easier to handle and set up, and many times it can make economic sense to have a combination of both lift beam and spreader capabilities in the same product. Ultimately, deciding which solution is right for your lift is a matter of headroom, crane capacity, and cost.
Time: 6:02-6:32
So we get this question a lot and the answer is: Tandemloc made the decision long ago to follow the recommendation of ASME safety standards that say each and every below-the-hook lifter should be proof tested. Now, our competitors take advantage of the fact that it's a recommendation and not a hard requirement. At Tandemloc, we just don't take shortcuts like that, especially when our customers' safety is involved.
Time: 6:32-6:58
You can have the best engineering department, the best vendors, the best manufacturing team, and the best quality department—and we certainly do at Tandemloc—but there's nothing that can provide the level of assurance that a physical proof test can. We've invested a lot of money in our on-site proof testing capabilities, and we did that because we believe in the tremendous value it adds to the product.
