Rail-Mounted Gantry Cranes (RMG)
Rail-Mounted Gantry Cranes (RMG)
Rail-mounted gantry cranes (RMG) are an important working element in terminals, ports and industrial plants. They provide high productivity and efficiency in moving goods while minimising operating costs. Each RMG crane is individually designed according to customer requirements and project specifics. The cranes can have multiple designs even within the same field of operations or on the same rail track. Let’s consider the main characteristics of gantry cranes and their cost.
Rail-mounted gantry cranes (RMG), their main characteristics:
- Lifting capacity. Rail-mounted gantry cranes in the logistics industry have a lifting capacity of up to 45 tonnes under spreader. According to individual customer requirements, the lifting capacity can be lower or significantly higher.
- Lifting height. Varies depending on customer requirements and can reach several tens of metres, which allows to work with high stacks of containers to increase the capacity of the warehouse.
- Crane span. The span, or distance between crance’s support legs, can vary and is applied depending on customer requirements.
- Crane cantilever reach. The part of the crane’s main beams on the outside of the support legs. The cantilevers together with the crane span form the total length of the crane, thus determining the length of its working area.
- Working speeds and productivity. Modern gantry cranes are equipped with mechanisms that provide high working speeds and the ability to combine several movements simultaneously, which increases the overall productivity of both the crane and the terminal as a whole.
- Crane power supply. With few exceptions, the standard is electric power supply for rail-mounted gantry cranes. This type of power supply ensures high energy efficiency of the crane drives, which allows to significantly reduce operating costs. When braking the electric drives or lowering the load-carrying device, currents are generated in the crane’s electrical system, which used to be converted into heat by a special device. Modern cranes are equipped with recuperation systems that feed these currents into the terminal’s power grid, further reducing operating costs.
Advantages of rail-mounted cranes (RMG):
- High service life. Due to the solid steel structure, the use of electric drives with modern frequency converters and control systems, as well as decades of proven technology, RMG cranes have an extremely high service life. This makes them suitable for modernisation even after a long service life.
- High degree of automation. Due to the high level of standardisation of all basic crane movements, rail-mounted cranes (RMG) can be relatively easily automated to any degree currently available. It is also possible to retrofit the crane control system to achieve the desired level of automation.
- Low operating costs. Thanks to the use of electric drives and recuperation systems, rail-mounted gantry cranes (RMG) are characterised by low operating and maintenance costs.
Transporting a rail-mounted gantry crane (RMG)
Due to its extremely large dimensions, the rail-mounted gantry crane (RMG) is transported in a dismantled into major components. Multimodal transport is often used in various combinations. In port-to-port transport, the RMG cranes are often transported assembled after assembly at the port of departure. Special sea-going vessels are used for this purpose.
Cost of rail-mounted gantry crane (RMG)
The price of a rail-mounted gantry crane (RMG) depends on many factors, such as its dimensions, availability of additional options such as automation, safety or autonomy. Logistics is also a significant part of the crane delivery budget. The further inland the final delivery point, the more expensive and complex the logistics, which can account for up to 20 per cent of the crane’s cost.
Conclusion
Rail-mounted gantry cranes (RMG) are a key element for handling operations in modern ports, terminals and manufacturing facilities. An investment in a quality gantry crane pays for itself through increased productivity and safety, reduced operating costs and technical downtime.
Rail-Mounted Gantry Cranes (RMG) FAQ
A rail-mounted gantry crane (RMG) is a specialised piece of equipment used in ports, terminals and industrial plants to move heavy goods such as containers. It travels on rails to ensure high productivity and precision.
The main components include main girders, hoisting trolley, operator's cab, electric drives, control system, load-carrying mechanism, support legs, cantilevers, wheel carriages and upper and lower beams.
The main features include lifting capacities of up to 45 tonnes and above, lifting heights of up to several tens of metres, span lengths and cantilever outreach (if provided), and high working speeds due to the electric drive.
The RMG crane has a high life cycle, low maintenance and high automation capability. These advantages make it a durable and cost-effective solution for logistics operations.
It is transported in dismantled form, using multimodal transport means. Sometimes the crane can be transported in assembled form by sea if the assembly has been carried out at the port of departure.
The cost depends on dimensions, availability of additional options and the complexity of logistics, which can be up to 20% of the total price of the crane. The price also varies depending on the delivery conditions and the level of automation.
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