80/32T Intelligent Electromagnetic Overhead Crane Unmanned Metallurgical Steel Plant

Project Overview

Completed and put into operation in March 2022, this project features a Weihua 80/32-metric-ton intelligent electromagnetic overhead crane serving a fully unmanned modern metallurgical steel plant. Tailored specifically for metallurgical operations involving high-altitude work and multi-crane coordination, the crane has a span of 24.6 meters and a rail-top elevation of 29.26 meters. It is used for the automated handling of heavy steel ladles and the automatic feeding of scrap steel into preheating production lines.

Equipped with a circular electromagnetic lifting device and Weihua’s proprietary AICrane intelligent management system, the crane enables fully unmanned, visualized, and digitized operations throughout the entire lifting process. It effectively addresses the safety and efficiency challenges faced by traditional manually operated cranes in high-temperature metallurgical workshops, establishing itself as a flagship example of intelligent lifting equipment in the transformation and upgrading of smart steel mills.

On-site Working Condition Challenges

The metallurgical workshop features high temperature, high load and multi-equipment cross operation. Traditional overhead cranes cannot adapt to unmanned production modes, with prominent practical problems:

• Load swing and low positioning accuracy affect feeding efficiency;
• Multi-layer crane collaborative operation brings potential collision risks;
• Manual on-site operation faces high-temperature hazards;
• Conventional electromagnetic lifting equipment is prone to accidental magnetic discharge and material leakage.
• The workshop lacks unified digital scheduling means, resulting in opaque material data and delayed equipment monitoring.

Client Requirements

The steel plant required a dual-function intelligent overhead crane that supports both heavy steel ladle transportation and precise scrap steel feeding.

The equipment must be equipped with anti-swing and anti-collision safety functions, 360° low-latency real-time monitoring, and digital twin visualization management.

Meanwhile, it needs to support multiple operation modes and independent interlock control of dual lifting mechanisms to fully match the unmanned intelligent production system of the modern metallurgical workshop.

Weihua Customized Intelligent Lifting Solution

Designed for unmanned metallurgical production environments, Weihua delivers an 80/32T dual-hoist electromagnetic overhead crane system, integrating optimized mechanical structure, intelligent control, and digital twin technology to enable safe and efficient automated lifting operations. Click to view more crane solutions for steel manufacturing.

Dual Hoist Configuration
The ladel crane features an independent dual-hoist design. The 80T main hoist handles steel ladle lifting, while the 32T auxiliary hoist with electromagnetic chuck is used for scrap steel handling and charging. Both systems operate independently with safety interlock protection, ensuring stable performance under dual working conditions in metallurgical workshops.

Intelligent Safety & Control System
Equipped with advanced anti-sway and automatic positioning technology, the system ensures precise load handling and stable operation. Multi-level safety protection enables coordinated multi-crane operation and reduces collision risks. The optimized electromagnetic control system prevents unintended magnetization and material drop, ensuring operational safety and reliability.

Digital Twin Management Platform
Integrated with the AICraneWMSv3.0 system and 3D digital twin visualization, the crane enables real-time synchronization of materials, equipment, and task data. Intelligent 3D scanning supports dynamic inventory updates and precise scheduling. The system provides 360° monitoring with sub-200ms latency, supporting remote manual, semi-automatic, and fully automated operation modes.

Parameter Item	Technical Specification
Equipment Type	Intelligent Electromagnetic Metallurgical Overhead Crane
Main Hoist Rated Capacity	80 Ton (Steel Ladle Handling)
Auxiliary Hoist Rated Capacity	32 Ton (Scrap Steel Feeding)
Workshop Span	24.6 Meters
Rail Surface Elevation	29.26 Meters
Standard Spreader	Round Electromagnetic Chuck Hook
Core System	AICraneWMSv3.0 & Digital Twin 3D Visual System
Monitoring Video Latency	≤200ms
Operation Modes	Full-automatic / Semi-automatic / Remote Manual / Emergency Control

Equipment Advantages

Stable and Accurate Lifting Performance
With advanced anti-swing automatic positioning technology, the crane eliminates load swing during operation, achieves high-precision positioning, and adapts to long-term, high-frequency and continuous heavy-duty operation in metallurgical workshops.

Full-dimensional Safety Protection
Integrates multi-crane anti-collision system, electromagnetic anti-leakage control and 360° no-dead-angle low-latency monitoring. The multi-level safety protection mechanism effectively avoids equipment failure and safety accidents in high-temperature harsh working conditions.

Digital Visualized Intelligent Scheduling
The 2D/3D switchable digital twin platform restores the real workshop operation state in equal proportion. Combined with 3D material scanning and WMS management system, it realizes real-time update of inventory data and intelligent scheduling of lifting tasks.

Flexible and Diversified Operation Modes
It supports automatic daily production and manual remote intervention for special working conditions, which greatly reduces on-site labor dependence and meets the operation requirements of unmanned smart factories.

Dual-hoist Independent Safety Control
The main and auxiliary lifting mechanisms operate independently with safety interlock protection, which can simultaneously meet the two different working scenarios of heavy ladle transportation and scrap steel feeding, with strong scene adaptability.

Professional Service Support

Weihua provides one-stop full-cycle customized services for metallurgical intelligent crane projects. In the pre-sale stage, professional engineering teams conduct on-site investigation to formulate exclusive intelligent lifting solutions according to the workshop unmanned construction standards.

During production and installation, strict metallurgical industry manufacturing standards are implemented, and professional teams complete high-altitude equipment installation, system debugging and linkage test. After delivery, we provide on-site technical training for operators, covering system operation, daily maintenance and fault handling. Meanwhile, we offer 24-hour online emergency response, lifelong system technical support and regular equipment inspection services to ensure long-term stable operation of the equipment.

Project Results

After the equipment was put into use, the workshop realized full unmanned operation of scrap steel feeding and steel ladle handling. The production cycle of scrap steel preheating feeding is greatly shortened, and the overall operation efficiency of the smelting production line is significantly improved. Zero safety accidents such as equipment collision and material leakage have been realized, avoiding production shutdown losses caused by lifting equipment failures. This unmanned electromagnetic overhead crane solution has been successfully promoted and applied in many large steel enterprises. It is widely used in scrap steel loading, steel ladle transportation, cold-rolled coil storage, blast furnace slag grabbing and other scenarios.

Get Custom Intelligent Crane Solutions for Your Steel Plant

Looking for reliable, high-efficiency intelligent overhead cranes for your metallurgical workshop, scrap steel handling, or unmanned factory upgrading? Weihua delivers customized electromagnetic overhead crane solutions, professional system debugging, and full lifecycle after-sales services tailored to diverse heavy-duty metallurgical working conditions. Contact our professional engineering team today to get a free project assessment and personalized lifting equipment solution for your smart steel manufacturing project.