In press shops, dies are typically handled with slings on all four corners or with a special lifting device like a die gripper. Konecranes offers several types of cranes for die handling purposes.
Semi-automated die gripper cranes used in stamping plants are changing the landscape of automotive manufacturing. Modern dies with lifting pins at all four corners can be picked up from the die warehouse with a die gripper attachment and loaded onto bolsters on each side of the press. While ordinary cranes need an operator
plus a two-man rigging crew to pick up a die, Konecranes die gripper crane allows the operator to do the job alone in semi-automation mode, using cameras mounted on the trolley or the gripper that live-stream a view of the operation to the display on the radio controller.
These new-generation die gripper cranes can change out die sets rapidly, facilitating just-in-time schedules to produce stamped parts as they are needed. Instead of changing a die set every three days, it is now feasible to change dies multiple times in a shift. While
this evolution increases the duty cycle of the crane, our cranes are designed to safely and efficiently manage heavy loads and short cycles.