GUEST COLUMN Grab the tongs
Lifting tongs are commonly associated with handling a round product, but they can be designed to lift a variety of other shapes and sizes of material. Kent Henry, sales engineer at The Caldwell Group, investigates.
A lifting tong is a device that applies pressure or support with a scissor mechanism. Most types of lifting tong are typically custom designed to lift a certain load.
A
lifting tong is a device that applies pressure or support with a scissor mechanism to lift a part or product.
While they are used efficiently and safely in many industries, the material handling advantages they offer are too often overlooked. The truth is that less efficient solutions continue
to be used. Wrapping a chain or sling around an item or product doesn’t provide for a safe or secure lift. Similarly, using a component that is not rated for lifting, such as a standard C-clamp, might
appear safe, but if the tool has not been designed and manufactured for lifting, it is an accident waiting to happen. Lifting tongs do lend themselves to handling
a round product, but they can be designed to lift a variety of other shapes and sizes of material. There are even special tongs designed to lift rocks and boulders. While the principles remain the same, a tong will commonly be customised to the specific needs of a material handling application or load.
Operatives at steel mills can use billet tongs to
load material onto a rolling line. Steel fabricators might use a different type to load and unload steel trucks. The construction industry uses lifting tongs to pick up the concrete barrier sections that are commonplace along the highway. Barrier grabs are often spotted working with concrete barriers on infrastructure projects. Product shape, size and material type will drive the design of a custom lifting tong, but there are multiple other factors that need to be defined, such
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