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Cranes have dramatically developed over the years since they were introduced by the Ancient Greeks thousands of years ago. In their earliest form, cranes were powered by men and/ or pack animal, whilst today modern cranes are simply operated by workers. The term ‘crane‘ comes from the fact that a basic system shared the same characteristics as the bird of the same name, with an outstretched neck (post) and long beak (arm or jib).
A crane and lift assistor system are designed to raise and manoeuvre heavy and/ or awkward loads. The lift assistor (electric hoist, air balancer, vacuum lifter or air hoist) actually does the physical lifting, whilst the crane will allow the load to be manoeuvred horizontally within its working envelope.
An articulating jib crane (also known as an radius jib arm or knuckle crane) is often regarded as one of the most versatile types of jib crane and is ideally suited for lifting in confined spaces. Articulating cranes are seen within many industry sectors including food, packaging, woodworking to name but a few. An articulating jib crane consists of a horizontal arm (also known as a jib or boom) which is usually connected to a floor mounted post, although sometimes the arm can be fixed to a wall or existing steelwork. The advantage an articulating jib crane has over standard crane is that the arm has a flexible joint in its centre, which allows the load to be easily moved within an area where there is restricted space or obstacles.
For more information please see Articulating Jib Crane
