The Modern Lifting Point

By Susan Johnson No Comments

Using inappropriate lifting points or incorrectly using a lifting point could ultimately lead to a potentially catastrophic injury and/or a considerable loss of time in production! Many manufacturing organizations are unaware that the use of inappropriate lifting points and incorrect applications of eyebolts significantly increases the probability of failures. The solution to this problem is the use of proper lifting points that adjust to the direction of the pull which allows full engagement of the bolt, insuring a safe lift.

Up to now, the design of lifting points has not seriously considered the extent to which loads have to be turned and twisted during the handling process. With these turning movements, the loads can be damaged and/or the lifting system can be considerably overloaded. Properly torqued safety hoist rings are ideal for the needs of mold and die manufacturers. When a mold or die must be flipped, the lifting points need to swivel and pivot at the same time; any binding of the lifting points could be disastrous.

The typical hoist ring uses a body, bushing and graphite-based lubricant to allow it to swivel, and an integrated oval or round eye to allow for pivoting. Another lifting point design uses ball bearings in the body to allow for swiveling and an integrated eye to allow for pivoting. The smoothness of the ball bearings makes this product perfect for this application. Due to the ball bearing design, the bolt is not required to be torqued to a specified value as long as the lifting point is flush to the surface of the tool being lifted.

When a mold or die must be flipped, the center pull swiveling hoist ring and related lifting points are the appropriate tools. When a heavy tool is flipped, two lifting points are used on one side of the tool. As the load reaches its balance point and starts to fall onto its side, the lifting points need to both swivel and pivot at the same time, and the entire rigging unit (chains, wire rope, nylon sling, hooks and related hardware) must be properly designed and applied by the crane operator. Any binding of the lifting point could be catastrophic at this moment.

The side pull style hoist ring also is well suited to 90-degree lifts and for the flipping of molds and dies (due to its swiveling and pivoting capabilities). This design offsets the mounting bolt 90 degrees from the lifting eye making for convenient side mounting to the tool.

Modern Eyebolts
While not as prevalent as in the past, forged eyebolt use is still a common and potentially dangerous practice if not performed correctly. Any non-vertical torqued lift on an eyebolt seriously diminishes the working load limit.

For example, an eyebolt rated for 2,000 pounds in a vertical plane only has a rating of 400 pounds (20 percent) at a 45-degree angle and only 300 pounds (15 percent) at a 90-degree angle. This also assumes the eye of the bolt remains fixed and shouldered to the load, which often is not the case because the common DIN-580 eyebolt is only to be lifted in the screwing direction or with a maximum inclination angle of 45°.

A more recent style of lifting point is the true swiveling eyebolt, which allows the bolt to be threaded into the tool while independently allowing its eye to swivel a full 360°, giving the eyebolt the ability to adjust to the direction of the pull and allows full-engagement of the bolt insures a safe lift and prevents damage to valuable loads. This type of lifting point is available in a variety of sizes and is economically priced between a forged eyebolt and a swiveling hoist ring. A swivel eyebolt does not pivot, but for many applications this is not an issue.

The hexagonal socket of the VRS StarPoint can be tightened by hand or a standard socket wrench. The eyebolt then is free to swivel 360° and can be used at any angle up to 90°. The hexagonal shape of the eye differentiates the StarPoint from an ordinary eyebolt. The StarPoint is forged from high-tensile steel. It is 100% electromagnetically crack tested, and has its rated load forged into the body for easy visibility.

The New Generation
Because of the increasing demands for the safety and function of modern lifting points, RUD, the market leader for safe lifting, has developed the PowerPoint®-Generation; The PowerPoint-Star fulfills the demand for universal connection. The robust pink hook has the ability to pivot in any direction, allowing all common sling types to be quickly and safely attached without using additional hardware (e.g. shackles). The optimized design allows for jerk-free turning and prevents the lifting points, as well as the load from being damaged. The double ball-bearing guarantees that even under a full load, the PowerPoint® can be turned in a 90° position from the bolt center line.

All of the PowerPoint mounting bases, together with associated hook and ring combinations, have Working Load Limit (WLL) ratings equivalent to the market leading RUD VIP sling chain system - therefore offering a 25% increase in the load ratings applicable to equivalently sized Grade 80 chain and components.

Requirements of modern lifting points:

• Design factor of 4:1 in any direction
• No unintentional hooking out of the lifting means
• Clear indication of working load limit in metric tons and lbs. for side loading applications 
• Highly-visible color
• A universal connector for different lifting means (for example hooks, eyes, round slings, etc. – without any additional tools, like shackles)
• Ability to turn without jerking under full load
• Must not damage machine or the lifting mean during turning or moving
• Smallest thread for bolt-on applications. Lifting points for welding: can be welded on the smallest place without pre-treatment
• Offers the designer great flexibility

With modern lifting points – save costs!
With a smaller thread size than the standard DIN 580 eyebolts and without the need for any additional lifting means, these modern lifting points pay for themselves quickly. The modern design prevents the lifting points and valuable loads from being damaged. Modern lifting points also save valuable production time because there is no need for additional equipment and no wasted time changing lifting devices.