How Elebia Automatic Hooks Improve Safety in Steel Mill Rigging

Introduction

As the steel industry moves towards a no-touch environment, increasing safety, and decreasing work-related injuries, Elebia Automated Hooks are becoming progressively more popular. Let’s take a look at how these hooks are making the steel industry safer and more productive.

My name’s Cody Mathis, I’ve been working with the Elebia product for 10 years.

What is the Elebia Hook?

The Elebia hook is a remote-controlled hook that an operator can control from up to 450 foot away.

What dangers in a steel mill do Elebia hooks alleviate?

Some of the dangers in a steel mill are, you know, your pinch points, your overhead loads, swinging loads, actually having to be hands-on with the rigging aspect of rigging a load. No-touch in the steel industry is, you know, is becoming the steel industry wide across the United States, North America, and worldwide. Lost time accidents, lost time injuries. You know, even if it’s just a finger, you know, that’s a lost time accident there.

How does the Elebia evo work?

So the evo line utilizes a magnet, neodymium, to orient the hook to your lift points. If you’re coming in on a shackle or an oblong or a chain, and the hook isn’t lined up perfectly, the magnet will do that for you. These range from 2 1/2 ton to 25 metric ton. These hooks are battery operated, 22-volt lithium ion. That’s good for 5,000 cycles. A cycle is open and close, 200 standby hours. So if the battery is on, it will last 200 hours just on standby mode. Charges from 10% to 100% in about 30 minutes.

How can the Elebia hook be used in electrode handling?

One of our many applications is in steel mills and they use these, Elebia evo and NEO hooks, to move their electrodes.

Another application in the steel mill other than just transporting your electrodes vertically, when an electrode comes into the steel mill, it is laid in a horizontal position. To get it upright, we use our threaded stem Metal Lift Plug along with the Elebia auto hook to stand the electrode vertical.

Where in the mill, and how are Elebia Automatic hooks for steel mill rigging used?

Tundish buckets, scrap buckets, any kind of rigging you can think, you know, especially on down days, we have Elebia auto hooks in the field that they actually remove major components of the furnace along with rigging. In the steel mills, you’ll see melt shop, hot mills, roll mills, pig lines. At this point, we’ve got an Elebia auto hook in about every production line you can think of.

How do Elebia hooks withstand the harsh conditions in steel mills?

The Elebia auto hook, it’s pretty heat resistant. You know, your, main concerns are your battery. The battery’s good for up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. The body’s made out of Hardox, so it’s very corrosive/heat resistant. In the steel industry, we’ve had some of our units that we’ve supplied over the years, I mean, they’ve been there since 2013. They do get annual service, but they do last.

How do you maintain and care for your Elebia hook?

We at Mazzella, you know, recommend an annual service. So once a year, you would send the hook back. It gets fully disassembled. We check all the moving components, the load components, replace those if necessary, reload test it every annual cert. We have units in the field that have over 3 million cycles on one hook with no mechanical failure. Life expectancy, we’ve not seen any that have ended that, you know, their life expectancy. And just with the proper annual service that we recommend, all around, they’re amazing.

What safety features are built into Elebia hooks?

The main safety feature on the Elebia auto hook is, for one, the remote-control engagement release. And this unit will not release under load. A load over 50 pounds on the hook itself, the hook will not open.

What upgrades and modifications are available for Elebia hooks?

The additional options you can get on the Elebia evo model, a custom shank to fit the hook into your crane block. This hook would become your crane hook. There is a stainless-steel heat shield that you can put around it for open flame. A couple different magnet options. You know, magnets with sensors, magnet with latches built onto them. There’s a marine coating upgrade, submersible. There’s a submersible upgrade. These hooks have the capability of being completely submerged and still operate.

This is the evo2, the smallest size out of the evo line. This unit here is mainly for rigging applications as far as chain slings, wire rope, super sacks. A couple of the added features, which is available throughout the evo line itself, is custom top link, load cell, protective bumper, protective bumper in high temp, with or without LEDs, protective bumper with high-temp LEDs.

LEDs have three stages. Blue is closed, ready to lift. Red is in between stages, do not lift. Green is open, ready to engage. There is an additional light in this feature that is a white LED that will tell you when your battery’s at the low battery percentage set in the eMAX remote. Once the white light comes on, it will open and it will not close, which is an added safety feature. So you do not get up on a lift point and cannot get off.

If your magnet has the sensor installed, it will indicate on your remote that you have a ring attached to your magnet and that you are ready to engage.

What other industries are using Elebia hooks?

Some of the other industries that we’ve supplied over the years would be, you know, your waste control facilities, for nuclear waste. A lot of tool and die applications to where, you know, they’re using a chain sling to pick up a die. Concrete facilities, cement facilities. We have these in the field where they load and unload barges of cement.

Why should you consider the Elebia hook in your mill?

You don’t have to put that guy in that position that, you know, he may pinch his finger or get, you know, smashed. Saves your back. You don’t have to pick your rigging up off the ground to load it onto a hook. Some of the best feedback I’ve gotten is not only the product, but our service. You know, our turnaround times are quick. We usually can try to get your hook sent back out within a week of receiving it. You know, depending. We stock every component in Nashville. We’ve not found an application that the Elebia Auto Hook does not work.

You know, as far from a safety standpoint, you know, it’s starting to kick off to where everybody’s starting to notice, you know, this Elebia product. Word gets out, “Hey, you need to check this out.” But taking, you know, an operator or a man out of harm’s way is, you know, a key part to safety, especially in the steel industry where there are so many hazards. If you can eliminate one hazard with the Elebia auto hook, you know, it’s worth it.

How can you learn more about Elebia Hooks?

Elebia hooks are tough tools that can keep your workers safe. Don’t wait for a near miss or worse. Keep workers out of the drop zone, keep their fingers away from rigging, avoid falls, and let the hook do all the work rather than having workers rig at height. Give your operators security by keeping them away from the steelmaking process. Contact Mazzella’s Lifting and Rigging Division to learn more. If you found this video useful, informative, entertaining, or you just feel like being friendly, then hit that Like button so we can get this information out to everyone who needs it. Subscribe and hit the bell so you never miss a video. If you have a question, drop it in the comments so we can get you an answer. Remember, safe rigging is smart rigging. My name is Ben and stay safe out there.