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European Tool & Mould Making
April 2009

Developing and Supplying Lifting Points for 30 Years, RUD Ketten Strives to Ensure Safe Industrial Handling
Company Focus: This Issue's Featured Supplier

30 Years Lifting Points An idea gets accepted

More than 30 years ago RUD secured its first patents, claiming protection on its design for both the bolt-on and weldable version of secure lifting eyes. Similar to many technical developments in the industry, frequently occurring industrial accidents prompted this need for a design change. A close examination of fatal accidents and numerous injuries with serious consequences confirm that these incidents were more often caused by broken DIN-580 eyebolts or inadequately designed "self-made weld-on sheet metal or wire constructions." The German Employer´s Liability Insurance Association for the underground mining industry banned after this rousing investigation, all DIN-580 eyebolts for the underground mining usage and asked all future versions have a safety factor against breaking of at least 4, in the worst case scenario load direction.

Since the first series production of the weldable RBS-load ring, and the bolt-on version RBG, RUD has sold over 100,000 of these original versions during the last 30 years. Although these products have proved themselves under the toughest conditions, RUD continues to pursue creating even safer and more reliable products. RUD has updated both the RBS and the RBG by increasing the working load limit up to 50 metric tons (weldable) and up to 150 metric tons for the boltable types; today's versions of the original load rings are known as VRBS (weld-on) and VRBG (bolt-on).

The idea of the safety lifting point was adopted step-by-step from the Machine, Ship and Car manufacturing industries, as well as from the Mold-and-Die industry. Today there is an ever-increasing demand for safety and almost all industries support the usage of safety lifting points. Most designers and cost-cutting purchasing managers know already that the usage of RUD Lifting Points reduces handling costs considerably. RUD products can be advantageous during the entire manufacturing process, starting with the raw material and ending with the final assembly. Most importantly, the safety during handling has been improved tremendously.

The diverse needs of the market demand a wide variety of specialized solutions which often leads to the production of a serialized product. This explains why RUD has developed within the last 30 years over 270 different lifting points, and will continue to design more specialized lifting products in the future. Currently, seventy percent of the Lifting Points are for bolting and the other thirty percent for weld-on. Most types are protected by patents or have trade mark protection. Patented designs are very important for a market leader regarding survival, because many competitors try to save design costs and provide cheap products at a questionable quality level.

Out of the many patents we would like to point out especially these two:

PowerPoint Collection: The PowerPoint is the first universal Lifting Point which can be loaded with the stated working load even in the worst case scenario direction (90° from the bolt- or weld-on surface). The double ball bearings and the clevis hook connection have given this ability to the user.

The patent for the wear markings: Wear marking are use to control the disposal of lifting means offers beside the usage of lifting points in wear- intensive applications. This innovation is an important distinguishing characteristic both of lifting points used in wear-intensive applications and of RUD's state-of-the-art VIP and ICE sling chain systems.

ppa. Dipl. Ing. (FH) Reinhard Smetz

Bereichsleitung / Head of Department

Anschlag- und Zurrmittel / Sling and Lashing Systems

Revised by Susan Johnson / RUD USA