Overhead Crane

An overhead crane is a crane that runs along rails mounted high on the walls or roof structure of a factory or warehouse, allowing it to lift and move heavy loads across the full width of a building without obstructing the floor below. Overhead traveling cranes came into widespread industrial use during the second half of the nineteenth century as factories grew larger and needed to move heavy machinery and materials efficiently; the source consulted for this entry names no single inventor or exact origin date for the general technology, so none is recorded here. Modern overhead cranes are commonly powered electrically and controlled from a cab, a pendant control or a wireless remote.