No crane moves while the crew is working on the beam. Electrical lockout and mechanical locks before the first rail is cut.
The rails on which the cranes of a smelter building travel carry the equipment that moves above the process. Replacing them means working at height, on the runway beams, with the cranes secured.
At the Chuquicamata smelter, LTF locked out the cranes in their electrical system and installed mechanical locks, cut and removed the existing rails and installed the new ones with bracket welding, with 90 people, in 2021. At the Potrerillos smelter it carried out maintenance of the PH cranes in the building, rail replacement, and fabrication and erection of structures, with 75 workers, in 2025.
Service: Mechanical worksWhat we deliver.
Every point comes from a real LTF project: each project sheet is linked below.
Lockout
Electrical lockout of each crane and installation of mechanical locks before working on the beam.
Rail replacement
Cutting and removal of the existing rails and installation of the new ones with bracket welding.
PH cranes
Maintenance of the cranes that travel along the smelter building, together with structures fabricated and erected for the plant.
The projects behind it.
Crane rail replacement at the Chuquicamata smelter
Replacement of the crane rails in the Chuquicamata smelter building: electrical and mechanical lockout of the cranes, cutting and removal of the existing rails, and installation of the new ones with bracket welding. Workforce of 90.
View the project sheet
Crane maintenance and rail replacement at the Potrerillos smelter
Maintenance of the PH cranes in the smelter building, rail replacement, and fabrication and erection of structures at the Potrerillos smelter of Codelco Salvador, with a workforce of 75.
View the project sheetFrequently asked questions.
Answers based on the published projects. For your case, write to us: we reply within one business day.
Request a proposal →How is a rail replaced with no risk of the crane moving?
On the Chuquicamata project, each crane was locked out in its electrical system and mechanical locks were also installed, so that none could move while the crew worked on the beam.
At which smelters has LTF replaced rails?
At the Chuquicamata smelter, with 90 people, and at the Potrerillos smelter, where it also carried out maintenance of the PH cranes, with 75 workers.
How are the new rails fixed?
At Chuquicamata, the new rails were installed with bracket welding on the building beams.
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Processes and equipment
The plant equipment and systems LTF has fabricated, installed and maintained.
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