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Friday, February 23, 2024
JW Winco: Securely fastened loads
Amusement Today: A crane, rope, or chain may be required when something needs lifting – plus anchoring points on the load. JW Winco offers a wide range of solutions to fasten the load securely.
As any rigging system is only as strong as its weakest point it's important to consider anchoring when designing anything that goes up into the air. As someone who used to rock climb I know there are a lot of different ways to fasten over to a wall securely but I didn't quite realize how many different anchoring points there were for theater. I like the different attachment points such as the rigging hardware that is designed to be welded on as opposed to bolted on. I am curious how the ratings change for materials that are welded on as qualities of welds can change so much as opposed to something that's easy to measure such as the amount of tension put on a bolt. I thought the RFID tag addition was an incredibly smart idea I feel like line sets are often very hard to track because the attachment points are often so far away from what's actually being flown so having the ability to label certain attachment points with an RFID tag especially considering everyone has their phone on them all the time is something that I feel like could be implemented very easily into the industry.
I have always thought it was a bit overwhelming how many types of rigging hardware there really are, but that thought is always followed by curiosity on why we don't use so many of them in our industry. Our two main items for rigging are screw pin anchor shackles and eye-bolts, but looking at this and similar articles can show just how many items there really are that could be considered more niche but also might be nice to know about. Our industry is very reliant on defaulting to the things we know, which is why everyone has their own bag of tricks for when something arises that needs a solution to an unusual problem. The other day I was watching a video about shackle types and saw one that was specifically made for straps, having a wide eye that would allow a strap to sit flush inside while it is lifting. Things like this are what makes theatre so interesting, as it might never be useful knowledge to know about up until that one moment where it might be the perfect solution to a problem.
I enjoy reading about different varieties of common hardware. That is to say, of course we’re all familiar with eye bolts and shackles, but most of us probably haven’t seen the specialized hardware options that are in this article. Even just looking up different varieties of shackles and comparing their strengths and weaknesses is really fun. There are so many pieces of specialized hardware out there that we’re not exposed to. The RFID tags that come with this specific set of hardware are pretty unique – I don’t think they have a home in theater, but I’m sure that in industries that move heavier loads in more dangerous situations, and that really work their hardware’s duty cycles, they would be key for safety. I can see how we could make use of the weldable load rings in theater, since we make custom scenery often. I’d be interested to see how GN1130 and GN1133 mount on – I think a modular system like that could also be useful.
3 comments:
As any rigging system is only as strong as its weakest point it's important to consider anchoring when designing anything that goes up into the air. As someone who used to rock climb I know there are a lot of different ways to fasten over to a wall securely but I didn't quite realize how many different anchoring points there were for theater. I like the different attachment points such as the rigging hardware that is designed to be welded on as opposed to bolted on. I am curious how the ratings change for materials that are welded on as qualities of welds can change so much as opposed to something that's easy to measure such as the amount of tension put on a bolt. I thought the RFID tag addition was an incredibly smart idea I feel like line sets are often very hard to track because the attachment points are often so far away from what's actually being flown so having the ability to label certain attachment points with an RFID tag especially considering everyone has their phone on them all the time is something that I feel like could be implemented very easily into the industry.
I have always thought it was a bit overwhelming how many types of rigging hardware there really are, but that thought is always followed by curiosity on why we don't use so many of them in our industry. Our two main items for rigging are screw pin anchor shackles and eye-bolts, but looking at this and similar articles can show just how many items there really are that could be considered more niche but also might be nice to know about. Our industry is very reliant on defaulting to the things we know, which is why everyone has their own bag of tricks for when something arises that needs a solution to an unusual problem. The other day I was watching a video about shackle types and saw one that was specifically made for straps, having a wide eye that would allow a strap to sit flush inside while it is lifting. Things like this are what makes theatre so interesting, as it might never be useful knowledge to know about up until that one moment where it might be the perfect solution to a problem.
I enjoy reading about different varieties of common hardware. That is to say, of course we’re all familiar with eye bolts and shackles, but most of us probably haven’t seen the specialized hardware options that are in this article. Even just looking up different varieties of shackles and comparing their strengths and weaknesses is really fun. There are so many pieces of specialized hardware out there that we’re not exposed to. The RFID tags that come with this specific set of hardware are pretty unique – I don’t think they have a home in theater, but I’m sure that in industries that move heavier loads in more dangerous situations, and that really work their hardware’s duty cycles, they would be key for safety. I can see how we could make use of the weldable load rings in theater, since we make custom scenery often. I’d be interested to see how GN1130 and GN1133 mount on – I think a modular system like that could also be useful.
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