Gantry crane and electric hoist manufacturers are the most loyal fans of these products, and for good reason: gantry crane applications are extremely demanding, while heavy-duty encoders excel with excellent robustness, precision, durability and long service life.
Gantry cranes can be said to be "elephants in the mechanical field", because they are not only huge, but also do the most heavy work day after day, and usually the environmental conditions are quite harsh. They need to withstand the dust of the construction site, withstand the sea and wind in the harbor, and they are exposed to all kinds of bad weather. Those not strong enough gantry crane nature embarrassed this appointment. Of course, the challenges for the entire system are also those of its components, such as rotary encoders that monitor the rotational speed and angular position of a drive or mechanical spindle. Because of this, many gantry crane systems and large electric hoists are equipped with heavy-duty encoders.
Heavy-duty technology means "rugged and durable". In the case of rotary encoders, however, "heavy duty" means more than just thick-wall enclosures and corrosion protection. It also provides all-round performance assurance: heavy duty encoders can operate reliably for long periods of time and never disappoint users. In addition, rotary encoders must meet very specialized requirements to truly deserve the "overload" designation.