The majority (98%) of tests carried out with the newest machine have been on Crosby Straightpoint products.

Van Gool grows Calibration service

Lifting and rigging equipment supplier Van Gool has marked a year since installing a new 350t capacity calibration rig at its facility near Amsterdam, Holland.

The machine, which tests force measurement equipment in tension and compression, is part of a fleet that includes 5t (clamp on-line tensile), 35t (dynamic), 50t (compression), 55t (tensile), and 100t (static tensile) testing machines. The largest was chosen based on its compatibility with UK-based load cell manufacturer Crosby Straightpoint’s extensive range of products that Van Gool distributes to the Dutch market.

Calibration is the correlation of the readings of an instrument to check accuracy. Load cells—the wireless Radiolink plus is Crosby Straightpoint’s most popular product—are calibrated upon manufacture or distribution, and recalibration is the periodic repetition of that process. The majority (98%) of tests carried out with the newest machine have been on Crosby Straightpoint products, while Van Gool continues to receive load cells and shackles that have been calibrated at the Hampshire manufacturing facility in southern England.

Pieter van Duijn in front of the 350t rig.
Pieter van Duijn in front of the 350t rig.

Pieter van Duijn, commercial director at Van Gool, said: “The rig is extremely accurate, which we knew it would be, but we have probably used it even more than we expected—with demand coming from across Europe. We believe that we remain the only lifting and rigging company in the world to have calibration capacity up to 350t, other than dedicated testing laboratories.”

The vertical universal machine is accurate to Class 1 and is designed to test standard industry size load links and compression cells to 350t. All calibration units are third-party calibrated by Holland’s NMi, an independent specialist in the sector, to ISO 7500-1:2015, which specifies the calibration and verification of tension/compression testing machines. Tensile load cells are calibrated in the lower section and compression load cells in the upper part of the frame.

The machine is designed using dimensions from Crosby Straightpoint’s load cells, ranging in capacity from zero to 350t, but additional load pins and reducing bushes were included to house a much broader range of load cells. The Enerpac hydraulic ram is a standard double-acting, 700 bar item that is controlled using a 230v, single phase, electric pump with a fine control valve. In use, the load application is gradually increased using that control valve until test completion.

Van Duijn added: “We expect the calibration side of our business to continue to grow, and we will update and expand the fleet in line with demand. We have a good relationship with Crosby post-Straightpoint acquisition and are excited by recent innovations, including ChainSafe, a product for the protection of cargo during transport. The business remains generally positive, despite the pandemic.”

Van Gool continues to welcome demand from the offshore, shipping, towing, and crane industries.

Free Magazine & eNewsletter

Printed Monthly Magazine

Published monthly, Material Handling Wholesaler offers feature columns and special coverage of relevant industry issues and products.

Digital Monthly Magazine

Published on the fourth Thursday of each month, Material Handling Wholesaler offers feature columns and special coverage of relevant industry issues and products.

Material Handing Wholesaler Weekly Newsletter

Our Weekly newsletter is emailed every Tuesday and contains the latest Industry Events and People News, Source Directory, and important Industry Links.

Forklift International Weekly Hot Sheet Newsletter

Published every Monday morning with the latest material handling equipment
available for sale.

Share the Post:

Related Posts

Our Current Issue

Free Magazine & eNewsletter

Our magazine is published and mailed monthly, Material Handling Wholesaler offers feature columns and special coverage of important industry issues. Subscription is FREE to qualified readers.

Weekly Newsletter – Get the latest industry events and people news in this weekly e-newsletter as well as direct access to Wholesaler’s Source Directory and link.

Current Supplements







Discount Forklift joins the LiuGong North America dealer network

LiuGong North America has added Discount Forklift to its expanding dealer network, marking a significant milestone for both companies. With…

Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas appoints Berry Mansfield as President

Today, Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas, one of the world’s leading manufacturers and providers of material handling, automation, and fleet solutions, announced Berry…

New AL325 modular bar light series launched by Advanced Illumination

Powerful, highly flexible, modular lighting for machine vision Advanced Illumination has announced the launch of its AL325 Series Modular Bar Lights.…

Trade Tech strengthens customs expertise and announced key appointment

Trade Tech, Inc., is advancing its Customs capabilities as part of its commitment to supporting freight forwarders and logistics providers…

SUN Automation Group bolsters team after Kolbus America Acquisition

SUN Automation Group® has welcomed key industry talent following execution of the sales agency and distributorship agreement of Kolbus Corrugated…