Handle with care

Lifting problems solved

"Even if your workforce lift items weighing as little as 15kg, Health and Safety will probably recommend powered assistance if positioning above shoulder height," advises Paul Winter, general manager of lifting solutions provider Packline. "Many conscientious organizations fully intend to comply with their lifting responsibilities, but do not know where to start. Often a bespoke solution is required for a particular lifting application."

This is where Packline says its Compac reel lifting machines come into their own. "The extensive range of spindles, clamps and other lifting attachments make Compac one of the most versatile machines available," he boasts. "Even our wide range of standard components may not suit a given application. However, we can work with any lifting problem and can usually adapt existing attachments or even manufacture bespoke solutions."

This versatility has seen orders for special lifting requirements from Rolls Royce, British Airways, Pfizer, Kimberly Clark and a host of other household names.

A width of just 500mm gives the Compac ease of access to the narrow space saving aisles found in today's factories. Said to be powerful, highly manoeuvrable and simple to use, the machine will lift loads up to 250kg and a maximum reel diameter of 1,000mm. It is available in mild steel or hygienic stainless steel – for use in food and dairy processing, pharmaceutical and medical, brewing and chemical industries. The lack of potentially messy hydraulics adds to its suitability for such environments.

An improved Compac Mk5 is due for release in 2006, and there are plans to unveil a range in aluminium/stainless steel for lower spec' applications.

A free 5min disc demonstrating the features of the Compac is available.

New solutions

The recently launched Reel and Shaft Handling Co (see October issue) has taken on the UK agency for Rama Agility trolleys, of Italy. The trolleys are designed to transport reels of material up to 1.5t in weight. They are claimed to give excellent manoeuvrability in tight areas and can be used for transporting reels over long distances in warehouses.

The new company has also introduced a narrow aisle 'Pan Truck' to the converting industry. Managing director Stephen Weston explains: "It has been used in the textile industries for years with great success, but until now its potential in converting has not been seen. All we are doing really is transferring technology across industries."

He explained that the Pan Truck can be driven sideways into reels on the floor, lift them on top of the truck and then be driven lengthways down narrow aisles to deposit the reel at floor level elsewhere. "It really can be driven, stopped and then driven at 90 degrees to itself, making it ideal for transporting large reels to or from converting equipment." The trucks have a capacity of up to two tonnes.

Up and away

Torros claims its Newton lifting system can be customized to raise, hold and move virtually any load – such as reels of material, crates, trays and drums - up to 250kg. For the converting industry, the Newton is said to be a superb reel handler. lt uses 'easy run' castors and integral electric lifting motors with rechargeable batteries.

Despite its lifting capacity and tough, stainless steel frame, the Newton is extremely light – weighing only 50kg, and has a compact footprint of only 500mm x 875mm. It features a 24V motor with a fast-charge integral battery and 'soft-start' electrics for careful control. Low maintenance is a key feature, with sealed gearboxes and batteries and lube-free drives. All models feature a full 12-month warranty.

Torros is a specialist in the design and supply of multi purpose lifters, stackers, automatic splicing and tracking equipment and pallet systems. A key part of the company's expertise is its capacity to modify all its products to suit a site's exact lifting needs.

Roll handling

Witech Maschinen, of Switzerland, has appointed Arrowhive Equipment as UK and Eire agent for its roll handling systems.

The Witech range includes track guided automotive reel turning systems with lifting tables for the unloading of corrugated and board winders, and reel transport systems configured for the vertical loading of reels stacked in logistic centres several storeys high. The company also produces floor recessed drive-over reel turning appliances with a centring/lifting table for the paper industry, as well as low cost, simple reel turning equipment for loading/unloading of production machines in the printing industry.

Arrowhive has already supplied several Witech systems in the UK, including a reel turner that has been delivered to a manufacturer of geo-synthetic materials for the building industry in Wales.

The company also represents US roll and shaft handling specialist Schlumpf.

Director Philip Fletcher says the Schlumpf and Witech products are complementary. "We offer customers advice on the best possible material handling system and, where necessary, are able to integrate and engineer the systems with existing processing lines and production machines."

Economical strapping

Strapping technology specialist Mosca has launched an entry level automatic strapping machine said to offer simplicity of use and competitive pricing. Suitable for a variety of applications, the RO-M-ECO-2 is capable of speeds up to 35 straps/min.

The machine incorporates an advanced sealing head and Mosca's direct drive technology, which is said to minimize the number of moving parts to deliver excellent performance and reliability.

Need a lift?

According to Penny Hydraulics, its Mezz Lift offers a robust and versatile solution for raising and lowering loads of up to 300kg between two floors safely and efficiently.

The Mezz Lift is available in a wide range of standard models that can operate to heights up to 4m. Its compact design helps maximize storage space and working area. The standard units have a maximum working load of 300kg and platform size of 750 x 750mm, although high lift and heavy duty versions can be supplied to meet customers' specific requirements. The lifting speed of 0.5m/s means that a three metre distance between the floor and mezzanine is covered in just six seconds. For optimum safety a hold-to-run system stops the lift whenever the operator releases the control lever.

All Penny Hydraulics platform lifts are supplied with their own motor pump unit and can be installed in any location where there is a 20amp, 240V single phase mains power supply. The company can provide training to users.

Floating heavy weights on an air cushion

Aerofilm Systems has developed an aircushion transport system to optimize the warehouse space for Habasit Netherlands. Habasit has several racks in use for the storage of semi manufactures for the production of high quality driving belts and belt conveyors. A rack, supporting several rolls of semi manufactures, weighs approximately 10,000kg.

Mounting four type A50H wear-free aircushions underneath each rack enables them to 'float' on an airfilm, which minimizes the force required to move an object to 0.001 per cent of its total weight. An external pneumatic drive can be connected to each rack to enable one person to move it into the range of a forklift truck, allowing it to take the required roll out of the rack, which can then be floated back to its original position.

The application of aircushion technology provides the possibility to place the racks practically next to another. The capacity of the storage room is said to be increased by 50 per cent. Required adjustments are easy because an air supply and an even, non porous floor are sufficient for the proper functioning of the aircushion transport system.

Aircushion transport is said to increase the efficiency, flexibility and capacity of the storage area, combining relatively low investments with large space savings.