What is a High Speed Lift
High speed lifts are modified scissor lifts that are designed to cycle at much faster speeds than a traditional scissor lift. These lifts are also fabricated to end many more cycles than a traditional lift, since high speed lifts are often high duty cycle lifts. The scissor lift can achieve speeds of up to 5 seconds for a full raised height, to 7 seconds to fully lower. Compare that to a traditional lift which averages 30 seconds up and 45 seconds to lower. The lifts can have a travel range from a few inches to several feet depending on the application.
Applications That Require High Speed Lifts
The most common type of application that would require this type of lift would be a conveyor integration project. In these applications, the lift is used to move material from a lower level conveyor to a higher level conveyor. Of course, the converse is true as well. With conveyor applications, accuracy and repeatability are important as the rollers on top of the lift have to line up with the adjacent conveyor. If they do not, then the load will not transfer off the lift table and damage could occur to the equipment.
Another common application is automation work cells. In these applications, the lift is controlled by a PLC (Programmable Logic Computer). It is common for automation work cells to require the lift to jog up or down a few inches at a time. This jogging motion most often times is to line up the material on the lift for the machine or robotic arm to pick from.
Choosing a High Speed Lift
Choosing the right lift is as important to your project as the finished product you are producing. I suggest you gather the following information for the lift manufacturer.
1. How much weight the lift will hold
2. How often the lift will cycle or jog per hour, day, week, year
3. What tolerance the lift must achieve (aka. Repeatability)
4. How will the lift will be controlled
5. What speed is required in inches per second
6. A detailed description of the sequence of operation
Summary
High speed lifts [http://www.materialpros.com/videos/high-speed-lift] are critical manufacturing components that often times can not be taken out of production. To ensure the success of your project, it is critical you provide all the critical application information to the lift manufacturer. Also keep in mind that high speed lifts must be visually inspected on a regular schedule, generally monthly, to check for premature wear and damage to the components.
