This lift table is part of a small series of eight lift tables for the building of cash ATMs. In the last article, I focused on safety. Now I would like to show you how we can ensure that production lines are started up quickly.
Consistent level of safety
Just like the other lift tables, this scissor lift table also has the following safety features:
- Two inductive sensors in the platform for load detection
- Super-flat safety edges outside the lift table due to the protruding load
- Pilot-operated shut-off valves for protection even in the event of leaks
- ESD rubber mat on the lift table and mutually earthed assemblies
- Intermediate stop switch to prevent the risk of crushing.
If you would like to learn more about the safety precautions, I recommend the article about lift tables in prototype construction. All the safety measures are described in detail here.
Fast start of production
Today I would like to focus more on how to keep the interruption of your production process as short as possible.
As mentioned at the beginning, the scissor lift tables are used to build ATMs. Unlike five of the other scissor lifts, this lift is not in the prototype construction area, but is used in the final assembly or as part of the production line.
Production downtime = loss
The customer's production manager asked us during an on-site visit how to achieve a production process with as little disruption as possible during the installation of the scissor lifts. It is obvious that an interruption of the production process and the resulting production downtime will mean a considerable loss for the customer as well as a delay of the delivery dates.
Pit construction in two days
For this reason, the company was looking for a way to be fully operational within just two public holidays. The main problem was the mandatory pit installation. Pits are usually made of concrete. Because concrete has to harden, at least four weeks must pass between the first work to construct the pit and its full load-bearing capacity.
As a lift table manufacturer, we are used to working with steel, so it is not surprising that our solution concept comes from the metal sector. We manufactured a metal trough with customised stiffeners to match the lift table, which acted as the "replacement" for the concrete walls of the pit. To speed up on-site installation, the scissor lift tables were already built into the troughs at our factory. This meant that the pre-installed lift platforms only had to be inserted into the concrete cut-outs prepared on site. We completed the entire installation in only two days. It is also worth mentioning that the costs for a concrete pit were not exceeded.
Grouting with concrete is not absolutely necessary
In this specific case, the occurring loads could only be transferred by two flanges on the narrow sides. We therefore decided to additionally grout the metal trays with non-swelling grouting mortar. This relieves the strain on the flanges and guarantees a long service life for the entire construction.
If the installation situation provides enough space around the lift table, there is no need to grout the metal tray with concrete. All loads are safely transferred to the ground by a surrounding flange.
