When other
alternatives won't work
When a Mechanical lifter
will not work and electricity or
compressed air is not readily available, battery powered lifters can make it possible to
handle a load with vacuum. Battery powered lifters have been used in the glass industry
for many years, primarily for the occasional field installation job. Putting
in glass windows into a store front for example is an ideal application.
OK
for worksite Glass Handling
They work best on smooth, non-porous loads like glass because the lifter vacuum
attachment can be nearly airtight, making it possible
to use small, low power consumption, fractional horsepower vacuum pumps with small gel-cell batteries.
Battery powered lifters are generally not suitable for semi-porous or porous loads as these
lifters require considerably larger, higher powered vacuum pumps with correspondingly
larger, massive battery arrays. If you use a big pump you need to use a much
larger battery in order to achieve the longest possible usage time at full
vacuum.Battery powered lifters tend to be
more expensive and difficult to maintain, as they
require more
complicated electrical components and power controls.
Batteries dying from inactivity is a
reality. It happens frequently.
All batteries can die if not properly
maintained. Instances of battery failures
are lessened when equipment is used regularly. |
Keep in mind that attach and release performance is slower due to their
smaller vacuum pumps. Semi-porous loads such as some stone loads can also deplete
batteries quickly, as the pump needs to restart with any loss of vacuum,
putting a large amp-draw strain on the battery cell, and resulting in vastly
shortened hours of usage.
Not enough flow, power or general ruggedness for the stone industry.
For most stone industry shop applications, a lifter powered by compressed air
or standard electricity will give the best overall performance.
If, however, you need a
lifter in the field, a battery unit is worth considering. Battery powered lifters are best suited for jobsite installation work in the glass and polished
stone industries, as forklift attachments, and for other specific applications where
a power source is not available.
Battery lifters which use foam pads are generally of marginal use; if the surface is
not too rough, they can work, however with a slightly rougher surface they will not.
To get a battery unit with a large enough pump and batteries for porous
material is extremely expensive, heavy and maintenance intensive and
basically not done.
Battery lifters are not Production Grade
nor recommended for the Metals or other Sheet and Plate Industries |
Battery lifters should not be considered production
grade, as they require downtime to recharge and are maintenance intensive when compared to
standard powered or especially Mechanical vacuum lifters.
When comparing a Battery lifter to a Powered Lifter just keep these points in
mind.
All Battery
Lifters are slow to attach and have relatively small vacuum pumps
A Battery pumps CFM Flow
and HP vs a standard electric or air powered vacuum lifter is very low. In
general battery powered units have 1/4 to 1/6 the vacuum flow and do not achieve
as high a vacuum. They attach much slower even when brand new. They can not
replace but the smallest of leaks in a system. Basically your vacuum lifter and load must be
completely airtight to work properly.
The Battery's size and
estimated duty cycle is limited. Pulling a vacuum severely taxes all battery units. You
will find most have but a few hours at most of usability per day. Any standard
powered unit will out-perform a battery unit multiple times over for usually far
less.
We build battery lifters for appropriate applications but you should realize the
technologies current limitations.
Pulling high vacuum with battery power pulls high amps which drains batteries
fast. This is basic physics and can not be changed. We build
battery vacuum lifters using the latest battery power technology. This
technology is improving but still has major limitations for vacuum lifting.
Battery Lifters have their
place ( think Glass Installation ) but are limited.
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