Hydraulic Scissor Lift
Hydraulic Scissor Lift
The hydraulic scissor lift has applications in many industries, including manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, energy, entertainment, and transportation. It is the most common type of industrial lift, and size and lifting load capacity varies based upon the price and application. If you’re looking to buy hydraulic scissor lift equipment, there are a number of pre-made options available on the market.
For example, the Central hydraulics scissor lift from Harbour Freight is an automotive unit with a broad base of consumers who use it for performing repair work on cars and light trucks in automotive repair shops and home garages. For more specialized applications, you should engage the services of a specialist firm like Handling Specialty to design a unit to your specifications.
Hydraulic scissor lifts are a cost-effective and durable machine that uses an electric motor or other power sources to pressurize hydraulics to lift a payload. It typically consists of a sturdy base, a platform for the load, a configuration of scissor legs, a hydraulic cylinder, and a power source or motor. The “scissor” aspect of the name derives from the fact that there’s a cross-braced mechanism (similar to the arms of a pair of scissors) between the base and the upper platform.
Fixed installation lifts are often used to lift goods between floor levels from vehicles into a building at the goods receiving areas. Mobile hydraulic scissor lifts are typically small, lightweight units that can push goods or heavy objects around a factory or workshop.
Scissor lifts generally have a single-acting hydraulic circuit. The exception to this is where units are very lightweight or require fine position control. A hydraulic control valve is generally employed to raise or lower the lift. This valve is usually operated electrically but can be manual in simple lifts, where the hand-driven mechanism can control the lowering speed.
Several specialized manufacturers produce this type of industrial lift. For example, the Central hydraulics scissor lift is widely used in the automotive repair sector, where it is capable of lifting cars and light trucks.
Therefore, organizations looking to buy hydraulic scissor lift equipment can choose from pre-built units or commission a bespoke design from a specialist manufacturer.
How does a hydraulic scissor lift work? There are a few core components that make up the structure of a hydraulic scissor lift unit. The base at the bottom of the lift offers a stable foundation for the lift during operation. Typically, one to three hydraulic cylinders power the scissor legs to move vertically upwards or downwards. The power source or motor provides the energy for this process. A platform at the top is connected to the scissor legs and carries the load on the unit. The top platform of the scissor lift remains horizontal to the ground as it rises from rest to the raised position ensuring equipment or workers on the lift remain level and balanced as it moves between different heights.
The hydraulic scissor lift working principle relies on the properties and action of hydraulic fluid, which is used to fill the cylinder or cylinders. A system of pushbuttons, levers, and valves directs the circulation of hydraulic fluid. For example, when lowering the scissor legs, a down valve releases the fluid from the cylinder at a controlled rate, closing the legs. Since one end of both the inner and outer legs is connected to the platform and the base, this action causes the platform to lower.
Several manufacturers and hydraulic scissor lift models have designs that address the unique properties of hydraulic fluid under different environmental conditions. For instance, at higher operating temperatures, the fluid becomes thinner or less viscous and can circulate more freely, resulting in a quicker response during lift operations. This situation is reversed at colder operating temperatures, as the hydraulic oil is more viscous.
With fewer moving parts, hydraulic systems nonetheless have the edge over mechanical and electrical systems and provide greater safety and cost-effectiveness. Hydraulic systems also allow a constant torque or force to be maintained, regardless of any changes in speed, making them ideal for uses where accuracy is required when raising or lowering the platform.
A hydraulic scissor lift table is a heavy-duty unit that is designed and constructed for use under the toughest working conditions. They can be employed in loading and unloading heavy objects from trucks. They can also be used in docks and ports.
Hydraulic scissor lift table units can also be used for moving personnel around within their work area, and they can provide a stable platform that allows working on jobs at various heights.
The scissor lift table hydraulic mechanism can typically be raised and lowered repetitively with minimal effort. This permits the loading and unloading of heavy objects to be performed in batches. Hydraulic scissor lift tables can also be specified with conveyor rollers or rotating platforms. Mobile scissor lift tables typically have casters or pivoting rollers to make them movable.
If you’re looking to buy hydraulic scissor lift units for specialist operations, there are almost unlimited options available depending on the specifications needed for your application.
For example, stainless steel lift tables are designed for use in wash-down applications and are primarily employed in the food and pharmaceutical industries, where hygiene or cross-contamination is a concern. A combination of stainless steel, special paints, and other materials is used in their manufacture to deliver corrosion resistance.
Rotating lift tables or “work positioners” are designed for applications where access to all sides of the load is required. Generally, the design also includes a reduced lowered height, which allows for greater access to tall pallet sizes and accommodating greater differences in the operator’s height.
Multi-stage lift tables are hydraulic scissor lifts that either stack one pair of scissor arms on top of another or an entire lift table on top of another, enabling these units to achieve increased vertical travel while maintaining smaller platform sizes that would not be feasible with a single pair of scissors. This design approach gives the unit increased load stability.
Hydraulic scissor lift units are fabricated by several manufacturers and come in various form factors and load-carrying capacities. For example, the Central Hydraulics 6000 lb capacity scissor lift is a steel-plated automotive lift that can raise cars or trucks to a height of 56 inches. It has an electro-hydraulic pump, hydraulic hose, dolly, and four saddle pads. These manufactured hydraulic scissor lift models come in standard sizes and load capacities and can be purchased directly from the manufacturer.
Handling Specialty designs and manufactures hydraulic scissor lifts to the specifications and application-specific to our client’s bespoke use cases Examples include the following:
A variety of specialist materials and fabrication techniques are employed in the production of scissor lift table hydraulic mechanisms and hydraulic scissor lift table units. They include but are not limited to the following:
- Safety clearance between scissors to prevent trapping
- Hard chrome plated lift rams and pump pistons
- High-pressure gear pumps with check valves
- Self-lubricating bushings in all pivot points to prolong the lifespan of the unit
- Pressure compensated flow control valves
- Relief valves
- Return filters
- Heavy-duty ball bearings for reduced maintenance
- Emergency stop button to stop the tabletop at any moment during lifting
- Limit Switches to halt the platform when it reaches its designated height automatically
- Overload relays to prevent the motor from burning
A hydraulic scissor lift can provide versatile placement and heavy-duty lifting options in a variety of applications and working environments. Pre-built branded units like the Central hydraulics scissor lift are available on the market.
If you wish to buy hydraulic scissor lift equipment that is designed to meet your own specific use case or working conditions, there are specialist organizations that can design and deliver a custom-tailored solution for your hydraulic scissor table lift requirements.
For example, Handling Specialty recently completed a project that delivered a four-stage hydraulic scissor lift for use in the Aerospace & Defense Material Handling Equipment industry. With a lifting capacity of 12,000 lbs and a fully raised height of 49 feet, this four-stage hydraulic scissor lift was custom designed for a very specific application at a missile defense test complex. The unit has a lowered height of just eight feet.
The multi-stage, large-capacity scissor lift is an industry favorite for multiple application solutions from the Steel industry to the Entertainment industry. Because Handling Specialty can offer custom engineering, we can create a scissor lift that will meet your facilities exact needs and assist in achieving operational efficiencies.
Handling Specialty manufactures custom engineered material handling products for customers around the world. We are the premier source for made-to-order lifting, tilting, rotating, and traversing equipment for clients like you seeking innovative solutions, exceptional professional support, world-class credentials, and unmatched experience.
Our design capabilities and engineering expertise allow us to tackle your one-of-a-kind applications that may have unique or extreme requirements involving usage, operating environment, and/or weight capacity.
The hydraulic scissor lift is often more complex than it seems. The engineering and manufacturing talents involved in designing a custom scissor lift for a specific application take experience and knowledge. Handling Specialty is your best choice for an application-specific hydraulic scissor lift. We have designed, built, and installed custom and standard scissor lifts worldwide for customers across multiple industries, including automotive, aerospace, energy, entertainment, rail and transportation, and advanced manufacturing.
If you’d like to know more or discuss your project needs, get in touch with us.