5 Unexpected Places Hydraulic Lifts Are Used

When many people think of hydraulic lifts they think of warehouses or manufacturing plants. They also recognize that construction areas are full of forklifts, elevators, and bulldozers that use this technology. But the reality is that these hydraulic systems manufactured by Lange Lift are found in all sorts of unexpected places.

Here are 5 Places Hydraulic Lifts are Utilized

In your car. Did you know that every time you use your brakes, you’re using a hydraulic lift? Hydraulic systems involve a hydraulic mechanism that compresses a liquid. The force that is applied in a hydraulic system is transmitted to another point using that liquid, which is typically hydraulic oil or water. When you place your foot on the brake pedal, it pushes a small piston in the brake master cylinder. That applies pressure on the brake fluid, which gets transferred via the brake lines. This results in another set of pistons forcing the brake linings in contact with the brake drums which stops your car.
At the dentist. Have you ever wondered how a tiny dental hygenist can easily adjust your chair upwards or downwards? It’s done with the help of hydraulics. The hygienists can use their foot to easily raise or lower your chair to keep you comfortable and at the best height for the hygienists to get your teeth cleaned.
In the military. The armed forces use hydraulic lifts on armed vehicles to make them easier to load.
In nursing homes and hospitals. If you’ve ever assisted with moving a parent or other elderly person, you know it’s not always easy. With balance and strength issues, moving from a bed to a chair can be a challenge. Specially-designed slings powered by hydraulic lifts make moves easier and safer, reducing fall-risks.
In space. NASA uses hydraulics when they design landing gear for space shuttles.

We’ve Got You Covered

Lange Lift is the material handling leader in a wide array of industries. We’ve been manufacturing high quality hydraulic lift tables, scissor lifts, and custom lift products since 1934. Contact Lange Lift today for all your hydraulic lift needs. We’ll exceed your expectations because we believe in being the best.

The Science Behind Hydraulic Lift Tables

Hydraulic lifts are able to move so much weight because of the science behind hydraulic systems. Let’s take a closer look at the science, and how Lange-Lift tables are able to lift heavy loads so easily.

Definition

A hydraulic system is a type of technology used to move or lift things by applying pressure on a liquid inside a piston. But what does that look like? Well, here’s a video from our YouTube channel showing one of our tables in action.

Physics

Basically, these tables are able to move so much weight because liquids are incompressible. This means no matter how much force you apply on a liquid, you cannot reduce its volume. Think of a balloon. You can squeeze it and squash it, the liquid will move around inside the balloon and change the shape, but the volume remains the same.

If you put liquid into a pipe and apply force down on one end, then there is pressure building up. The built-up pressure means the water has nowhere to go but out the other end. This is the driving force behind hydraulic lifts. The size of the pipes, how much downward force you apply, and the surface area of the pistons all determine how much pressure you need to apply to the liquid inside the piston to create enough force to lift up something really heavy.

Types and Uses

Hydraulic system technology is used in all kinds of things, from construction equipment to the brakes in your car. This technology is a critical part of engineering. Without it, many of the buildings, roads, and infrastructure in the world would not look the same. Moving heavy objects requires serious work, and hydraulic lifts are one really awesome hack to do it with ease.

Now, this was a very basic explanation of the science and physics behind hydraulic lifts. Here’s a video explaining the equations of force, pressure, area and more. There are specific measurements and calculations that need to be done to really make it all happen. Luckily, we’ve done the math already and built the lift system for you. Got a specific job? Don’t worry! We build custom lifts tables too, and you can always contact us with any questions. We’re happy to help!

Understanding How a Hydraulic Scissor Lift Table Works

If you’ve ever been in an industrial setting, you’ve seen or worked with a hydraulic scissor lift table.

The lift table is one of the most common pieces of industrial equipment. When using it, most people don’t give much thought to how it works, but understanding the mechanics behind it will make you safer.

Five Essential Parts Of The Hydraulic Scissor Lift Table

Before diving into the operation side, let’s look at the parts that make up the lift:

The Platform

The top of the table, where you place items, is the platform. It is typically 1/4″ steel. There isn’t a standard size for scissor lift table platforms: how large they are depends on the needs of the job site.

Base

The base of the table is the structural foundation of the unit. It has tracks which guide the rollers at the bottom of the legs. The base’s size depends on the size and capacity of the platform.

Scissor Legs

These legs allow the hydraulic scissor lift table to reach its height. They sit between the base of the platform and come in different varieties depending on the intended use of the unit.

Cylinders

These high-pressure hydraulic cylinders are what raise and lower the platform. There are normally 1 to 4 cylinders on each unit.

Motor

Most lifts have a self-contained electric motor that is powered by a high-pressure air compressor. There are a few models with a remote power pack on the side of the unit, however.

How These Parts Work Together

As the motor pushes oil into the ram cylinder, the hydraulic scissor lift table rises. Once raised, the lift stays in place due to a check valve that keeps the oil in the hydraulic cylinder. The lift lowers when oil is released slowly from the cylinder. The check valve determines the speed of fluid release, and thus the speed of descent. Only a professional should attempt to alter the valve.

If a lift has a higher travel and weight capacity, it will rise slower. Some companies will try to speed up their lift speed by using a motor with higher horsepower. Use this solution with caution, however, as a higher HP engine will cause increased wear on the structure, lowering the life of the lift. In fact, a 1 HP increase could cut the life of the hydraulic scissor lift table by 33%. Another way to increase the speed is a motor with higher voltage. More volts will lift quicker, but also cost more.

It is important to remember that no one should ever attempt to raise the scissor lift higher than recommended. Many accidents happen each year due to non-compliance with manufacturer’s recommendations.

As with all pieces of equipment, there is always a trade-off. For the best long-term financial results, using the lift as intended without alterations is usually the best option.

Let Us Meet Your Lift Table Needs

Knowing how hydraulic scissor lift tables operate makes it easier to determine your business’s needs. Whether it’s manual, electric, battery-powered lifts, or even floor locks, we have you covered. We make our products in the US, never forgetting the dedication to quality that our customers demand.

If you need more information about lifts we offer or want to purchase the highest quality products for your industrial job site, contact us today!

Welding, Ergonomics, and Worker’s Compensation Claims Part 2: The Solution

With a full line of manual lift tables, electric lift tables, battery lift tables and air lift tables, Lange Lift is committed to building quality products that lift the world. When it comes to welders, our products put their work where they need it quickly and efficiently, ensuring proper ergonomics and good body mechanics are in place at all times of the workday. As we discussed in the last post, these products and practices can reduce injuries, increase productivity, and cut costs. The principles of good ergonomics show that Lange Lift products will prevent injury when used properly.

Welders often work with heavy objects using heavy welding equipment, in an environment that requires high repetition and high work intensity to meet demand and keep production moving. Without proper ergonomics, a worker may be employing awkward body postures, lifting heavy equipment or materials, or working in static postures for prolonged periods. Awkward postures of the wrist are common, and in combination, these bad practices will lead to musculoskeletal injury.

The principles of ergonomics are based on duration (how long?), frequency (how often?), and intensity (how hard?). These three factors play a role in every injury due to improper ergonomics, and addressing them should be at the core of a business’ solution to the problem of workplace injuries. However, demand dictates these factors, and increasing your workforce is not always an option. The solution is to meet demand by working smarter.

To simplify the welding tasks for the welder and reduce the physical load during the work, the welder should be enabled to follow the following principles: “Work in front” by positioning working between waist and shoulder whenever possible. Use motorized positioning devices such as Lange Lift lift tables. Also, use welding guns with swivels, designed for use in both hands.

At the core of these is the need to position work properly for every operation. Lange Lift products enable this, with the flexibility offered by multiple options for powering the lift table’s operation. This flexibility, combined with Lange Lift’s custom & modified lift tables, ensures that there is no welding operation that can’t be positioned correctly, and moved safely.

Contact us today to learn more

Since 1934, Lange Lift has been manufacturing high quality hydraulic lift tables, scissor lifts, and custom lift products for material handling in a wide array of industries across the world. Contact us today to learn more about what our great products can do for your business.

Welding, Ergonomics, and Worker’s Compensation Claims Part 1: The Problem

Lange Lift builds the best manual lift tables, electric lift tables, battery lift tables and air lift tables in the world. Our products address the ergonomic difficulties of a wide range of tasks, in particular, the challenges associated with industrial welding. While working on a part or assembly, welders are at high risk of a wide variety of musculoskeletal injuries due to awkward posture, heavy lifting, static postures, and awkward wrist movements and postures. Lange Lift is committed to building products that promote good body mechanics, protecting the health and well-being of welders and other workers, while savings costs for their employers due to increased productivity, less downtime, and fewer Worker’s Compensation claims.

Sprains account for more than 1/3 of the compensable claims among welders, and the back, neck, and shoulder together with the arm and hand regions make up more than one-half of those injuries. Rigorous manual precision requirements, along with a high degree of uniformity often results in awkward and static postures, difficult work positions, the need for heavy lifting and difficult material handling. Heavy parts, heavy equipment, high repetition, and high work intensity also contribute to an environment where welders are at risk of injury.

Welders are skilled employees, and a good welder is not easily replaced. Managers who oversee welders understand the importance of keeping them healthy and productive. Absences due to injury may require the transfer of welders to other tasks that could be handled by a lower-level employee. Replacement workers may require overtime pay, increasing costs and lowering productivity during onboarding and training. Frequent injuries due to bad ergonomics result in high employee turnover, increased need for training and supervisory time, and ultimately, reduced productivity and product quality.

What is a competitive industrial firm to do? Lange Lift has the answer. These problems have solutions, in the form of proven practices and quality products. Lange Lift’s full line of lift tables, as well as our modified & custom lift tables, enable business owners to build ergonomics into their operations. In our next post, we’ll discuss the practices, principles, and products which lead to healthier employees and lower costs.

Contact us today to learn more

The Science Behind Hydraulics

Since 1934, Lange Lift has been building the best manual lift tables, electric lift tables, battery lift tables and air lift tables in the world, all enabled by the exceptionally fascinating principles of hydraulics. The power of moving liquids delivers the force necessary for Lange Lift products to move your heavy workload to new heights, and position your parts where you need them quickly, smoothly and safely. By also powering everything from car brakes and garbage trucks to motor boat steering and garage jacks, hydraulics is a powerful and important force that delivers safety, convenience, and power to our modern world. Let’s take a deeper look and learn more about how hydraulics works.

Hydraulics works because of a simple principle: you can’t compress a liquid. Gases are easy to compress, as you do when you squeeze a balloon. Solids are just the opposite, it’s very difficult to compress a block of metal or wood with your fingers. Liquids, however, are a bit like solids in some ways, and a bit like liquids in others. Since liquids easily flow from place to place, you might think they’d behave like gases when you tried to squeeze them, but that is not the case. Liquids are virtually incompressible.

The fact that liquids don’t compress easily is incredibly useful. It is the reason why water can be used with force from a hose or water gun. By putting pressure on the water, it is forced out at a high speed. If water were compressible, it would simply compress to a smaller space and not exit the nozzle at a high speed.

Liquid in a pipe behaves this way as well. The science behind hydraulics is called Pascal’s principle. Essentially, because the liquid in the pipe is incompressible, the pressure must stay constant all the way through it, even when you’re pushing it hard at one end or the other. If you press down with a small force on a small area, there must be a large force acting upward on a larger area to keep the pressure equal. That’s how the force becomes magnified.

In a Lange Lift lift table, the hydraulics are controlled by either manual force, electric control, or air control. When an operator uses one of these controls to lift the table surface, they are instructing the hydraulic system to pump fluid into the narrow pipes and hoses, forcing the hydraulic rams to extend, and thereby lifting the table. This smooth, powerful motion ensures that a Lange Lift table has the power to lift heavy loads with easy while keeping the load safe and level.