Pentalift Blog - June 2015
Understanding pit requirements for lift tables.
June 26, 2015, 5:57 pm -
Many applications will require that your lift table be installed into a concrete pit.
The first thing to consider is your pit's overall dimensions. Beginning with the width and length, you want to leave a 1" gap around the perimeter of the platform, between the edge of the deck and edge of the pit wall. As a starting point, therefore, your overall pit width and length will be the platform width + 2" and the platform length + 2". This is for a lift table with no hinged bridges. Once you add a manually operated hinged bridge, you need to provide additional clearance between the edge of the platform and the edge of the pit wall, to allow space for the hinge spools, etc. This additional gap requirement increases further if you are utilizing a hydraulic hinged bridge, to permit space for the cylinder to extend the bridge. Consult your Pentalift Sales Representative when employing hydraulic bridges.
The next consideration is the depth of the pit. You want to cut your pit to the fully lowered height of the lift table, plus an additional 1/4", to ensure that the table does not project out of the pit. It is much better to have to shim a table slightly to bring it up to floor height then it is to try to rework a pit because the equipment has a slight projection. Once you have the pit dimensions finalized, you will need to consider the configuration of the power unit and the type of options on the table to determine any conduit requirements. Please contact your Pentalift Sales Representative if you have any questions about requirements for pit installation of lift tables.
How to Identify Unbalanced Station Workloads
June 25, 2015, 9:28 am - A balanced workload has two important components: first, no task in a process takes longer than any others, and second, no worker feels that he or she is being forced to work harder than any other. The first aspect leads to a more efficient process; the second aspect keeps morale up and turnover down. However, […]
What is dock leveler ‘cant’?
June 22, 2015, 8:59 am - What does dock leveler deck cant mean? Deck cant means that the dock leveler platform can tilt or flex up to 4” per side. If the truck and dock leveler are both level then the deck cant feature is not required. However if the incoming truck is up to 4” higher on one side than the other, this could be caused by an uneven approach, snow/ice build-up on one side of the drive etc. then the deck cant becomes a very important feature. As the dock leveler is cycled the platform lowers to the truck bed and the hinged lip assembly makes contact with the truck bed. Deck cant provides torsional flex allowing the lip to conform or laterally flex to the uneven truck bed. The lip resting flat on the truck bed minimizes and damage to the material handling equipment, product and impact to the operator. Contact your Pentalift Sales Representative for more information.
Diminishing Returns On Lean Manufacturing
June 18, 2015, 9:00 am - Lean manufacturing, or a manufacturing process with as few non-value-adding steps as possible, has taken the world by storm. Based on the Toyota model of low inventory, precise metrics, and flattened workflows, lean manufacturing is now the world’s most popular way to improve efficiency. In practice, though, some managers find themselves getting into trouble by […]
Product Spotlight – Hydraulic UpEnder
June 16, 2015, 3:12 pm - 
Pentalift UpEnders are engineered and designed for applications where a freestanding piece of equipment is required to safely reorient and provide 90° tilt for heavy and awkward loads. Pentalift offers several pre-engineered UpEnder models, while also providing solutions for larger and very heavy custom UpEnding applications. Here is a link to a case study where Pentalift built a custom 60,000lb UpEnder to suit a customer’s application. Common options include: v-groove on one plane, used to help stabilize cylindrical loads; limit switches to restrict tilt to less than 90°; tie down locations installed on deck, to facilitate customer securing of loads; etc. Contact your Pentalift Sales Representative for more information.
