If the overhead door is closed and locked, a mechanical dock leveler will not damage the door when the dock leveler is activated. An air powered dock leveler or hydraulic dock leveler will cause extensive damage to the closed and locked overhead door if operated. To address this concern for potential damage, both air powered and hydraulic dock levelers can be ordered with an optional overhead door interlock switch. A striker plate on the door activates a wall installed limit switch when the door... Read More
There are often lift table applications that will require equipment to be moved around the facility. Typically, lift tables are designed to be lagged into the floor, however, there are many options that can be added to lift tables to make them more mobile.
Fork Pockets – Often the simplest way to assist with moving the table is to add fork pockets to the frame. This will permit the equipment to be moved around the facility with a fork lift. Fork pockets can be added under the frame, which w... Read More
There are many customizable options that can be added to lift tables to better suit your application. When sourcing a lift table, the following core requirements must be provided in order to determine the best model for your needs.
Load Capacity – What is the maximum load the lift table will need to handle? Will this load be centered and uniform on the table, or will there be an obvious offset, point or edge load that will need to be accommodated?
Platform Dimensions – What are the ideal... Read More
The rule of thumb that most manufacturers recommend for a Dock Lift's lifting speed is 10 to 12 feet per minute. The majority of dock lifts have a vertical lift of 5’, so 10-12 fpm equates to approximately 25 to 30 second lift time. This would be the average speed requested for most applications. Pentalift can offer increased or reduced lift speeds by manipulating the flow of oil, adjusting the horse power or the pump on the associated power unit. The maximum lift speed that Pentalift offers o... Read More
Speaking in broad terms, there is really no huge mystery to how time and money can be saved in any industrial operation — it all boils down to boosting the efficiency of equipment and labour.
There is much practical wisdom in the saying “Time is money.” It simply means that we need to automate as much as possible, install innovative machines, keep equipment maintenance up-to-date, and organize the work flow and work environment for optimum worker performance.
But, as they say, the devi... Read More
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, the aspects need to be dealt with in different ways. Adjusting tasks until each takes the same amount of time will make the process objectively balanced, but making all the work feel eq... Read More
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... Read More
Is it really worth the extra money to upgrade from a mechanical dock leveler to a hydraulic dock leveler?
There’s no question that it is worth the small amount of money to upgrade to a hydraulic dock leveler. Mechanical dock levelers require more periodic maintenance than hydraulic dock levelers to keep them in good working order. Hydraulic dock levelers are more ergonomically correct as there is no physical effort required to raise or lower the dock leveler, all operations are by simple push... Read More
Proper maintenance of your hydraulic lift table ensures the reliability and durability will remain consistent throughout its lifespan. This maintains the efficiency of your manufacturing and reduces undue expenditures related to repair.
But you may be overlooking some key ways to keep your hydraulic lift tables working at optimal levels. The following will help you maintain your hydraulic lift table for superior performance.
Regular Cleaning and Assessment
It’s important that you remove a... Read More
In order to streamline the production process and ensure quality control standards are consistently being met, manufacturers must rely on specific strategies. A pull system is one such approach taken by a wide array of companies in this field, and it is designed to keep production waste at a bare minimum.
Every year, an untold amount of resources are used inefficiently, the vast majority of them discarded long before they should be. The concept of the pull system is to maximize the lifespan o... Read More