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Metalworking industries frequently require the use of plate lifters in order to move heavy loads. Any operation using metal sheets require a means of moving them. Therefore they are used by companies constructing large structures like buildings and bridges, as well as transportation related industries like those producing automobiles, aircraft, shipping crates, and ships. This really only begins to scratch the surface, because numerous other manufacturing industries use sheets of metal, and some types of plate lifters can be used for a variety of other materials, like stone.
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) classifies these as below-the-hook lifting devices. This includes equipment with a working load capacity ranging from .5 tons to more than 100 tons. Methods used in securing the loads include mechanical, vacuum, magnetic, or grappling. Suppliers strive to design the devices to the ASME B30.20 safety standard.
Plate lifters can use mechanical means like a hook or clamps. This is the most straightforward method used in securing the material. The devices consisting of hooks connected by chains simply fasten to the edge of the material. The clamps grasp the edge of the slab or sheet much like the hook. The clamp differs in that it grips the material, and often the clamp is secured just by the weight of the load. Some equipment consists of a large steel frame that can securely support the weight of a load that is resting on it. These are capable of moving loads greater than 100 tons.
Vacuum and magnetic technologies are very popular with industry due to their efficiency. Magnetic devices are great for steel, but they only work on materials that respond to the magnet. Metalworking industries benefit from the added safety from permanent or electro-permanent magnets. In the event of power loss, the load will not be dropped. In terms of magnets, electromagnets are capable of carrying the heaviest loads. Some are capable of moving loads that weigh more than 100,000 lbs.
Vacuum plate lifters can be used with a wider range of material types. This makes them very popular for industries that use a wide range of materials, like construction and road work. They rely on suction to attach to a load and can have a load capacity up to 60,000 lbs.
Most of the devices on the market are designed to move somewhere between a few thousand to 50,000 lbs. Since people in the business of production and fabrication need reliable machines, these lifters are built to be sturdy and durable. The device selected depends on the material being moved, the weight and size of the material, available operating space, the crane, and the number of people available to control it. Some are designed to accommodate optional features, like leg extensions, in order to make them better suited for the task at hand. With such a huge range of designs and features, it is possible to find plate lifters that will not only move a steel slab, but will allow the operator to move it in precisely the way they would like to, whether they choose to move it parallel or perpendicular to the ground.
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