Demag has launched a speedy hoist aimed at the market niche between chain hoists and balancers. The hoist, intended for lifting loads quickly and frequently, comes with no special features in order to keep the price down. Two versions of the hoist are available – one can lift up to 80kg at speeds up to 70m/m, and the other can lift up to 160kg at up to 35m/min.
The hoist is up to five times as fast as Demag’s DS1 rope winch, on which it is based. According to Demag, typical applications are palletising parcels in distribution centres, filling cartons in packing lines and baggage handling at airports. “These are applications that require very fast lifting and lowering speeds, but which cannot do without the balancing function. A chain hoist would be too slow in such cases; a balancer would include superfluous product features,” a spokesman said.
A stepless control system can slow the hoist lifting speed to a creep using athe proportional D-Grip controller – the harder the press, the faster it goes. When the user presses a second button, the hoist cuts the speed to half, a quarter or an eighth of the original speed. An electric brake holds the load steady when the D-Grip is released.