Vacuum Lifter for Steel Sheets, No Power or Air

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FullSharp · since 1991

In most laser cutting shops two or three people carry each steel sheet from the bundle to the machine bed, then carry the cut sheet away. Large sheets are heavy and sharp, and one slip scratches the surface or cuts a hand. The customer in this project wanted one person to do the job, but the floor around the machine was already full and there was no room for a crane base.

FullSharp bolted a 500 kg jib crane straight onto a steel column of the building next to the cutter, fitted an electric chain hoist with wireless remote and hung the FS-WDL1000-2S two pad mechanical vacuum lifter. The lifter needs no electricity and no compressed air: gripping and releasing are controlled entirely by the chain going tight or slack.

500 kg column-mounted jib crane with a two pad mechanical vacuum lifter on the laser cutter bed

A jib crane on an existing column, no floor space used

Instead of a separate post, we clamped steel mounting plates to the building H-column with bolts and fitted the slewing pivot and arm to them. The arm swings around the column, covering the cutter bed and the sheet bundle, while the floor below stays clear for forklifts.

An electric chain hoist runs on the arm. The operator holds the wireless remote to lift and lower with one hand and guides the sheet with the other. The hoist cable hangs from hooks along the arm, so nothing snags while slewing.

Pivot and mounting plates on the building steel column

Braced jib arm carrying the electric chain hoist

How a mechanical vacuum lifter holds steel without power or air

The lifter has two Ø450 pads at the ends of a beam frame, with the vacuum valve body in the middle hanging from the hoist hook. Lower it until both pads sit on the sheet and raise the hoist: a tight chain makes the valve create the vacuum, the pads grip and the sheet comes up. No buttons, no cables, no air hoses.

To release, set the sheet down and keep lowering until the chain is fully slack; only then does the valve vent. While the sheet is in the air it cannot be dropped by a wrong action, and a power cut does not affect it. A gauge on the body shows the vacuum before lifting.

Two pad Ø450 mechanical vacuum lifter on a steel sheet

Video

Loading and unloading the laser cutter

Swing the arm to the bundle and lower the hoist until both pads rest on the sheet.
Lift: the chain goes tight, the valve creates the vacuum; check the gauge and raise the sheet.
Guide the sheet by hand and swing the crane to the cutter bed.
Set the sheet down, keep lowering until the chain is fully slack to release, then lift the lifter away. Unloading cut sheets is the reverse.

Key specifications

Jib crane500 kg, bolted to the building steel column
HoistElectric chain hoist, wireless remote up/down/stop
Vacuum lifterFS-WDL1000-2S mechanical lifter, 2 pads Ø450
Power for the lifterNone, no electricity or compressed air
Grip / releaseTight chain grips, fully slack chain releases
LoadSteel sheets to and from a laser cutter
Operation1 person

Benefits

One person instead of two or three

The hoist carries the sheet; the operator only guides it and presses the remote.

No accidental release, no power needed

No buttons on the lifter; it releases only after the sheet is set down and the chain is slack.

No floor space around the machine

The crane hangs on an existing column; forklifts and people pass underneath.

Applications

Loading and unloading laser cutters, punch presses and press brakes
Taking steel, stainless and aluminium sheets from bundles to the machine
Shops with steel columns and crowded floors with no room for a crane base
Places where running power or air to the lifting device is inconvenient

Project photos

Jib crane carrying the lifter beside the laser cutter

Mounting plates clamped to the steel column

Two pad mechanical vacuum lifter on a steel sheet

Vacuum valve body of the mechanical lifter

Frequently asked questions

Which building columns can carry a jib crane?

Steel H-columns or stiff box columns are suitable. FullSharp first surveys the column size, height and required reach, then checks the load on the column. Concrete columns need a different mounting or a separate post.

Does a mechanical lifter hold the sheet securely without power?

Yes. The vacuum is created when the chain is tight and is kept while the sheet hangs. It releases only after the sheet is set down and the chain is fully slack, so a hoist power cut does not drop it. The sheet surface should be flat with no holes right under the pads.

What sheet sizes can it handle?

The FS-WDL1000-2S frame is about 1.5 m long, which suits common laser cutter sheet sizes. For longer or thin, flexible sheets a 4 or 6 pad model is better. Send us sheet size, thickness and the heaviest sheet weight and we will choose the right model.

Vacuum Lifter for Steel Sheets with No Power or Air, on a 500 kg Column Jib Crane at a Laser Cutter