The focus of Aerolift has always been designing custom made vacuum lifting solutions. But in the last years, our focus has shifted a bit. Did we stop designing custom made? No. Did we stop designing and producing vacuum lifting solutions? No, no, no, of course not! On the contrary, we believe vacuum lifting technology is the best lifting method there is. But, if our focus still is designing custom made vacuum lifting solutions, what has changed? In this article, we tell you all about it.
Aerolift Industrials B.V. was founded in the early 60s as part of the Nagron organisation. A small company that specialised in the development and production of vacuum lifting devices. At that time a new and innovative lifting method. Soon the vacuum lifting devices were used in several industries, but the real breakthrough was in the precast concrete production industry. The special features of vacuum lifting technology offered advantages that optimised the production tremendously:
Did you know? Some vacuum lifters of Nagron are still used or circulate in the second-hand market. These vacuum lifters are at least 40 years old and still function properly. This is the quality Aerolift still stands for.
Over time, Aerolift became an understanding, not only in the Netherlands but worldwide. Our vacuum lifting devices are now used in the concrete industry, tunnelling industry, metal industry, paper roll industry, offshore industry, wind turbine industry, the oil and gas industry, and so on. Any product with an airtight surface can be handled by vacuum technology. But this also brings us to the limitations of vacuum lifting technology. A lot, but not all products are suited to be handled by vacuum technology.
All Aerolift vacuum lifters are solely designed with a high vacuum, reaching a vacuum level up to 96%. The vacuum pump runs idle and if there is not any form of leakage at the product or the lifter, the product stays attached forever. Even in the situation of a power failure and the pump shuts down, the attachment stays strong. In case of doubt about whether a product is airtight enough, we can test it at our storage facility, MHZ B.V. Another important requirement of the product: sufficient inherent strength. For example: if we try to lift a container at the top by vacuum technology, we will only lift the roof due to the limited strength of the welds.
But, with more than 60 years of knowledge and experience in designing custom made vacuum lifting solutions, our focus shifted a little. It started several years ago by designing and producing the first hydraulic paper gripper. For this customer we already designed several vacuum lifting solutions to handle paper rolls in automated paper mills. To be shipped by sea, paper rolls are wrapped into a paper seal, disabling the possibility to be handled by vacuum. The wrap would simply be ripped off. Although it couldn’t be done by vacuum technology, the customer requested us to design a lifting solution that included the same sort of advantages as a vacuum lifter. The first Aerolift lifting solution not based on vacuum technology!
After years of designing solely vacuum lifting solutions, we expanded our focus. Not to lift everything, but to offer complete lifting solutions. Three examples of complete lifting solutions include lifting without vacuum:
Although, we do not only design vacuum lifting solutions, all our lifting solutions are designed to offer the same sort of advantages, such as speed, no damage, ease of use, less manpower, and of course safety.
Are you looking for a lifting solution for the complete handling process in your industry? Don’t hesitate to contact the Aerolift experts. Over the years we developed a wealth of experience and knowledge in many different industries. We are looking forward to discussing the possibilities for your specific situation.
