10 Questions You Should to Know about Vertical Lift Conveyor

A few months ago, we posted a Guide to Vertical Reciprocating Conveyors (you might find it useful if you’re looking at any application that moves a load up and down at least one level integrated with a shaft, mezzanine or other area). That guide includes the following questions, should be helpful as you move ahead with your project.

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Read more: Vertical Lifts & VRCs full specs, video and more

The ten questions: Vertical Conveyors

1. What do you need your VRC to do? The most fundamental question. This helps you specify the right technology for your application. Is your VRC lifting pallets? Cars?
2. How often will it be used? Because it’s heavy equipment with duty cycles, this is critical. Is the VRC integrated into a conveyor system? Is it lightly used to restock a mezzanine?
3. What weights does it need to lift? Vertical conveyor capacity helps you specify the right lift for your load. Consider what you’re lifting today…and what you may in the future.
4. How big of a carriage do you need? This goes to the size of your intended load. Be sure your carriage can handle the largest items it will need to for your operation.
5. What are the loading methods? Is a forklift loading pallets into it? A pallet jack? A conveyor? Are people hand-stacking it?
6. How high do you need to lift? Vertical conveyors can lift anyplace between a few feet to a few stories. This height affects a great deal of the specification process.
7. What are your clearances around the VRC? For safety and other reasons, you should know how close the carriage may sit near other areas of your plant.
8. Where do you need perimeter safety enclosures? Vertical lift safety is critical, especially the perimeter safety measures that keep people away from potentially  hazardous mechanisms.
9. What type of gate(s) do you need? Like question #8, this bears on safety. The gate helps you operate your VRC in a safer manner.
10. What electrical power do you have available? Since VRCs are electrically powered, you will need to know your parameters.

We’re here to help

Those are some things to get you started, but you’ll eventually need to contact us for detailed application help (don’t worry; that’s what we do!) Cisco-Eagle has over fifty years helping companies with vertical conveyors, lifts, material handling systems and the best ways to integrate all of it to help our customers work better, safer and with lower costs.

For more information, check out the VRC specification guide. There is a brief article, but you can download the more detailed, 26-page PDF file for detailed information.

More on vertical conveyors

• Vertical Pallet Movement Options
• A Jargon-Free Guide to Vertical Reciprocating Conveyor Specification
• Video Library: Lifts and Vertical Conveyors

Tags: Automation, warehousing, Material Handling, vertical lifts, vrc, mezzanine lifts

As the leader in manufacturing the most innovative vertical reciprocating conveyors (VRCs) for over 25 years, Custom Industrial Products’ Solutions Specialists have encountered many different product and application questions.  A while back, we addressed some of these questions in a post titled: 6 Most Common VRC and Material Lift Questions. 

The post proved to be helpful, so we decided to expand on it with 11 additional questions geared toward the novice VRC lift buyer.

Following are 11 VRC and Material Lift questions our Solutions Specialists regularly come across.

4. What is the difference between a Pallet Lifter and a VRC?

There are different types of pallet lifters. The overhead pallet lifter, which is closest to a vertical reciprocating conveyor, has a set of “forks” like those on a forklift or a pallet jack. With the aid of a forklift, hoist, or crane, the forks of the pallet lifter forks slide into the pallet or metal basket with a sling and lifts the pallet. 

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Unlike a pallet lifter, A VRC lift elevates goods like an elevator without the need for a forklift or hoist.

5. What is the difference between a Vertical Reciprocating Conveyor and a …?

 Freight elevator – A freight elevator adheres to a stricter set of safety codes and is more commonly used in public places to move both people and goods. A VRC only moves materials or goods. Click here to learn more.

Conveyor – A conveyor moves items from one level to another. However, they’re typically used to carry smaller items in assembly-line fashion, and they take up more space. A VRC lift can take single loads up to 30,000 pounds or more at one time.  

Dumbwaiter – A dumbwaiter is a smaller version of a freight elevator. It follows the same code requirements as an elevator, is costly to repair, and can only transport small, lightweight goods.  

Hoist – A hoist elevates materials with the aid of a forklift or crane. A hoist does not have enclosed sides, so materials have to be securely bound and connected via cables or ropes to a crane or forklift.  A VRC lift is much safer, more efficient, and flexible than a hoist.

11. How do you calculate the ROI using a VRC lift?

 A VRC lift moves materials faster, which leads to faster output and faster order turns. VRCs improve safety, which saves money on workplace injuries.

We would be remiss to throw out expected ROI percentages because ROI calculations will differ between companies and industries.

What we can say is that customers call us often with their stories about productivity increases. Recently, a furniture company in New York said they were able to move 50% more items with their material lift. Moreover, their employees were much happier because they no longer had to manually move furniture to different levels – the VRC did all the work.

Want more information on Vertical Lift Conveyor? Feel free to contact us.