Handling large glass sheets outdoors

09.11.2009

Safety in the air

The utmost safety precautions are necessary during facade construction as large glass sheets and windows are transported outdoors and lifted to dizzying heights with site cranes. J. Schmalz GmbH has created a solution with the newly developed VacuMaster Glass, which can be used outdoors to handle glass sheets weighing up to 600 kg.
Glass sheets are often installed at great heights in building facades. A high degree of safety is required when doing so. The VacuMaster Glass is designed for use high above the ground and for the horizontal and vertical handling of loads in accordance with EN 13155-1/-2. It is attached to the site crane, and loads are held by four or eight suction plates. The vacuum is switched on and off using a manual slide valve. Two backup vacuum circuit systems provide the necessary degree of safety. Each circuit has its own vacuum reservoir and manometer for displaying the vacuum. If the vacuum drops to a critical minimum level, an audible and visible warning signal is produced. If one circuit fails, the second circuit is able to handle the maximum load alone.

Flexible and adjustable

When moving the vertically transported glass sheets into the final assembly position, the handling system must have the flexibility to move them as required. The VacuMaster Glass lets you swivel workpieces by 90° and rotate them by 360°; both of these movements can be locked in place manually. This means that the glass sheets can be aligned perfectly and installed in the facade. Even glass sheets that are standing at an angle can be picked up easily. The Schmalz lifting unit can be adapted flexibly to the dimensions of various glass sheets. The unit's extension arms can simply be removed in order to reduce the number of suction plates to four. The maximum load is then up to 300 kg. Every cable is a troublesome security risk on a construction site. That is why the VacuMaster Glass is designed so that it does not need to be connected to the mains. It draws its power from a rechargeable and replaceable 12 V battery; an LED indicator displays the charge status.

Increased productivity

The VacuMaster can be operated easily and enables fast, efficient and ergonomic handling of a wide range of glass sheet sizes. The flat, compact structure means glass sheets can even be installed behind scaffolding. All of these features make it easy to handle glass sheets with the VacuMaster Glass.

Links

Download

Questions regarding public relations:
J. Schmalz GmbH Marketing Communications Aacher Strasse 29 D-72293 Glatten	Tel.: +49 (0)7443 2403-506 Fax: +49 (0)7443 2403-9506 presse@schmalz.de

Questions regarding usage:
J. Schmalz GmbH Customer Centre Aacher Strasse 29 D-72293 Glatten	Tel.: +49 (0)7443 2403-105 Fax: +49 (0)7443 2403-9105 kundencenter@schmalz.de

Further information:

© Schmalz 2012