What is a Vacuum Lifter? - TAWI Ergonomic Lift Assists for Material Handling

A vacuum lifter is an ergonomic lift assist for material handling that allows a single employee to lift materials up to 600 lbs.

That means less team lifting, less chance for injury, and as a result, increased efficiency. It also eliminates the fatigue that an employee may experience throughout the day.

This makes it so that the speed that they handle product is just as fast at the end of their shift as it is when they are fresh at the beginning.

Let’s talk about the basic components of a vacuum lifter.

Most of what you see here is what we call the lift tube assembly.

We have our Suction feet which are what come in contact with the product – these are completely configurable and easily interchanged for different applications.

Next we have the suction head, which is what the operator uses to control the lift.

We have two standard types of suction heads at TAWI – our high frequency model is designed for rapid, single hand operation, and our multi-functional lifter which can be operated with two hands, and allows for more customizations and greater lifting capacities when compared to our high frequency lifter.

The suction head and suction foot are connected to the lift tube.

This is the item that facilitates the vertical movement of material and carries the load of the lift. There are no wires or cables in here – it’s all vacuum pressure doing the work, paired with several air valves.

The lift tube expands and contracts based on the level of vacuum the operator desires. Higher vacuum pressure raises the material. Lower pressure lowers the material.

The lift tube also has a top swivel, which allows the lift to spin freely without any need to uncoil the hosing.

All vacuum lifters have some sort of structural support system.

In many cases this is a jib or bridge crane, but can also be a portable jib crane that can be moved throughout a facility via fork lift or we even offer our mobile order picker which is a completely mobile solution that can integrate with a fork lift or pallet jack for fast pace picking and moving.

Lastly, what generates the vacuum force of the machine is the vacuum pump. Each lifter is powered by a pump and is available with a sound enclosure to reduce ambient noise levels in your facility.

The vacuum pump can be placed on the floor near the lifter or can be elevated so it is out of the way, saving floorspace and reducing the possibility of it getting in the way during cleaning or washdown processes.

In terms of maintenance, the system requires simple filter and gasket replacements based on the level of use.

TAWI offers a preventative maintenance program and we have our customer service team that can assist with any trouble shooting or part replacements. This makes it easier to help maintain and use our vacuum lifters.

If the system loses power, it won’t drop the product, instead it will slowly lower to the ground.

At TAWI, we manufacture the majorityl of the components in the system. That means we have a unique ability to manufacture everything to your specifications all the way down to materials.

For example, if you have a unique application or if you are in a sanitary or washdown situation, we can customize our product and everything can be built in stainless steel or FDA compliant materials to meet your needs.

For more information, go to www.tawi.com or contact your local representative today.