The Royal Worcester ceramics factory in the UK, which has been making fine bone china and porcelain ware for nearly 250 years, has eliminated the need for heavy lifting by employees.
Previously heavy jugs containing plaster of Paris were lifted by hand to be poured into casings to make moulds. Now it has installed four Vairi-Lift lifting devices, produced by Craven Associates, specially adapted to provide for tilting the jugs as well as lifting.
Each has a 50kg safe working load and is mounted on a 5m by 10m overhead gantry, covering 50m2 of shopfloor.
Vairi-Lift uses compressed air to grip and lift objects. It is controlled by an integral console, allowing the operator to move the load in horizontal and vertical axes using just one hand. The load cannot be released without the simultaneous operation of two controls.
If the air supply fails, the lift unit automatically locks. This makes it inherently safe, according to Craven.
