Scissor lifts cut accident risk
May 1st 2008

The production of aircraft seat components at BE Aerospace has been made safer and more efficient following the supply of Benco handling equipment designed and manufactured by Brixworth Engineering Co.

The equipment has been installed in the resin transfer moulding section at Kilkeel to handle the production needs of five RTM moulding cells. Individual cells have overhead rail-mounted scissor lifts fitted with rotating lift platforms, hydraulically operated via pendant controllers. The rail mechanisms allow horizontal movements up to 4.5 x 7.5m of the supported loads either fore and aft or side to side.

The scissor lift movement provides a total lift of 1.25m (at heights of 1 to 2.5m above floor level) with a 360° rotation of the lift platform, and with all operations being carried-out safely and with minimum operator effort.

During production, each RTM tool requires two lid lifts, with these loads then being rotated and positioned at a safe working height on support trestles to provide easy access for the removal of finished moulded products. Individual lids weigh 0.5 or 1t, and each of the handling processes is cycled eight times per day for each of the five RTM tools. Safety is a paramount requirement.

Following the introduction of the Benco scissor lift equipment, a 300% saving in the RTM lid transfer times has been achieved and, since the Benco products undertake all lift/lower, transfer and turnover operations, the areas of potentially hazardous handling operation have been eliminated.

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