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Case Studies
- A Sugary Sweet Lifting Solution for Peeps & Company Retail Store
- Bayside Harley’s Product Showcase and PFlow Bring in the Riders
- Books Arrive in Underground Archive with the Help of a PFlow Conveyor
- Creative Design Highlights Vertical Conveyor at Laminated Glass Plant
- Custom Designed Hydraulic VRCs Help Maximize Space at Tyson Foods
- Custom Designed PFlow F Series Assists with Funeral Services
- Custom PFlow Lift Helps Create 9,600 SF of Storage within Existing Building
- Everything is Bigger In Texas – Including the PFlow M Series VRC!
- For Moving Fragile Cargo, Boeing Called PFlow Industries
- FuelCell Energy Loads Components with the Help of PFlow Material Lifts
- Georgia Pacific Moves Finished Product with the PFlow M Series
- Global Logistics Leader Doubles Productivity with PFlow Lifts
- Gravity Makes the Wine, PFlow Vertical Lift Takes Care of the Rest
- Historic Pritzlaff Building Repurposed Into Popular Event Venue with Assist from PFlow Hydraulic VRCs
- Liberated By Upward Mobility
- Manufacturing Plant Replaces 10-ton, 200′ Hoist with PFlow Vertical Lift
- Merged Controls of PFlow Lift and Laundry Cart Washer Regulate the Flow of the Entire System
- Milwaukee Waterfront Deli and PFlow Deliver
- Moving at the Speed of Fashion
- Moving-Floor Assembly Line Streamlines Implement Production
- PFlow and Parking Vault are Solving Major Parking Needs
- PFlow Automated System Provides Continuous 2-Way Pallet Flow
- PFlow Corners the Market for 'Big,' Heavy-Duty Material Lifts
- PFlow Designs Lift for Underground Parking at a Lake Tahoe Home
- PFlow F Series Helps Retailer Utilize Difficult-to-Access Space
- PFlow Galvanizing Provides a Protective Coat for Juice Plant Lift
- PFlow Heliport Lift Helps Offshore Oil Platform
- PFlow Helps Repurpose Restaurant into Government Service Facility
- PFlow Hydraulically Powers the Upward Expansion at Alcom Electronicos Reynosa Facility
- PFlow Lift Integrates Perfectly with 10-Story Power Plant Tower
- PFlow Moving Concourse Helps 'Big Bertha' March Into College Stadium
- PFlow Navigates Uncharted Territory with Vertical Lift at Naval Drydock
- PFlow Pallet Elevator is the Vertical Lift Solution for Nutrilite Warehouse
- PFlow Provides Steady Travel for Lockheed Martin Missile Plant
- PFlow Retrofits 2 Lifts in Single Shaft to Keep Hospital Supplies Moving
- PFlow Screw Lift Provides a Safe and Controlled Movement of Satellites
- PFlow System is an Integral Part of the Paper Production Line
- PFlow VRC Keeps the Pipeline Full for Large Pharmaceutical Distributor
- PFlow VRCs Help Keep the Beer Crisp and Chilled at NFL Stadium
- PFlow VRCs Installed in Concrete Shaft Ways of Seattle Tunnel Project
- PFlow VRCs Provide Vertical Logistics at High Rise Audi Dealership
- Stage Lifts Spirits – and Nascar Vehicle
- Tower Above the Competition with a PFlow Vehicle Display System
- Unique Lift System Enables Installation and Servicing of Telescope Mirrors
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Preventive Maintenance
- 21 Series Hydraulic Lift - Preventive Maintenance Checklist
- B Series Box Lift - Preventive Maintenance Checklist
- D Series Hydraulic Lift - Preventive Maintenance Checklist
- DB Series Package Handling Lift - Preventive Maintenance Checklist
- F Series 4-Post Mechanical Lift - Preventive Maintenance List
- M and MQ Series Mechanical Lifts - Preventive Maintenance Checklist
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Service Bulletins
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Installation Manuals
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- Articles coming soon
- 21 Series - Hydraulic VRC - 2-Post Cantilever - Installation Manual
- 21 Series - Hydraulic VRC - 2-Post Straddle - Installation Manual
- B Series - Box Lift - Owner's, Installation, and Maintenance Manual
- D Series - Hydraulic VRC - Installation Manual
- DB Series - Package Handling Lift - Owner's, Installation, and Maintenance Manual
- F Series - Mechanical VRC - 4-Post Installation Manual
- M Series - Mechanical VRC - 2-Post Cantilever - Installation Manual
- M Series - Mechanical VRC- 2-Post Straddle- Installation Manual
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Owner's Product Manuals
- 21 Series - Hydraulic VRC - Owner's Manual
- B Series - Box Lift - Owner's, Installation, and Maintenance Manual
- D Series - Hydraulic VRC - Owner's Manual
- DB Series - Package Handling Lift - Owner's, Installation, and Maintenance Manual
- F Series - Mechanical VRC - Owner's Manual with Eurodrive
- F Series - Mechanical VRC - Owner's Manual with NORD Motordrive
- M Series - Mechanical VRC - Owner's Manual with Eurodrive
- M Series -Mechanical VRC - Owner's Manual with Nord Motordrive
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Dimensional Schematics
- 21 Series CSI Spec - No Quick Connect
- 21 Series CSI Spec - Quick Connect
- 21 Series Hydraulic Lift - Cantilever Style - Dimensional Schematic
- 21 Series Hydraulic Lift - Straddle Style - Dimensional Schematic
- 21 Series, Cantilever, CAD Drawing
- 21 Series, Straddle, CAD Drawing
- B Series Box Lift - Dimensional Schematic
- Bi-Panel Swing Gate Dimensions
- Bi-Panel Vertical Gate Dimensions
- D Series CAD Drawing
- D Series CSI Spec - No Quick Connect
- D Series CSI Spec - Quick Connect
- D Series Hydraulic Lift- Dimensions Schematic
- DB Series CAD Drawing
- DB1 Series Package Handling Lift - Dimensional Schematic
- DB2 Series Package Handling Lift - Dimensional Schematic
- F Series 4-Post Mechanical Lift - Dimensions Schematic
- F Series CAD Drawing
- F Series CSI Spec
- M Series 2-Post Mechanical Lift - Cantilever Style - Dimensions Schematic
- M Series 2-Post Mechanical Lift - Straddle Style - Dimensional Schematic
- M Series CSI Spec
- M Series, Cantilever, CAD Drawing
- M Series, Straddle, CAD Drawing
- Single Panel Vertical Gate Dimensions
- Single Sliding Gate Dimension
- Single Swing Gate Dimensions
- Show all articles ( 12 ) Collapse Articles
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Applications
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Videos
Everything is Bigger In Texas – Including the PFlow M Series VRC!
The applications for dual pane, insulated glass windows are as diverse as the sizes and shapes in which they are made.
No matter the use, the insulating performance is only as good as the seal between the two panes. Any sort of imperfection allows air to seep in, leading to foggy windows, reduced heat transfer barriers and expensive replacements.
The Cardinal IG unit of Cardinal Glass Industries expanded its insulated glass window operation in Waxahachie, Texas, to increase its production capacity, including that of the channels that separate and seal the two panes.
The stainless steel spacer channels are hollow and come in sticks 284” (23’-8”) long. In the newly configured Cardinal IG production operation, the channels are filled with moisture preventing desiccant on the ground floor.
Waxahachie, Texas
Glass Plant
- M Series 2-Post Mechanical Lift
- Straddle Carriage
- Lifts Loads up to 3,500 lbs
- 17’ Vertical Rise
- 2 Levels of Vertical Rise
- 25 FPM Travel Speed
Once filled, they are transported to the second level where they are cut and bent to the necessary lengths for each window.
Unusually Wide VRC
An unusually wide PFlow M Series, mechanical two-post vertical reciprocating conveyor (VRC) is integral to the new process. It lifts the delicate, desiccant filled channels from the ground floor to the second floor on a 24’ long cart.
On the second floor individual channels are fitted to the exact dimensions of the outer edges of a particular window. This forms a frame that creates a thin space between the two glass panes as they are joined, or sandwiched together.
Prior to the plant expansion, Cardinal filled the channels on the same second floor where the windows are assembled. A forklift with a 17’ extension lifted the channels to the second level. Though somewhat cumbersome, the process was sufficient to lift the unfilled channels. With the new plan to fill the channels prior to transport to the second floor, a safer, more secure lifting method was needed.
Based on its experience with successful PFlow VRC installations at other facilities, Cardinal approached the Dallas office of Precision Warehouse Design (PWD). PWD is a material handling equipment dealer with significant experience with PFlow and in specifying and installing VRCs. PFlow and PWD representatives visited the site, reviewed the options and began crafting a plan.
“There are PFlow lifts all over Texas, and I can’t think of one that has carriage dimensions like this. It posed a lot of challenges, not the least of which was adapting the M Series lift for this application,” said Joe Jackson, the PWD manager on the project. “The level of customization needed to design and build this lift shortened the list of manufacturers who could do the job.”
In order to handle the 24’ long channel carts, plus allow room for fork lift access and channels that slightly overhang the cart, the VRC needed at least a 26’ usable carriage width. VRCs with one carriage dimension longer than 12’ typically require a four-post lift design with four lifting chains to adequately support the carriage and ensure safe, stable travel of what is usually a heavy load. The other requirements of the Cardinal lift – a carriage length of only 5’ and a total lifting capacity under 10,000 lbs. – were more befitting of a mechanical two-post lift.
Faced also with limited space in the balcony bay area where the lift was to be installed, a four-post lift with an inherently larger footprint would be an extremely tight fit. PFlow and PWD determined that a two-post design, with the guide posts straddling each of the 5’ sides would be structurally sound. One significant hurdle remained.
Minimal Deflection Required
With the unusually large carriage width of 26’, the use of a standard two-post design would cause the carriage platform to be susceptible to deflection. The carriage structure would need to be designed to prevent the carriage platform from sagging in the middle under its own weight. To complicate the problem, the carriage needed to ship in two pieces to fit in the building.
Solution
Using Finite Element Analysis and designing with a strength ratio of 3:1 over yield, PFlow engineered the carriage using both materials and structural shapes that would prevent any deflection no matter where loads were placed.
PFlow built the carriage halves with interlocking tongue and grooves, which worked to stiffen the carriage when bolted and welded together onsite. Rather than one continuous piece, the platform is two pieces with a sturdy reinforcement in the middle.
Single Panel, Power Slide Gate
The gates on each floor are also unique. On the ground floor is a 26’ wide, single panel powered vertical-slide gate that opens and closes with the push of a button. On the second floor is a double panel, horizontal sliding gate that acts as a climate barrier. It is designed to keep the dust and air conditioning from the desiccant filling station on the ground floor from migrating to the channel bending area on the second floor. Both gates include an electro-mechanical interlock system for additional safety.
“We are very happy with the lift. It is safe and has allowed us to move the channel prep area to the first floor, providing seamless transport to the second floor bending and assembly area,” said Brady Hallock, the Cardinal IG maintenance manager in Waxahachie. “I know there are similar lifts at other Cardinal plants, but this is the biggest. Everything is bigger in Texas!”
The carriage has dimensions of 26’ 6” W x 5’ 0” L x 7’ 0”H. It has a gross lifting capacity of 9,600 lbs., capable of moving a 3,500 lb. live load, plus the 5,500 lb. carriage and 600 lb. of chains. It moves at a speed of 25’ per minute over the 17’ travel distance between the ground floor and second floor balcony.
The VRC is periodically used to move equipment and supplies between the two levels. Forklifts are only used to load the channel carts on the lift and to move other materials throughout the facility.
Vertical lifts have their own national safety code (ASME B20.1). PFlow has proven vertical lift installations worldwide.
We are very happy with the lift. It is safe and has allowed us to move the channel prep area to the first floor, providing seamless transport to the second floor bending and assembly area … I know there are similar lifts at other Cardinal plants, but this is the biggest. Everything is bigger in Texas!
– Brady Hallock, Maintenance Manager of Waxahachie, Cardinal IG