Open Platform Lift

The Platform Lift Co. Ltd. has upgraded its product range for 2021 with a new Italian-designed, open platform lift. Carrying the CE marking, this wheelchair lift can travel up to 3 m and be made to specification. Cleanly designed for a timeless look, the lift complements both commercial and residential environments. The Platform Lift Co. observes it is suitable for both indoor and outdoor settings and is impervious to architectural barriers such as differences in levels or steps. With a small footprint and compact design, the open-style platform lift saves space and is independent of fixings, a machine room or external cabinet. It can be fitted within a day and is freestanding. No pit or building works are required. The belt-driven lift is Part M compliant (certified to EN 81-41). Virtually silent in operation, it transports passengers comfortably and safely.

platformliftco.co.uk

Lifts Directive-Compliant Electric Lock

Magnet Schultz Ltd. (MSL), a U.K. authority on electric actuators and solenoid-operated assemblies, will launch a new electric lock this summer expressly designed for secure passenger lift applications. The new lock complies with the stringent requirements of the 2014/33/EU Lifts Directive. While the Type Approved Lift Lock (TALL) includes new features, the foundation of the electric lock mechanism is technology deployed in the company’s range of spring-to-lock Electric Bolt Lock-Industrial (EBL-I) units rated for more than a million operations. Like the MSL EBL-I, the Lift Lock design deploys a rugged aluminium frame, maintenance-free bearings and a stainless steel 15-mm diameter bolt with a 15-mm stroke.

MSL has a long history of developing locking devices for the disabled lift industry, with a widely adopted slim profile lock mechanism certified to the Machinery Directive. The new TALL-1515 Lift Lock design includes characteristics that satisfy the more stringent Lifts Directive for applications in faster, multi-person passenger lifts. It features a 3D-printed carbon fibre-reinforced nylon enclosure with polycarbonate inspection window. Two integral limit switches provide positive electrical feedback of the bolt position, which is energised to actuate and returns under spring force. The failsafe state is locked. A manual override is included. MSL product specialist Lewis Sheldrake stated:

“The slim variant of the lock certified to the Machinery Directive is popular with customers because of its small size. Our challenge was to develop a new lock that complies with the Lifts Directive while maintaining the small envelope. We succeeded with a robust unit that is just 36 mm wide by 68 mm deep.”

The compact dimensions are critical for many lift manufacturers. Incorporating the new MSL Lift Lock should not require engineering changes to the lift framework to accommodate the lock. In turn, the company expects the new Lift Lock to allow its customers to sell lifts in markets previously beyond reach, notably in sectors where the 2014/33/EU Lifts Directive and EN 81-20 and EN 81-50 standards are mandated. The TALL mechanism operates from a 24-V DC supply. Different bolt lengths are available as options by request. Prior to the official launch of the new TALL-1515 lock this summer, MSL plans to make pre-production units and interactive demonstration kits available to interested parties.

https://www.magnetschultz.co.uk/