In today’s busy industrial environs, the use of Industrial Skates Machine Moving Equipment is being demanded more and more. This is because modern load moving techniques are available to make this once difficult task a piece of cake in today’s industrial marketplace.
Not so many years ago, unless you had some of those heavy mechanical dollies that could slide under your machinery, you could not move it without professional rigging companies being involved… and at a cost too. Then you had the problem of how much damage they were going to do to your floors. It was not a satisfactory exercise to move your heavy machinery around. Then came along air powered industrial skates which proved excellent for the moving of machinery.
One of the best and most cost-effective tools now available for heavy industrial machine moving is of the pneumatic type – air powered industrial skates machinery moving systems which can lift and move machinery up to 100 tons and beyond using only a little shop air that is probably readily available in your shop right now.
Here are two examples of heavy industrial machinery in the process of being moved to new locations.
Notice that both machines are being supported by Hovair Systems industrial air casters that are using powerful air powered, air bearings to lift and suspend the load on a thin film of air (technology) which allows the machines to effortlessly float across the floor surfaces to other locations. Initial set up needs some careful adjustments to make sure everything is correct and once the heavy machinery is floating on the floor surface, the rest of the operation is (that proverbial) a piece of cake.
While most air powered industrial machinery moving tools require certain standards and specifications to be present to ensure optimum operation, they are very versatile and can be placed in different locations to suit your heavy machinery moving needs.
These tools are very durable and strong and are therefore very adaptable to users’ needs. We have engineers all over the world that have adapted our products to suit their operations and these products are continuing to work for them day after day.
Above is a Lockheed Martin Industrial Air Transporter for use in Clean Room Operations.
Industrial Machinery Moving equipment – also known as air skates, air casters, casters, air cushions and air sleds – are the usual tools of choice for moving heavy and industrial machinery across floor surfaces. They can easily outperform any forklift or overhead crane in most indoor locations. With weight capacities starting at 1000 pounds, Machinery moving equipment can range right up to 100 tons and all points in between.
This equipment is used when heavy machines are required to be lifted and moved to other locations. There are not many machines that a Hovair Systems industrial machinery moving system cannot handle in today’s industrial environs.
Machinery moving kits are available in sets of four or six air skate load modules. The only power source needed is compressed air which most industrial locations have in-house to power other tools. Using only compressed air (pneumatic) machine skates can generate tremendous lifting power to handle the largest and most awkward heavy machines.
To the right is a heavy, complex electrical distribution center.
If you click on the image it will expand and you will clearly see the way this machine has been lifted.
Note the bolstering and the way it is supporting the machine.
These industrial skates are so versatile in how they work and the different ways they support their loads, that nothing is off the table except their weight capacities.
The versatility of Industrial Skates allows them to be place in strategic positions beneath the machine they are moving. This helps to take care of any uneven load distribution properties of the machine.
Air casters Industrial Skates are very versatile in as much as they are not required to have a fixed position underneath the machines. The great benefit to this is that you can move a machine that has differing weight proportions. For instance, one side may weigh several tons more than the other side, and with the versatility of the Industrial Skates, they can be placed at the correct places beneath a machine to allow support under the machine in the correct places. You can use any number of Industrial Skates beneath many locations of the machine you are going to move.
Below right, is a diagram of a typical four-station air-powered industrial skate moving layout. These skate positions can be altered to suit the weight of the machine they are going to move. Using as many air skate modules as you need, you can place them in different locations beneath the machine to suit the properties of that machine. There is very little that is beyond these tremendous load moving tools.
Industrial Skates are used in series of four or six and assembled into a load moving system via air line hoses, valves, tee-pieces and other hardware. See below, right.
This form of load moving is known as air film technology.