Motorized carts are a great way to transport heavy materials around warehouses, clinics, manufacturing plants or other facilities. However, as most manufacturers and warehouse managers know, moving weighty loads is more complicated than simply moving them from point A to point B. Some of the greatest risk for musculoskeletal injuries happens during lifting, making employees vulnerable to injury when loading/unloading heavy loads, even on a cart that is powered. A motorized scissor lift can help lift safer and ease the strain, especially for applications where a cart cannot be unloaded piece by piece or via another mechanism (like a crane).
Unique Advantages of Motorized Scissor Lift Carts
A motorized scissor lift cart can be an asset for manufacturing plants, healthcare clinics, warehouses and other applications in a variety of ways. Aside from the enhanced maneuverability of center wheel drive systems inherited from standard motorized carts, the stable platforms on scissor lift carts ensure that materials will not tip or become unbalanced while moving up or down on the lift. This feature can prevent damage to product or materials due to human error or carelessness during the loading and unloading process. The scissor lift platform can also be adjusted and held at an ergonomically appropriate height wherever needed, making tasks both safer and more convenient for employees.
Common industries that benefit from scissor lift carts include:
- Defense & Aerospace
- Window & Door Manufacturing
- Automotive
- Industrial Automation
- Furniture
- Metalworking
- Paper
- Printing & publishing
- Warehousing & distribution
- Heavy machinery
- Transportation
Depending on the application requirements, motorized scissor lift carts can also be provided with either hydraulic or electro-mechanical lifting mechanisms. Standard models can typically handle up to 1,000 lb. payloads, making them safe and effective for lifting, lowering, and transporting a wide variety of parts, equipment, and materials. However, some applications require an even more robust design to safely handle heavier and larger-sized loads to lift safer.
Custom Motorized Scissor Lift Carts
In the past, Electro Kinetic Technologies has fielded requests for custom motorized scissor lift carts capable of lifting much heavier, and sometimes more delicate materials. Thankfully, our engineers are up to the task of designing new carts from scratch to meet the unique specifications of customers, or enhancing an existing motorized scissor lift cart. Typical enhancements include ball transfer and rotating tops to keep materials stabilized while in motion, and multi-level conveyors used to shift materials on and off of shelving. To check out an example of our custom scissor lift cart capabilities, read our Home Improvement Industry Case Study detailing some of our work.
Additional custom scissor lift cart applications can be found in our range of past projects. (See examples below):
 |
Extended 13-foot long platform with double scissor lift mechanism. Electronics mounted in NEMA 4, IP 66 enclosure. |
 |
Ball transfer top with removable side rails to eliminate materials falling off during transfer. Typically used for transporting dies. |
 |
Rotating platform top. Typically used in manufacturing to position items during assembly. |
 |
Double-level conveyor allows users to transport, load, and unload large assemblies. End stops prevent materials from falling off during transport (can be lowered during unloading). |
 |
Safety skirt to protect operators from pinch points inside scissor lift mechanism. Foot-lock to prevent cart from turning sideways during loading and unloading. |
 |
Rotating cradle assembly mounted on scissor lift platform to transport and stack large rolls. |
Finding a capable engineer with a solid background in designing and enhancing motorized scissor lift carts is important when your application involves payloads over 1,000 lbs., or you have unique operational requirements. If you aren’t certain whether a motorized scissor lift cart is right for you, contact one of our engineers for some expert counsel.
