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  • Lifting ACM panels to heights

    Posted by David Stevenson on December 2, 2024 at 12:35 pm

    Hi, Just wondering what everyone’s using to lift ACM panels when working at heights, eg. scaffolding, boom lift etc? We’ve a couple of suction lifters that we got from screwfix but I find the sheet has to be perfectly flat to get these to grip as the rubber suction cups are quite hard. Need to upgrade as we’re doing more and more work at heights and need this to be right.

    Thanks

    RobertLambie replied 2 months, 1 week ago 2 Members · 2 Replies
  • 2 Replies
  • RobertLambie

    Administrator
    December 8, 2024 at 11:22 pm

    Hi David

    I have used glass grips for as long as I can remember, mate. I wouldn’t be without them in my toolbox.

    Reasons the clamp won’t work:

    • The panel you are clamping to is not 100% flat.
    • You are trying to clamp onto an area where the clamp pad bridges vinyl letters and the sheet surface. So, you have two different levels of surface and will lose vacuum.
    • The clamp lever has not been fully opened and then closed while pressed to the panel surface.
    • There is a micro-grain or texture on the panel surface and will lose the vacuum.
    • There is dirt or grime on the clamp pad and will lose the vacuum. (Wipe before every use.)
    • The vacuum is being lost in one of the pads. (faulty pad)
    • Cracked casing in the pad’s plastic shell, causing it to lose vacuum. (faulty pad)

    Vacuum Clamps come in a variety of types and qualities.
    The common handheld ones are single, double, triple and quad grips.

    The plastic ones tend to be the budget version. You then have the aluminium which are more robust and better made. you then get the more professional ones with the pressure indicators etc. You are basically going from about twenty pounds to a couple of hundred pounds.

    The budget ones still do the job pretty well, but no matter which you use, you need to take care of them. a simple nick out the corner of the plastic pad, if the grips dropped, it will cause it to lose pressure forever more!

    There are various other different types of sheet holders available that do not use vacuum. But they tend to hold the panels from the top, side or cradle from the bottom. The drawbacks of these are:

    • Kinking of the panels if held at the wrong angle.
    • Limited manoeuvrability, especially working from the middle within a cherry picker.
    • Restricting the panels you are working on from being fitted into place, around the perimeter.

  • RobertLambie

    Administrator
    December 8, 2024 at 11:43 pm

    Everything that I am listing is for typical sign panels up to 10ft x 5ft.
    i.e. composite.

    Occasionally we use a type of cradle we made to assist in lifting panels up in place.
    It hooks onto the bucket of the cherrypicker and cradles the sheet at the bottom, while it is also being held by the clamps, by hand.
    This prevents the sheet from swinging about and helps manoeuvre into place.
    The cradle also has foam padding taped over it to prevent any damage to the sign panel.

    Obviously, whatever you are working with, has to tick the H&S boxes, weight load in the cherrypicker, etc etc.

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