Wood’s Powr-Grip VL3000L - Manual (Page 9)

Rev 11.0/7-13 7 VL3000: #35161
INTENDED USE
L
OAD
C
HARACTERISTICS
WARNING: This lifter is NOT intended for lifting hazardous materials, such as
explosives or radioactive substances.
The operator must verify that the lifter is intended to handle each load, in accordance with the
following requirements:
• The load must not exceed the maximum allowable weight specified under Load Capacity (see
SPECIFICATIONS).
WARNING: Do not attempt to lift rough or porous materials.
• The load must be a single piece of nonporous material with a flat and relatively smooth contact
surface. 4 Do not attempt to lift rough or porous materials, such as unfinished wood or rough-
cut stone. To determine whether a load is porous or too rough, first perform the V
ACUUM
T
EST
as directed under MAINTENANCE. Once you have determined that the hand cups are capable
of maintaining vacuum on smooth, nonporous materials, perform the same test on the load in
question. If the hand cups' red-line vacuum indicators do not remain hidden, the load does
not possess the characteristics required for using this lifter.
• The load's contact surface must be suitable for obtaining a friction coefficient of 1 with the
lifter's vacuum pads (see MAINTENANCE: V
ACUUM
P
AD
M
AINTENANCE
: Friction Coefficient), as
verified by a friction test. If necessary, contact Wood's Powr-Grip for help in conducting a
friction test.
• In order to avoid damaging the vacuum pads, the load's surface temperature must not exceed
the allowable Operating Temperatures (see SPECIFICATIONS). However, if such an
application cannot be avoided, Wood's Powr-Grip does offer a heat-resistant rubber
compound and other solutions which may enable you to lift loads with higher surface
temperatures. Contact Wood’s Powr-Grip or an authorized dealer for more information.
• While the minimum length and width of the load are determined by the Pad Spread (see
SPECIFICATIONS), the maximum length and width are determined by the allowable
overhang, or the amount of load material that can extend sideways beyond the vacuum pads
without breaking or otherwise being damaged.
The allowable overhang depends on the kind of load material being lifted, the thickness of the
material, and the angle at which it is handled (if any). Since materials such as glass, stone or
sheet metal each have different physical properties, the allowable overhang must be
evaluated separately for each type of load. If necessary, contact Wood’s Powr-Grip or an
authorized dealer for help in determining the recommended overhang in a specific situation.
• 1" [2.5 cm] is the maximum allowable thickness of loads at the maximum weight (see
SPECIFICATIONS: Load Capacity). However, allowable thickness increases as load weight
4
Lifters that feature concave vacuum pads can also attach to some kinds of curved loads. Since curvature affects the lifting
capacity, contact Wood’s Powr-Grip for help in determining the Load Capacity for a particular curved load.