A lighter and more space-saving lift which reduces the wear on the motor and moving parts has been developed by the Spanish company IMEM. The lift is made of advanced high strength steel, is in the company’s range of silent lifts, and has aroused keen interest in the market. The use of advanced high strength steel also reduces the energy consumption both in production and in operation, which lowers the total environmental impact. While having the same capacity as a lift made of standard materials, the new, lightweight lift makes more useful floor area available in buildings on expensive, big city sites. The lift design was awarded second prize in the Swedish Steel Prize 2006 shared with Multina.
The lift industry has undergone something of a revolution in recent years. Machinery rooms have disappeared, and the necessary motors, electronics, control systems and mechanical parts are now installed inside the lift shaft. Rising property prices are the driving force behind this development, which has been made possible by new technology, more efficient motors and better materials.
Half the weight
The Spanish company IMEM is very advanced in this respect and has also developedthe design of the lift itself. The company has produced the design for a lift made of advanced hot-rolled high strength steel. The minimum yield strength of the steel is 500 N/mm2, and the steel has much better properties than ordinary structural mild steels. As a result, the material thickness of both the chassis and the frame holding the counterweight has been reduced. The thickness reduction is around 1.5 mm – from 6 mm to 4.5 mm – which has enabled the weight of the lift chassis to be more than halved. Designers have also been able to put the strength of the high strength steel to use to improve the efficiency of the design. As a result, several production stages have now been speeded up. The new, lighter lifts have the same strength and capacity as their predecessors, but the wear on the moving parts, motor and cables has been reduced. The lift also needs less energy to operate it, and maintenance has been favourably affected. The new lift has aroused great interest among IMEM customers, who appreciate the obvious benefits of a lighter and more convenient lift. The possibility of increasing the letting area in buildings is also becoming more important, and the high strength steel lift offers new opportunities in this respect, without the need for compromise.
“This design enables us to release floor area in the building without the users noticing any drawbacks, and every extra square metre of floor area is of benefit to everyone,” declares Juan Gómez at IMEM. “High strength steel is therefore a very interesting material for this type of product. We will also be considering other possibilities in the future.”
Lighter parts
Even though development of high strength steel lifts has been driven by financial benefits, the design also offers other advantages. The work is easier for IMEM fitters, since the individual parts are now lighter. The improved working conditions also make it easier to achieve the right end result.
“The time pressure in the installation work is great and only limited space is available. So the lighter the parts, the better the precision will be,” continues Juan Gómez. “Moreover, several of our customers have specific requirements, and our lift designs are therefore often tailor-made. As a result, every installation is unique and demands maximum accuracy and the best possible fit; low weight is then particularly beneficial.” IMEM is one of the largest Spanish lift producers and one of the leading manufacturers in Europe, specializing in tailor-made lifts which run silently and are attractive in design.
30 percent annual growth
“We deliver our lifts to more than 50 countries, and our average annual growth is 30 percent,” says Juan Gómez. “But we still try to preserve our profile as a family business, and we assure our customers of high quality and personal service. High strength steels have provided us with fresh opportunities to develop new models which give added value both to our customers and to users around the world.”