EnKon Belt-Drive Scissor Lifts Solve Excessive Downtime in Automotive Door Load & Unload Operation for a Robotic Weld Cell

CUSTOMER CHALLENGE

An automotive manufacturer relied on hydraulic scissor lifts to load and unload doors into a robotic weld cell. The application demanded high throughput and reliability, but the hydraulic lift fell short for the following reasons:

Added stress: A roller-top conveyor mounted on the lifts placed additional strain on components during load transfer.
High duty cycle: The required 250,000 cycles/year exceeded the capability of the hydraulic design.
Frequent maintenance: Lifts required service every three months—or sooner—causing unacceptable downtime in a critical weld cell.
Application requirements: Capacity of 2,000+ lbs., 56″ of travel, and a compact 11″ lowered height.

ENKON SOLUTION

EnKon engineers adapted a proven high-travel Vertical Robot belt-drive scissor lift to deliver a durable, low-maintenance alternative. Key modification included:

A left-hand and right-hand version, with motors placed on opposite sides to fit available space at both the load and unload positions.
A maintenance hatch in the top plate, allowing access to internal components without removing the lift from the weld cell.
Structural configuration capable of up to 1 million cycles/year, more than 10 times the cycle life of the hydraulic lifts.
Replace-in-place design — bolt-on components allow fast, in-area replacement, eliminating the need to remove the lift system for service.

The EnKon belt-drive lifts provided reliable performance within the tight application footprint. The smooth, consistent operation alleviated the near-continual maintenance they were experiencing with the hydraulic lifts. Now whenever maintenance is required, it has been simplified by the maintenance access hatch allowing easy component replacement without removing the lift from the difficult-to-access application area.