Development of an automated mechanical lift for material handling purposes

In this paper, the development of an automated mechanical lift for material handling purposes in a manufacturing environment was carried out and reported. The lift was designed for a rated load capacity of 10 kg which required a 1-hp electric motor. The power transmission was achieved using belt-pulley, worm gear and chain-sprocket mechanisms; and the system automation was achieved using contactors and limit switches. The performance evaluation of the system revealed that the relationship between the time required to raise and to return loads within a range of 5-15 kg through a distance of 1070 mm followed a third-order polynomial with high correlation coefficients of 0.996 and 0.998 respectively. The trend polynomial curve that characterized the lifting behaviour was found to have three regions. The first region had a slope of 0.25 sec/kg which decreased gradually to near zero, the second region had a near-zero slope over a load range of 7-10.60 kg and a consistent travel time of about 5.67 +/- 0.03 sec, and the third region had a slope which increased from near zero to 0.64 sec/kg. The automated mechanical lift developed could successfully carry out the vertical displacement of materials, hence fulfilling the design purpose.