Tsubaki's energy-efficient Zip Chain Lifter has been awarded the METI Minister’s Award — the highest honour in the Energy Conservation Prize awards program sponsored by the Japan Machinery Federation — in recognition of its energy savings, ingenuity and economic efficiency.
A lift table that utilises a zip chain that can be pushed and pulled, the Zip Chain Lifter's electrically-driven lifting mechanism delivers twice the energy efficiency of conventional hydraulic lifters, and is around 28 per cent more energy efficient in terms of transmission efficiency than systems which push pantograph arms diagonally upwards. It also features a regeneration unit that returns energy produced by the descending platform to the primary power system, allowing the lifter to recover as much as 30 per cent of electricity consumption.
With these features, the design met preceisely the requirements of the Energy Conservation Awards, which were introduced in 1980 specifically to promote energy efficiency. Awards are presented to individuals or companies recognised as having contributed to the promotion of efficient energy use through the development and commercialisation of energy-efficient equipment or systems.
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In addition to its energy efficient design, the Zip Chain Lifter can bring further benefits to industry by reducing travel time to enable high-speed, high-frequency operation, and high stopping precision — all factors that improve productivity. The device can elevate at speeds of up to 50m/min, offers positioning accuracy to ±1mm and is available in a range of models offering lifting capacities up to 2000kg.
Capable of pushing and pulling, the Zip Chain Lifter consists of two chains that interlock in a zip-like fashion to form a single, strong column. It operates by raising and lowering the platform at a constant speed in sync with the rotational velocity of the motor, with simple position control and repeatable positioning accuracy. It is employed in numerous major automotive plants, and is extensively used in LCD display and solar cell production equipment, as well as food and metalworking machinery. Most recently, Tsubaki itself has integrated the zip chain lifting mechanism into a new design of high-speed vertical conveyor.
