Portable Vacuum Lifting System Finds a Place in Stone Manufacturing

While rebranded in 2018 as new owners took the helm, Silverdale Quality Stone in Arkansas City, AR, has a history of quarrying limestone on the southern edge of the Flint Hills region that dates back to 1874. Over the past 146 years, Silverdale has carved out an eclectic customer base – from commercial buildings and high-end residences, to landscaping businesses and do-it-yourself gardeners – all with a rather diverse set of material-handling needs.

Lucas Lackey, Silverdale’s director of operations, says recent trial runs with Vacuworx PHD Series lifters whet his appetite for vacuum lifting and made him hungry for more.

Versatile, Battery-powered Lifting

Vacuworx PHD Series lifters are portable with a 12V 30Ah rechargeable LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) battery for longer run time.VacuworxVacuworx designed its PHD portable vacuum lifting system for use by contractors always on the move handling concrete, marble, granite, metal, iron, steel or thick cut plastic materials close to the ground. It features remote operation and a twin pump design with a lift capacity of 2,500 lbs. The battery-powered unit can be attached to just about any host machine, including skid steers, mini-excavators, manual dolly, Brokk robots, Sherpa equipment, etc.

With the launch of the PHD skid-steer vertical lift mounting assembly, the technology is being leveraged to perform specialized tasks even faster with fewer laborers and less risk of damaging delicate materials. Powered by a 12-volt rechargeable battery, the assembly is compatible with all standard skid-steer models. Its approximately eight-hour run time makes it suited for applications during which no power source is available.

Custom Assembly, Remote Operation Prove a Safer Option

Lackey had researched Vacuworx online before reaching out and striking up a conversation with Jeff Baldwin, a Vacuworx territory sales manager. They got right down to the business of talking about how vacuum lifting could work with limestone. The next step was an initial on-site demonstration that would draw Lackey’s attention to the capabilities associated with the PHD Series lifters and pad assemblies.

In a second demonstration, Silverdale coupled a newly minted PHD vertical lift mounting assembly, fabricated to meet Silverdale’s specific handing requirements, with a Caterpillar 262D skid-steer loader. The system was utilized to maneuver 1,500-lb. limestone slabs measuring 4 ft. tall and 5 ft. wide in the vertical position.

“Anybody that cuts with a vertical saw faces the same dilemma," Baldwin noted. “How do you pull it off the base structure and palletize without damaging the stone? On the back end, there is always the risk of losing stone with a fork and other dangers that lie with strapping it in.”

The PHD units -- with customizable mounting options for forklifts, small cranes, compact excavators and skid steers --are designed to handle materials such as concrete, marble, granite, metal, steel, iron and thick plastic close to the ground.Vacuworx“We live in the design world; there is no one-size-fits-all," Lackey said. “Instead of starting with, 'This is what we offer,' it was more of, 'What are you trying to do?' Then they went back and worked on it and figured out what we could do to keep it feasible.”

The quick-connect PHD unit established an optimal range for slabs to be picked vertically and set horizontally, negating the risk of damage to materials from fork-type attachments.

“The product we lift is 100% flat but porous," Lackey said. “With natural stone there is a chance of it falling apart when you lay it against the forks. A lot of product starts at 2.25 in. thick, and those are also the most fragile slabs as far as loading and unloading goes.

“Flipping those slabs is what I was trying to solve," he noted. “I can raise the boom up and rotate down like I am dumping my bucket, and then set the slab down horizontally."

Remote control keeps personnel at a safer distance from the lifting operation — and away from potential pinch points or crush zones. Plus, instead of two or three workers and a supervisor, fewer workers were needed to pull limestone off the cut. The system also eliminated Silverdale’s need to prep stacking areas or use wood dunnage. 

“It is still a two-man operation because we always have a spotter on the ground, but it definitely makes it safer and a bit faster,” Lackey commented.

A Place Set in Stone

“For us, one benefit [of the PHD unit] was a remote-controlled, battery-operated pump that did not run off live hydraulics and a pad system that will hold vacuum on porous material,” Lackey stated.

To further test its performance, Lackey ran the PHD unit for a few days at a natural stone plant where Silverdale does a lot of business – and even let the plant’s operator run it.

“I tried to get pretty rough with it when I was jerking on the pad, and the slabs just wouldn’t let go,” said Lackey. “We both had the same feelings. A lot of us in stone manufacturing business are looking for ways to improve things. Vacuworx has a fit in this business. It functioned flawlessly.”

 ^{Information provided by Vacuworx and edited by Becky Schultz.}