A vacuum tube lifter suspends a lifting tube and suction foot from a slewing jib arm; vacuum both grips the bag and carries its weight, so the operator floats 25 to 65 kg sacks effortlessly between pallet and machine inlet. With food-grade suction feet and SS jibs, it is the primary ergonomic aid for high-frequency bag handling at dump stations.
A remote vacuum pump evacuates the lifting tube through a filter. The suction foot seals onto the bag surface; tube vacuum then contracts the tube, lifting the load. A hand-valve on the operating handle bleeds air to modulate lift height with fingertip effort. The jib arm carries the load horizontally across its slewing arc, and a non-return valve lowers the load gently on power failure.
Challenges
Seal Loss on Porous and Dusty Bags
Paper and woven PP bags with dusty surfaces leak at the suction foot, dropping loads mid-transfer.
Powder Ingress into Pump and Valves
Dust drawn through the suction circuit abrades the pump and blocks control valves.
Limited Coverage Area
A single jib arc leaves pallet corners and distant machine inlets outside the working envelope.
Operator Dependence on Grip Technique
Incorrect foot placement on seams and folds causes intermittent releases that erode operator trust.
Noise from Continuous Vacuum Pump
Side-channel pumps running continuously near operators add a sustained noise burden.
Solutions
- High-Flow Pump with Porous-Bag Foot: Oversized vacuum flow and dual-lip wide feet designed for porous surfaces maintain grip on paper and woven bags with reserve against leakage.
- Inline Filter with Differential Monitoring: A cyclonic pre-separator and cartridge filter ahead of the pump, monitored by differential pressure, protect the circuit from powder ingress.
- Articulated Double-Link Jib Arm: A two-link articulated jib extends the working envelope to full pallet coverage and multiple machine inlets from one column.
- Foot Placement Marking and Operator Training: Marked grip zones on standard bag types plus short structured training remove technique-related drops.
- Remote Pump Room or Acoustic Enclosure: Locating the pump remotely or inside an acoustic enclosure holds workplace noise within daily exposure limits.
Applications
- Bag Dump Station Feeding: Floating bags from pallet to dump station grille at sieving and charging points.
- Palletising and Depalletising Lines: Assisted stacking and breaking of bagged finished product at packing lines.
- Blender and Hopper Bag Additions: Presenting bags at machine inlet height for slitting and emptying.
- Warehouse Order Assembly: Assembling mixed-bag dispatch pallets without manual lifting.
- Sampling and QC Bag Movement: Moving selected bags to sampling booths ergonomically.
Model Range and Capacity: JBM-VL Series
Basis: Food-grade suction feet, SS 304 jib option, side-channel blower vacuum source.
| Model | SWL (kg) | Lift Stroke (m) | Jib Reach (m) | Pump (kW) | Suction Foot | Construction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JBM-VL-30 | 30 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 1.5 | Single wide foot | SS 304 / Al |
| JBM-VL-50 | 50 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 2.2 | Dual-lip wide foot | SS 304 / Al |
| JBM-VL-65 | 65 | 2.3 | 4.0 | 4.0 | Dual-lip porous-bag foot | SS 304 / Al |