Product of the Month – Glazing Manipulators
Glass installation has arguably more risk points than any other construction or maintenance process – which is why Hird’s glazing manipulators are in such demand.
It is also why these smart, hugely effective machines feature as our Product of the Month for June.
With lifting capacities from 300kg up to 1500kg, the manipulator options in our glazing equipment hire fleet support safe glass lifting and installation for a huge variety of projects.
What is a glazing manipulator?
A glazing manipulator is a mechanical lifting device used in the construction and glass installation industry to safely lift, rotate, tilt and position glass panels in three-dimensional space.
They hold glass using powered vacuumation cups and can be combined with a range of cranes, including Maeda spider cranes and counterbalance floor cranes.
Glazing manipulators are designed to minimise or even eliminate the need for manual handling, allowing just one operative to control the positioning of glazed panels in complete safety.
This reduces the number of operatives needed to install glazed panels, even large and heavy ones, reducing costs and improving productivity.
Eliminating risk points in glass installation
This is where glazing manipulators have a clear advantage in terms of eliminating risks, by:
- Greatly reducing the risk of manual handling injuries.
- Avoiding potential harm to other workplace colleagues through load mishandling.
- Preventing damage to the glass while it is being installed.
- Reducing the chance that surrounding structures could also be damaged.
Taking advantage of the precise control afforded by Hird’s glazing manipulators also minimises the risk that a glass panel is installed incorrectly due to insufficient load control.
Inadequately fitted glazed panels can result in the need for expensive repairs or for panels to be replaced, which can trigger compensation claims against installation contractors.
That’s why installing glass right first time is essential.
Introducing Hird’s glazing manipulator hire fleet
WLU with overhead glazing manipulator
The WLU is one of Hird’s popular highly compact Wienold Lifte counterbalance floor cranes.
It can be supplied fitted with a glazing manipulator that can lift a sheet of glass overhead to a maximum height of 5.15m.
The glazing manipulator has a maximum capacity of 300kg with its 4 core pads operating. It can also be fitted with extension arms with two extra pads that increases the capacity to 355kg.
The glass lifter is just 170mm in depth. Its load can be manually rotated through 3600 and manually tilted through 900.
GML Overhead Glazing Manipulator
This glass lifter takes the size and weight of the glazed panel to be lifted up a notch. It can lift glazed panels weighing up to 500kg up to a height of 7.94m in an overhead position.
This makes the glass lifter ideal for installing or maintaining glazed canopies. It is also often used to remove and install large office and shop plate glass windows.
The glazing manipulator, which is designed to be attached to the GML800 counterbalance floor crane, has been co-designed by Hird, Wienold Lifte and Kappel, which manufacturers the machine.
Operated with a radio-controlled remote control unit, the vacuum glass manipulator delivers exceptional powered load control, with:
- 3600 rotation
- 900 tilt
- 10% plus or minus side shift
This means the load can be places with millimetre precision in a glass aperture with no manual handling.
Wirth Mini Crane Glazing Manipulator
On we go, upwards in capacity and in lifting height, with the Wirth Mini Crane Glazing Manipulator. Or to give the machine its full title, the Wirth Oktopus GL-CC777600.
The mini crane glazing manipulator has two set-ups – one with 4 vacuum cups and the other with extended arms, so loads are held with 8 vacuum cups.
With the short arm set-up the glass lifter can carry a maximum load of 300kg. With the long arm (8 cups) arrangement, it can lift a maximum of 600kg.
The highly flexible and powerful glass lifter can be fitted to either of two Maeda tracked spider cranes – the Maeda MC285 CRM-2 spider crane or the Maeda MC405 spider crane.
Its manipulator head unit can be powered up and down through 60 degrees. It can be slewed left and right through 40 degrees and be rotated through 95 degrees.
The mini crane glazing manipulator overcomes many important challenges:
- It can lift out or in glazed panels quickly in congested and busy work areas with least disruption.
- It allows glass installation without the need for scaffolding or working platforms.
- It supports installing or removing glass in difficult-to-reach places at height or over obstacles.
Kappel Telehandler Glazing Manipulator
When the going gets tough and the glass panel loads get heavy, this is the machine in the Hird glazing manipulator hire fleet our customers turn to.
The Kappel Telehandler Glazing Manipulator has fork slots that allow it to be fitted to a telehandler or a forklift truck.
This supports installation of glass at greater height and above uneven ground, commonly found on construction sites.
The glazing manipulator is wireless remotely controlled, with a maximum capacity of 1500kg. It can also lift curved or irregularly shaped glass panels weighing up to 1200kg.
Its powered controls can rotate loads through 3600, hydraulically swing them through 900 and turn them sideways through 400, with a lateral side shift of 250mm.
Find out more
Talk to Hird about any of our glazing manipulators. They are available for hire across the country via our regional hubs.
Hird also delivers LEEA-accredited vacuum lifter robot training to ensure our customers can safely make the most of these amazing glass lifting machines.
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