businessIndustry Information
Industrial Turntables
Industrial turntables are a type of lift used in commercial
and industrial applications. In manufacturing and production contexts,
industrial turntables provide a rotating platform, for example with items
stationed on the platform at intervals. As each item passes a production
station, as on an assembly line, work may be performed on it. Turntables come
in a large variety of configurations, and may be powered or manually operated. Industrial
turntables are used in factories, warehouses, and in many different
applications, from automotive to food production.
Turntables may be either standard duty or heavy-duty ring
bearing. Standard duty turntables are more economical and offer better value
for most industrial applications that are not too demanding. Heavy-duty ring bearing turntables offer more
accurate positioning, higher capacity and more stability. Platforms on
turntables may be standard or reinforced. Conveyors can be mounted onto turntable
platforms. Turntables can be powered by pneumatic air or electricity, and some
varieties offer adjustable legs and casters for rolling the unit from place to
place and balancing loads on uneven surfaces.
There are three main ways that loads are placed onto
industrial turntables: edge loading, sliding loads on and off, and lifting or
stacking loads onto the turntable. Items may be loaded onto the turntable
platform with forklifts, wheeled carts or vehicles, or crane-like machines.
Loads can also be placed on turntables via sheet feeding or conveyor
operations. The capacity of an industrial turntable is the total weight placed
on it. This is the sum of the live load weight and dead load weight, where the
live load weight is the total weight of the items placed on the turntable and
removed from it, and the dead load weight is that of any fixtures, conveyors or
other equipment permanently attached to the turntable platform.
Industrial turntables have a vast array of uses. In
factories and production facilities, they can rotate piecework items on a
platform so that as each passes by a worker or robot, work is completed on that
piece; then, the platform rotates the next item to be worked on to that station
on the assembly line. For food production processes, industrial turntables can
be fitted with scales to weigh product, and turntable platforms can be made
with holes to allow water or other liquids to drain off the product. Some
turntables have variable speed settings and can rotate either clockwise or
counter-clockwise, while others may have platforms that can be lowered or
raised, either manually or via a power source. Turntables can make production
processes more efficient, as loads can be placed onto the turntable while
others are being worked on, at the same time.