How Do I Choose A Passenger Lift?
Elevator installation is a well-established business, however, with office space and energy prices on the rise, change is underway. Most buildings over four stories use traction lifts. A motor at the top of the shaft turns a pulley - basically a sheave - which raises and lowers a cable attached to the car and counterweight. In slower systems, gears connect the motor to the pulleys. Faster lifts are gearless; the pulleys are directly connected. Either way, these machines usually fill the entire room above or next to the shaft, occupying what may be the main space on the top floor. However, innovation allowed builders to squeeze the equipment at the head of the shaft itself or against a side wall. At the same time, the manufacturer is using gravity to save energy. The counterweight chosen is comparable to 40 to 45 percent of the car weight at full capacity, which reduces the required motor output. However, when an empty lift has to rise, the fall of the heavier counterweight ...