Glossary

Lifting technology

The field concerned with raising and lowering loads – from the chain hoist through the balancer to the crane. In practice the term is often paired with conveying technology, because both interlock in a plant’s material flow.

Also: Lifting and conveying technology · Hoisting technology

Also known as

Lifting and conveying technology
Hoisting technology

What lifting technology covers

Lifting technology is the part of materials handling engineering that moves loads vertically. Its machines do not run continuously like a conveyor belt but in individual work cycles: pick up the load, lift, travel, set down, return empty. Engineers call such equipment intermittent conveyors.

Lifting technology comprises more than the hoist. The load has to be attached, the machine hangs from a supporting structure, and both determine whether the installation is safe and whether it is used.

The sub-fields

From the single hoist to the crane installation, five fields can be distinguished.

Hoists: chain hoists, wire rope hoists, winches.
Cranes: overhead travelling cranes, jib cranes, light crane and rail systems.
Lifting platforms and lift tables: the load stands on a platform.
Load attachment: load handling attachments such as spreader beams and grippers, slings such as chains and round slings.
Hand-guided equipment: balancers and manipulators – the interface to handling technology.

What a design starts from

The starting point is the load including everything permanently attached to it – attachment, slings, gripper. Then come height of lift, lifting speed and frequency. Running time and load spectrum give the classification of the hoisting mechanism; it decides how long a hoist lasts under the actual conditions.

During lifting and braking, forces greater than the static weight act on machine and structure. The design standards account for this through dynamic factors. The supporting structure – crane runway, building column, ceiling or foundation – is therefore part of the design and not an afterthought.

The rules for construction and operation

In the European Union, placing on the market is governed by the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, which sets additional requirements for lifting operations – for load-bearing elements, marking of the working load and testing before first use, for example. From 20 January 2027 it is replaced by the Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230.

Operation is governed by national law. In Germany these are the Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health together with DGUV Vorschrift 52 for cranes and DGUV Vorschrift 54 for winches, lifting and pulling devices; in the United Kingdom, LOLER and PUWER.

Lifting technology and handling technology

The boundary is fluid but can be named. Lifting technology takes a load from bottom to top and from A to B. Handling technology additionally brings it into a particular orientation – rotated, tilted, joined. As soon as the difficulty is no longer the weight but the position, a lifting task becomes a handling task.

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Overview

Sub-fields of lifting technology

Sub-field	Typical equipment	Characteristic
Hoists	Chain hoist, wire rope hoist, winch	Raising and lowering on a rope or chain
Cranes	Overhead crane, jib crane, rail system	Lifting plus travelling with the load
Lifting platforms	Lift table, scissor lift	Load stands on a platform
Load attachment	Spreader beam, gripper, chain sling	Link between hoist and load
Hand-guided equipment	Balancer, manipulator	Weight compensated, movement by hand

Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions about Lifting technology

What is the difference between lifting and conveying technology?

Conveying technology is the umbrella term for moving goods over limited distances. Lifting technology is the part that moves loads vertically and in individual work cycles. Continuous conveyors such as belts or roller tracks belong to conveying, not to lifting technology.

What distinguishes a hoist from a crane?

A hoist raises and lowers. A crane lifts the load and additionally moves it in one or more directions – a chain hoist on a slewing jib is therefore, together with the jib, a crane.

What information does a lifting design need?

Weight and dimensions of the load, height of lift and travel distances, frequency per shift, ambient conditions and the load-bearing capacity of the structure to which the installation is to be fixed.

Where the term appears on this site