Scissor lift tables are incredibly useful and versatile lifting devices that can be used in a range of situations and scenarios – especially within commercial and industrial. Not only is their use highly practical, but they’re highly efficient and offer better safety compared to other solutions for accessing heights with heavy loads.

In this guide, we’ll discuss lifting tables in more detail, looking at some of the different types there are before going on to discuss some of their common uses in commercial settings.

What are Scissor Lift Tables?

A scissor lift table is a type of lifting device used to raise and lower workloads. This could include loaded and unloaded pallets, boxes of stock and raw materials and components involved in manufacturing and production.

The way they work is thanks to a hydraulics system. This system uses a combination of hydraulic fluid and pressure, which in turn is converted into motion, thus allowing these lifts to operate upwards. They then come back down when this pressure is released. Using this type of power system for operation allows scissor lift tables to hold such large loads with ease, whilst remaining durable over time – hence why they are so heavily relied upon in various industrial settings.

Different Types of Lift Tables

Mobile Scissor Lift Table

Also known as lift trolleys, mobile scissor lift tables are easily manoeuvrable and can be transported to wherever their use is required. They typically have four wheels and a handle to do this, along with a braking system to lock the wheels into place when the lift is in use, ensuring it doesn’t move during operation.

They also tend to be smaller than more permanent types of scissor lift tables. These can come in either a single or double vertical design.

Single Scissor Lift Table

Arguably the standard type of scissor lift table that is often used, single scissor lift tables have a flat surface and operate with a single set of scissors and hydraulic cylinders. These often range in capacity from 500kg to 10,000kg.

Double Vertical Scissor Lift Table

Designed to achieve a greater elevation, double vertical scissor lift tables operate with a double set of scissors, with one set positioned above the other in order to reach the greater heights such lifting tables are intended for.

These tend to range in capacity from 200kg to 8,000kg.

Double Horizontal Scissor Lift Table

Like vertical scissor lift tables, double horizontal scissor lift tables also operate with a double set of scissors, however these are placed next to one another, rather than on top of one another. This offers both a larger load surface and greater weight capacity.

For example, their capacity tends to range from 2,000kg to 25,000kg.

Low Profile Scissor Lift Table

Low-profile scissor lift tables are designed to have a very low closed height, which can then be raised to a comfortable working level. They are most commonly used for raising unloaded or loaded pallets, which can be easily loaded onto and unloaded from the lifting table via a pallet truck.

Commercial Uses of Lift Tables

Warehouse Loading Bay

Scissor lift tables are incredibly common to see being used in warehouses, especially for applications within the loading bay or in an open yard for vehicle loading operations. Edmolift loading bay lifts are exceptionally versatile and can be used in conjunction with virtually any vehicle type, from small cans to double-deck HGVs, to load or unload quickly and safely.

Loading dock lift platforms can be raised to the vehicle height, and pallets and roll-cages transferred to the lift to then lowered to the ground or dock height. They are also suitable for lifting forklifts and powered pallet trucks.

Ergonomic Work Positioning

In industries such as construction or factory work, many tasks involve working with weighty raw materials and require precision when working with said materials. Using a scissor lift table can help lift heavy objects and materials to a level that is most comfortable and convenient for employees to work at.

They can choose the optimum height required to carry out their tasks, adapting this as and when needed. Furthermore, this saves them from having to bend down and try to pick up heavy objects themselves, thus protecting them from potential injury or strains and instead maximising the efficiency with which they can work.

Production Line Management

In large-scale workshops, scissor lift tables can be incredibly useful for helping to move items along to the next stage of the production line. For example, if there is large-scale machinery that materials or items need to be moved along into, scissor lift tables can help lift or lower these to the correct positioning ready to do so, rather than have these be moved manually by workers.

They can then be used at the end of the production line in order to lower finished components or items to the ground so that workers can then transport them to where they are next required.

Speaking of transportation, this is yet another way scissor lift tables can be used. Mobile scissor lift tables, or lift trolleys, make it easier for workers to transport goods and materials across the warehouse or factory floor to different stations, as they can be loaded, transported, lowered and unloaded however is required.

Streamlining Building Construction

When constructing homes and other multi-storey buildings, scissor lift tables are incredibly convenient for the transportation of materials and equipment between the different building levels.

Whilst cranes are often used to do this for large-scale construction jobs, scissor lifts are a much faster and easier option when it comes to slightly smaller-scale construction. Furthermore, their size allows them to be used within the building itself, making them great for transporting materials and equipment between levels in slightly more confined spaces.

This also makes tasks easier for workers, as they won’t have to manually transport materials and equipment between levels, thus ultimately streamlining the construction process.