WOLIFT Coil Vacuum Lifter for Aluminum Coil Loading at an Uncoiler Station
A refrigeration equipment factory needed a faster and safer way to load aluminum coils onto an uncoiler. Coils were stored horizontally on pallets, but the uncoiler required vertical loading, and the coil body often blocked the forklift driver's view during spindle alignment. WOLIFT developed a forklift-mounted coil vacuum lifter with a hollow round suction cup, 90° tilting and front-mounted camera assistance to complete pickup, flipping and precise loading with one driver.
Application
Uncoiler loading
Material
Aluminum coils
Movement
Horizontal to vertical
Alignment
Front camera assist
The challenge: loading aluminum coils without scratches or slow alignment
In refrigeration equipment manufacturing, aluminum coils are used to produce heat exchange components such as evaporators and condensers. The customer stored coils horizontally in the warehouse, then needed to move them to the production line and load them vertically onto the uncoiler. Before the WOLIFT solution, the process relied on overhead cranes, slings and manual assistance. Loading was slow, alignment required repeated adjustment, and bumps or friction could scratch the coil surface or damage the end face. The horizontal-to-vertical tilting step also created safety risks because the working space around the uncoiler was limited.The solution: forklift-mounted coil vacuum lifter
WOLIFT custom-developed a forklift-mounted coil vacuum lifter for the customer's aluminum coil loading process. The device integrates vacuum pickup, 90° tilting and assisted alignment into one handling system connected to the customer's existing forklift. This design allows the forklift driver to pick up coils from warehouse pallets, transport them to the uncoiler station, rotate them into the required vertical posture and load them onto the spindle without switching equipment or calling ground staff for every adjustment.
Hollow round suction cup for multiple coil sizes
The handling truck uses a custom round vacuum suction cup with a hollow-center design. The outer diameter is matched to the smallest coil diameter commonly used on site, while the inner opening is designed around the largest coil inner hole size. With this approach, one suction cup can cover the customer's main coil specifications without frequent cup changes. The hollow structure also helps the suction cup conform to the curved coil surface and distribute suction force evenly, supporting stable pickup while reducing hard-contact scratches.90° tilting from pallet storage to vertical loading
The customer's aluminum coils are stored horizontally, but the uncoiler requires vertical loading. The WOLIFT device solves this posture change with a built-in 90° tilting mechanism. After the vacuum cup picks up the coil from the pallet, the tilting mechanism rotates the coil smoothly into vertical position. The driver no longer needs slings or manual support during the heavy-load flipping process, which makes the loading route simpler and safer.The coil can be picked from the pallet, tilted 90° and aligned with the uncoiler spindle by one forklift driver.
Front camera for aligning with the uncoiler spindle
When a large aluminum coil is close to the uncoiler, the coil body can block the driver's view. In the past, this made it difficult to judge whether the coil center was aligned with the spindle, so repeated forklift adjustments and ground guidance were often needed. WOLIFT added a high-definition camera at the front of the suction cup. The driver can see the relationship between the coil center and the uncoiler spindle on a display screen inside the forklift cabin, helping achieve accurate loading with fewer corrections and less risk of collision.
The result: faster loading and fewer coil handling risks
After the WOLIFT aluminum coil handling truck was put into use, the customer's loading process became much faster. The time for one coil, from pallet pickup to loading onto the uncoiler, was reduced from about 15 minutes to less than 5 minutes. Only one forklift driver is needed at the station. Vacuum pickup, smooth tilting and camera-assisted alignment also helped reduce surface scratches, end-face damage and the safety pressure caused by manual guidance around heavy coils.Case video
The video shows how the WOLIFT forklift-mounted coil vacuum lifter picks up an aluminum coil, tilts it from horizontal to vertical and assists loading onto the uncoiler station.RFQ questions for a similar coil loading solution
After seeing this aluminum coil loading case, production teams usually ask these practical questions before choosing a similar system.Can one suction cup handle different coil sizes?
Yes, when the hollow round suction cup is designed around the customer's actual coil range. WOLIFT checks the smallest outer diameter and largest inner hole size before confirming the cup design.Can the lifter turn coils from horizontal storage to vertical loading?
The device can be configured with a 90° tilting mechanism, allowing the coil to be picked from a horizontal pallet and rotated into the vertical position required by the uncoiler.How does the driver align the coil if the view is blocked?
A front-mounted camera can show the coil center and uncoiler spindle on a display inside the forklift cabin, helping reduce repeated adjustment and ground guidance.Will vacuum lifting scratch the aluminum coil surface?
The round suction cup distributes suction force across the coil surface and avoids hard slings or hooks rubbing against the material. Final cup material and contact design depend on the coil surface condition.ENGINEERING SUPPORT
Contact WOLIFTDiscuss a similar handling requirement
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