Air cushions are not only used as universal transport systems (more here), but also have many other applications in transport technology.
Various industries use platforms that are able to move pallets of heavy products (such as transformers, forming tools or motors) in a factory using air cushions. A major advantage of air cushions is the possibility of using them in cleanrooms.
These platforms have pneumatic or electric drives, have remote control and are suitable for use as an AGV (Automatic Guide Vehicle). An assembly of several platforms is capable of operating in Master-Slave mode, where the operator can control multiple platforms at the same time.
Another example is pallet platforms designed to transport materials such as rolls of sheet metal, cable, paper rolls and other cylindrical loads. These platforms may be manually operated or may have a drive and remote control.
Their use is also often significantly cheaper than using a crane or forklift. The advantage is the minimal pressure the cushions exert on the floor, so they can be used on the latest epoxy floors where, unlike, for example, wheeled trucks, they cause no damage to the floor.
One solution using air cushions (or water cushions, which use water as the driving medium) is compact turntables (height from 25 mm) used in production or various tests.
By combining ball tables or pulley rails with air cushions, we produce special handling equipment.
Ball tables and load shifting platforms use surfaces fitted with ball units. These allow the load to be manipulated in all horizontal directions. They are widely used in the glass industry, in logistics for container handling, as stand-alone ball tables for assembly and process operations or as components of a roller conveyor where they allow lateral load transfer (serving, for example, as a right-angle transfer station).
An example of a combination of ball units and air cushions can be a scissor table for moving and accurately seating dies. The table top is fitted with ball units with pneumatic lift, the table legs are on air cushions (or the cushions are replaced by castors). With the balls extended, this device works like a classic ball table, once the balls are inserted the object is fixed. The air cushions greatly facilitate the handling and transport of even very heavy moulds. These tables also find application as sections of assembly lines.