WH SCOTT
Vacuum Lifting Beams for Safe, Damage-Free Handling
Bespoke vacuum lifters that hold a load by suction, so plate, sheet and panels can be lifted, turned and placed without slings, clamps or marked surfaces.
What a Vacuum Lifting Beam Does
A vacuum lifting beam is a below-the-hook lifting accessory that grips the face of a load with suction pads and a powered vacuum system, instead of passing chains, slings or clamps around it. Nothing touches the edges or the underside, so flat and gently curved non-porous loads can be lifted, rotated and set down without marking a finished surface — and without anyone reaching under a suspended load to rig it.
WH Scott designs and supplies vacuum lifting beams for manufacturers, fabricators and composite producers across the UK and Ireland. We are not tied to a single manufacturer’s range, so the recommendation is unbiased and the pad layout, vacuum performance and controls are specified around your load — then supported through installation, operator training, statutory examination and maintenance.
Why Manufacturers Move to Vacuum Lifting
Surface protection
No chain, sling or clamp contact, so coated, polished and laminated faces reach the next process unmarked.
No lifting points needed
Plate and panels rarely have eyes, holes or lugs; vacuum grips the face, so there is nothing to drill, weld or rig before the lift.
Faster cycles
Rigging and de-rigging is removed from every lift — normally the largest share of dead time in repetitive handling.
Fewer people in the lift zone
Many applications run safely with one operator, particularly with radio remote control.
Controlled orientation
Powered beams tilt, turn and rotate a load, so a panel can be taken flat from a stillage and presented vertically to a mould or machine.
Lower manual handling risk
Removes the pushing, pulling and awkward postures that drive musculoskeletal injury.
Lifting Solutions
Part of a complete lifting range
This is one of the complete lifting solutions delivered by WH Scott across the UK and Ireland — from radio remotes, hoists and crane components to fully bespoke crane systems. Explore the full range to find the right fit for your operation.
Specified Around Your Load, Not a Catalogue
Vacuum capacity is not a function of weight alone — material, surface finish, load geometry and lift angle all change what a pad can hold. Every beam starts with the load, not a model number.
Load assessment and pad layout
We assess the sheet, plate or panel — size, thickness, weight, curvature, porosity and surface condition — then set the number, size, spacing and material of the suction pads and the vacuum performance needed to hold it throughout the lift.
Vacuum system, controls and safeguards
Beams are specified to BS EN 13155, the standard for non-fixed load lifting attachments: holding force of at least twice the working load limit, a vacuum gauge showing the working and danger ranges, automatic warning when vacuum falls, and a two-action release control. AUTEC radio remote control can be integrated where the operator needs to stand clear of the load.
Installation, training and lifecycle support
We commission the beam with your crane, train operators in safe use and pre-use checks, and cover it under servicing and statutory thorough examination thereafter. We also maintain and examine existing vacuum lifters built by other manufacturers, including Fezer, Schmalz and Acimex.
Materials and Industries We Handle
Vacuum lifting suits any load with a clean, non-porous face large enough to form a seal: steel plate and coil, aluminium sheet, composite and carbon fibre laminates, engineering plastics, glass, building panels and precast concrete.
We have particular experience designing vacuum lifting devices for the aerospace and iron and steel industries, and supply into composite manufacturing, automotive, glass processing and fabrication.
Vacuum is not always the right answer. Porous, heavily contaminated or oily surfaces, and loads with no flat sealing face, are better served by lifting beams and spreader frames or a mechanical grab — and we will say so at survey stage.
Lifting Equipment Compliance in the UK and Ireland
A vacuum lifting beam is a lifting accessory, so in Great Britain it must be thoroughly examined by a competent person at least every six months under LOLER, and maintained and inspected under PUWER.
In the Republic of Ireland the equivalent duties sit under S.I. No. 299 of 2007: lifting accessories are thoroughly examined at six-monthly intervals under Regulation 52 and Schedule 1, with the report issued on Form GA1, published by the Health and Safety Authority. WH Scott is an LEEA member and ISO 9001 certified, examining and certifying in both jurisdictions from 14 depots across the UK and Ireland.
Get in Touch
Tell Us About Your Project
Whether you need a single piece of equipment or a fully engineered lifting system, our specialists can help. Tell us your load, environment and compliance requirements — we’ll do the rest.