Shafton Steel Services has reduced the capital cost of scrap handling on a robotic coping and drilling line by replacing a conveyor concept with a rail-mounted scissor lift table.
The South Yorkshire steel manufacturer, part of Billington Holdings’ group of companies, uses the line to process steel sections. The machine generates large volumes of scrap, which fall into a pit beneath the working area before removal.
A conventional conveyor system would normally be used for this type of waste stream, but the available footprint at the installation site created a layout constraint. Shafton Steel Services instead commissioned a lifting system from Sax Lift, with the lift table running on rails inside the pit.
Scrap is collected in a bin placed on the lift platform and transported to one end of the system. The lift then raises the bin to floor level for removal, while the entire unit can be lifted by crane to give maintenance teams access to the pit and system components.
Ryan O’Connor, Profile Manager at Shafton Steel Services, said: “Compared to a conveyor system, the footprint is significantly smaller, while maintenance requirements and safety risks are reduced. The lift table allows us to raise the entire unit by crane, ensuring full access to all components and safer cleaning of the pit. It is 20-25 per cent easier to do maintenance work on the lift compared to a conveyor, which has a clear impact on our bottom line.”
The investment came to just under £29,000, which Shafton Steel Services says is approximately half the cost of a comparable conveyor system. The design also reduces maintenance access constraints, a frequent source of downtime in enclosed scrap-handling areas.
Sax Lift says the project reflects rising demand for customised equipment built around standard platforms. Around a quarter of the company’s orders now include tailored elements, including systems designed for constrained manufacturing layouts.
Jeff Aackersberg Olsen, Sales Manager responsible for the UK market at Sax Lift, said: “In many cases, customers come to us with a specific challenge, and we work together to find a solution. We typically start from a standard product and adapt it to meet the customer’s needs. This approach is often both faster and more cost-effective than developing a fully bespoke solution from scratch.”
The lift table is based on Sax Lift’s established technical platform and is designed around EN 1570-1 requirements. Shafton Steel Services says the system has combined lower upfront investment with safer access and simpler maintenance.
