Frequent Asked Questions
On this page we will put in some of the frequent asked questions we get. These are related to our pneumatic work platforms. These questions and answer are here to help you. Should you not find the information you are searching for, then do not hesitate to contact us. Please see Home and “Get in touch”.
Question: Why should one use a pneumatic man lift such as Wall-Man or Liftman in a spray booth, will not a normal electrical man lift do the same job?
Answer: An electric man lift would move and allow you to get into the positions you want. However, you will be running a risk, as there are fumes present in a spray booth. In a worst case scenario an explosion could be the final outcome. There are strict regulations to be followed when operating equipment in a spray booth (especially electrical equipment). Wall-Man and Liftman man lifts run on compressed air and are ATEX compliant (to be used where fumes are present). The man lifts are certified (CE, CAS & UL). They are designed to be operated in spray booths (or prep booths). A safe working environment is the keyword.
Question: What segment would a Wall-Man or a Liftman suit?
Answer: Wall-Man and Liftman were designed for use in spray booths and preparation booths. Typically booths for buses, coaches, commercial vehicles and trains, and they are typically part of such a solution. However, over the years, the use has been stretched over to other segments. Today the Wall-Man and Liftman are also used in other segments. These segments are aerospace industry, military service installations and the engineering segments; containers, earth moving equipment, mining equipment, transformers, marine engines, yachts just to mention some.
Question: Why should one consider a Liftman Fold over a Liftman as they seem very much to be the same product?
Answer: The Liftman Fold is designed to serve another set of requirements than the Liftman. The Liftman Fold is a product designed for the gas and oil industry – onshore and offshore. The Liftman Fold fullfils much stricter requirements and also has the advantage that it can be operated outside in windy conditions (12 m/s). The lift can be transported through narrow passages and into ie elevators/inside rigs/buildings. The Liftman standard is designed to only be used indoors. The man lift can’t be transported through narrow passages, as the Liftman Fold can. The Liftman standard has not the in-bulit safety features. These features are required on onshore and offshore oil and gas installations.
Question: Why should I consider a Wall-Man man lift over a hydraulic man lift when the initial costs of a hydraulic lift is a bit lower?
Answer: You should consider a Wall-Man over a hydraulic man lift for several reason.
First, the Wall-Man runs on compressed air. Any leakage will be clean air and will not contaminate the object you are working on. A hydraulic man lift can leak oil. Oil will ruin your object and the job must be redone/repainted (after cleaning). The booth must also be cleaned.
Second, pneumatic spare parts are cheaper than hydraulic parts, so the maintenance costs over its lifetime would be significantly lower compared to a hydraulic man lift.
Third, A Wall-Man man lift can be parked in upper position, leaving the floor free for other activity, which is not the case with a hydraulic work platform.
Fourth, in a Wall-Man work platform, you have access to an extra air outlet for air tools.
Fifth, on request, a Wall-Man man lift can be delivered with interface for breathing air – no extra hose laying around in the booth.
Sixth, service, repair, replacement of parts and general maintenance is far easier and less expensive compared to a hydraulic man lift, where you would need special competence to do normal maintenance.
Finally, the Wall-Man is designed to be durable. Its user profile is as follows: 25 years of use under the following conditions: 8 hours a day, 250 days per year (given maintenance over time). Giving the user a long life time to divide the initial costs and at the end – a high return on the investment.
Question: The Wall-Man is a capital investment. What factors will justify such an investment?
Answer: Yes, a set of Wall-Man access work platforms is an capital investment.
First, you have to acknowledge the fact that it represents one of the main factors for keeping the work environment in a spray booth safe – the painter can work all over the object in a safe way. The operator has the possibility to easy access the object in a much quicker way, and the job gets done much quicker.
Further, it allows the painter to get into difficult areas, and avoid overspraying parts of the object, which saves costs and gives the object a better finish.
The floor will be kept free for other activity/jobs.
One would also reduce the need for breaks for the operator, as he does not have to run around in various ladders/scaffolds. Potential sick leave can be reduced as a result of using right ergometric equipment.
Finally, the Wall-Man will result in a more efficient spray booth, and given the long lift time of a Wall-Man access platform: 8 hours/day, 250 days a year = 25 years of use, the investment will provide a very healthy and good return on the investment, if you incorporate the increased efficiency a Wall-Man provide, you will have a solution giving you an advantage for years to come. Please see other questions for a more comprehensive answer.
Question: What are the main differences between a Wall-Man and other similar pneumatically driven man lifts?
Answer: There are some differences, which one should be aware of, but one of the major factor is the long life time of a Wall-Man work platform. A Wall-Man is designed to last for 25 years given the following user profile. 8 hours of use per day and 250 days of use per year (requirement: maintenance guide). Also, its design, allows easy access to the wear and tear parts. As a result maintenance is done quite easy without any unnecessary long down time. The total costs for maintenance of a Wall-Man’s expected lifetime is very low.
Q: When should I consider a Liftman?
A: You should consider a Liftman man lift when you have a spray booth where the objects change in size and form quite frequent. Liftman is an independent access work platform. It can drive by itself towards and around the object. It can operate 9.9 m from the main air outlet. With its sharp turns, it can navigate into tight areas for work. Also, if your spray booth is a bit narrow with respect to the given width of the object to be worked on, a Liftman may be a perfect solution. The Liftman is also very often found in preparation booths. If you need to go any further than the 9.9m (hose reel on the Liftman), an extension can be added and you could move even further.
Question: Is the Liftman as durable as the Wall-Man work platform?
Answer: The Liftman has the same user profile as the Wall-Man. 25 years with the given user profile: 8 hours per day and 250 days per year of operation.
Question: When would I see a return on the investment of a Wall-Man?
Answer: A return on the investment of a Wall-Man work platform depends on how much you use the equipment. It also depends on how much increase in efficiency you are able to gain. A typically increase in efficiency would be around 20-40%. As “thumb of rule”. The longer the object is, the more efficiency you will be able to gain from a Wall-Man. If you have two workers in the spray booth. Run the spray booth 8 hours a day and 250 days per year. Then you would see a breakeven point in year 3 or 4. In year 3-4 all investment are covered. A “revenue” from year 3-4 (in the form of increased efficiency/reduced costs) would be visible on the bottom line. Given a lift’s life cycle of 25 years, one would have 21-22 years of “revenue” from the Wall-Man, which would provide very positive numbers for your business.
Question: I need an extra air outlet for some air tools for work to be done from the work platform. Is this an extra function?
Answer: On all our man lifts: Wall-Man, Wall-Man XL, Liftman and Liftman Fold we have an extra outlet for air tools. If you need more than one air outlet for tools, where you would need ie two air outlets, then this can easily be solved using a T-connection.
Question: I need breathing air inside the cage when working on an object. Is this possible on a Wall-Man or a Wall-Man XL?
Answer: On request an extra air outlet for breathing air can be built inside the cage of the Wall-Man or Wall-Man XL. This way, you will have access to breathing air. Reglo do not supply equipment for breathing air, only the interface to it inside the cage.