Lift system for yachts

What was needed: E4 series energy chain; drylin® W linear profile guides; iglide® plain bearings

Requirements: high corrosion resistance, use in confined installation spaces, long service life, lubricant- and maintenance-free, narrow bend radius

Industry: Boats/yachts

Success for the customer: the chain types and materials have been specially tested for the application; the e-chain® made of igumid® offers high stability and service life and is cost-effective at the same time; the drylin® profile guides are corrosion-free and run smoothly even on boats weighing up to 600 kg

A yacht usually has another boat: a compact light boat or jet ski that takes passengers from the anchorage to land and back again. This is where a lift system, platform or garage comes into play.

H+B technics GmbH & Co KG is focusing on this market. Around 1,000 lift systems with load capacities of 350 to 2,500 kg are designed and built each year.

The first lift systems that H+B developed and built around twenty years ago are still in use today. This speaks in favour of the design as well as the individual components, including the energy supply. These have to be able to do a lot. For example, around two thirds of the lift systems are permanently under water, which is why they have to be extremely corrosion-resistant and therefore made of high-quality stainless steel.

Installation space is also an important issue, as space for the slewing drive is very limited.
Further requirements for the chain: they must be lubricant-free, maintenance-free and corrosion-free and generally achieve a long service life under adverse environmental conditions. A narrow bend radius is also important here.

And yet another H+B special solution is used for large yachts with garages. An overhead crane was developed and manufactured here, which picks up the boat and moves it into the parking position using a winch. To enable the crane's trolley to move, linear profile guides are required which, like the energy chain, should be seawater-resistant and maintenance-free. They should also require no lubrication and achieve a long service life under the special operating conditions. In addition, a low breakaway torque even after long periods of inactivity and a low weight are required.

During the project planning phase, the H+B design engineers worked with our specialists to test various chain types and materials for their suitability for the application.

Trials in the 3,800 square metre test laboratory showed that H+B does not need to use special materials, but can use energy chains from the E4 series made from the standard material igumid®. This also offers cost advantages. Together with igus®, H&B specified four chain lengths of type E4.28 for the energy supply in the lift systems, which are supplied ready for installation with interior separation and connection.

The E4 series chains are ideal for installation in confined spaces because they utilise the available installation space very well. They are easy to fill and the "back grip" of the individual chain links ensures high stability of the entire chain and therefore a long service life.

igus® products are also used for the other H+B special solution, the overhead crane, which can pick up a boat and park it in the garage using a winch. The crane's trolley travels with the aid of a drylin® W linear profile guide made of stainless steel. The corresponding carriage is also made of corrosion-resistant stainless steel. And the sliding elements are made of iglidur® high-performance polymers with incorporated lubricant.

Just like the energy chain, the stainless steel profile guides also prove their worth in the lift systems from H+B technics. They are also used in other linear technology applications, for example as guide carriages for moving platforms. The systems that H+B supplies to Europe's yacht manufacturers frequently incorporate both energy chains and profile guides from us - and contribute to the long service life of the high-quality lift systems.