Air-Powered Transport Lift for Spacecraft Manufacturing

Air-Powered Transport Lift: Essential Tooling for Engine Crawler

This extremely specialized application involved designing a scissor lift with mobile base to be part of an engine crawler table that will position a mammoth rocket engine to a test stand. The scissor lift table had to be mobile to avoid hoses for tripping hazards and the actuation must be air powered for explosion proof requirements.

This complex and intricate process involves lifting the rocket engine from ground level by crane and positioning it onto the crawler table.  The operator drives the air-powered crawler table to the test spot where the scissor lift mechanisms are activated to raise the engine to the structural attachment within the test stand.  The operator can then activate the air-bearing sliding platform that is fastened to the top of the scissor lift platform to further position the engine to exact alignment.

Autoquip’s custom design offered a mobile base and scissor lift to evenly transport and position the engine under the test stand attachment. The design required maximum maneuverability, so the mobile base was equipped with an independent air-powered drive allowing for omnidirectional steering.

Design Details:

Mobile Base:

Hose reels moves the lift around the test area

(4) swivel casters in each corner

(4) leveling jacks to ensure the platform is level

(2) powered wheels at the center to help drive and turn the transport base

Scissor Lift:

• Tork T2 Scissor Lift
• Travels 10 ft.
• Capacity 12,000 lbs.
• Platform Size: 96″W X 188″L
• Air powered actuation
• Removable handrails
• Accordion Skirting
• Explosion proof parts and components

AQ Project#

AQ# 152408

Through our decades of experience and know-how in building custom solutions for aerospace & space exploration industry, we were able to work alongside our customer to help put in the right tooling in place to help advance their engine testing.