definition
strict definition
platform lift
A platform raised and lowered mechanically to transport persons and cargo between different levels.
A platform lift is an unenclosed platform which carries persons and cargo in the manner of an elevator, usually over a short vertical distance. The platform is usually attached to the lift mechanism on one side. Large platform lifts are usually intended for vehicle or cargo transportation, while smaller lifts may be used for wheelchairs.
The carrying surface is an unenclosed platform rather than an enclosed cab. Its usual short travel can connect nearby levels for people or cargo.
The platform form is separate from its scale and intended load. Wheelchair access and larger vehicle or cargo movement are different uses of that form.
Related definitions
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hydraulic
Elevators raised by a fluid-powered cylinder-and-piston mechanism and lowered by controlled release of fluid. -
paternoster
Doorless vertical lift cabins carried upright around a continuously moving loop with upward and downward shafts. -
rack and pinion
Elevators that climb along a toothed rack through the rotation of pinion gears engaged to the rack. -
scissor lift
Elevators raised and lowered from underneath by an extendable lattice of criss-crossed folding beams. -
traction
Elevators raised and lowered along tracks by cables, using a counterweight for balance.