Gravity Ant lifting manipulator

Gravity Ant – intelligent electric lifting manipulator

Gravity Ant is a fast and ergonomic electric lifting manipulator for repetitive lifting, moving and assembly work. The servo-driven device follows the operator’s movement precisely and allows light handling of the load without constantly pressing the buttons of a conventional hoist.

Gravity Ant is especially suited to production, assembly, machining, packing and other work stages where loads are handled frequently and precise positioning is important.

Lifting capacity 50–300 kg – lifting height up to 3 metres – reach up to 5 metres.

More than an ordinary hoist

Gravity Ant combines the features of a hoist, a balancer and a manipulator. Its stepless speed control responds naturally to the operator’s movements, so lifting, lowering and positioning the load is fast and controlled.

In Float Mode the load can be brought to an almost weightless state. The operator can then move the load up and down by guiding the load or lifting tool directly, without using separate lift buttons.

The solution reduces physical strain, speeds up work stages and helps prevent handling errors.

Who is Gravity Ant for?

Gravity Ant is a good solution when:

• many lifts are made during a shift
• the load is too heavy or awkward to lift by hand
• the load must be positioned precisely
• a standard dual-speed hoist is too slow or imprecise
• you want to improve ergonomics
• the springiness of a pneumatic balancer interferes with the work
• you want to shorten production lead times.

Typical applications include machine shops, assembly lines, the automotive industry, warehouses, packing facilities, and machine and component manufacturing.

Key benefits of Gravity Ant

• Fast and precise load handling
• Stepless lifting speed control
• Float Mode balancing function
• Ergonomic one-hand control
• Suited to repetitive, fast-paced lifting
• No springiness or sway typical of pneumatic systems
• Runs on a standard single-phase 230 V supply
• Compact design and quick commissioning
• Several mounting and suspension options
• Grippers and lifting tools designed for the load

Float Mode – move the load by hand

Float Mode makes the load almost weightless from the operator’s point of view. Once activated, the operator can raise and lower the load simply by guiding it by hand.

The function is particularly suited to:

• precise positioning of components
• assembly of machines and equipment
• loading parts into machine tools
• handling boxes, sacks and packages
• repetitive production line lifts
• handling fragile products.

The load moves in a controlled way without the springiness typical of pneumatic balancers. This improves positioning accuracy and keeps operation stable even in fast, repetitive work.

Ergonomic IBOX control

Gravity Ant is operated with the ergonomic IBOX controller. With the sliding handle mechanism, the operator controls lifting direction and speed with a natural hand movement.

Controller features include:

• stepless lifting and lowering speed control
• real-time load display
• one-button Float Mode activation
• presence sensor that detects the operator’s hand
• adjustable interface for a hook or load-handling device.

Comprehensive safety features

Gravity Ant has monitoring functions to protect the load and the operator:

• STO safety function for fast stopping (Safe Torque Off [servomoottori])
• operator hand detection on the controller
• slack wire rope monitoring
• adjustable virtual lifting zones
• virtual slow-down zones
• automatic speed adjustment to the load
• Float Mode fall protection – stops the load if the operator stumbles or falls against it.
• automatic wire rope service life monitoring
• load cell calibration self-check
• mechanical holding of the load during power failure and overload.

The settings can be adapted to the application, the load and the working area.