What Is a Spring Balancer?
Balancers are used as important equipment to improve work efficiency, reduce fatigue, and stabilize tools in the field. There are fixed and traveling types, and it is necessary to use a balancer that suits the purpose of use.
A spring balancer is used to suspend machinery and equipment.
It brings the weight of the object to be suspended close to zero and allows it to be operated up and down with light force. It can be balanced at any height, allowing for a greater degree of freedom. It uses the tension of a spring (mainspring) and is powered by a spring.
Uses of Spring Balancers
There are various types of balancers, and they must be selected appropriately for their intended use, such as fixed type, traveling type, and clean room use.
Spring balancers are mainly used for power tools that are suspended and for centering work. However, they are not suited for work such as removing and attaching luggage, etc. In such cases, air balancers are recommended.
In clean rooms, spring balancers with clean room specifications are used. They are useful for suspending manual tools such as torque drivers and vacuum tweezers used in the manufacturing process of semiconductor integrated circuits, liquid crystal panels, etc.
Principles of Spring Balancers
A balancer is suspended from the top by a hook, and tools or other objects are lowered to the hook below.
Spring balancers use mechanisms that balance the torque change (force change produced around the axis of rotation) of a spring by using a tapered drum (a drum that tapers in the length, width, thickness, etc. of a structure).
Power is supplied by the tension of a spring (mainspring), so power by electricity or air is not required.
Ratchet types and handle types can also be used for spring adjustment.
- Ratchet type
This mechanism is used to limit the direction of movement to one side. It is mainly a combination of gears and tooth stops, and the teeth are tilted to bring about a certain direction. This adjustment is useful when there are many lifting changes, and the wire rope can be stopped at any position even with an empty load. - Handle Type
Adjustment is made by turning the handle (knob) left or right.
Some cleanroom specified spring balancers have sealed cases to prevent dust from scattering, or that conduct static electricity. The case is conductive and can be grounded using a wire.