The aluminium workpieces weigh 60 kg each and were previously placed on the machine by hand. After machining, the parts had to be lifted off the machine and stacked on pallets. The production managers soon noticed the discrepancy between the modern machining technology and the conventional handling of the workpieces, and started to look for a more efficient handling solution which would not cost too much money. They finally found this solution in the form of a complete vacuum handling system, consisting of a slewing column crane with a 3 m jib and a vacuum lifting device of the type VacuMaster Light made by the vacuum specialist J. Schmalz GmbH in D-72293 Glatten.

The slewing column crane, with the vacuum lifting device suspended from it, is mounted on a steel base plate, which means that the complete handling system can be used flexibly at various locations within the factory.

The universal "heart" of the handling system is, however, the vacuum lifting device VacuMaster Light 100/4, since this makes the loading and unloading of the machining centre far easier, safer and faster.