Posted to News on 1st Nov 2016, 15:47
Amsterdam Airport Tulip shop sales grow with Grob screwjacks
Revenues have doubled at the House of Tulips flower shop at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, following its reconstruction as a "flying glasshouse' that rises up 3m or more to provide total access to the merchandise from all sides. The glasshouse lifts up in the morning at the start of business, then is lowered again at night to provide absolute security.
When the whole of Schiphol's Lounge 3 was scheduled to be refurbished, the designers decided to use a Dutch theme throughout, with each concession taking a different element of the theme. With tulips synonymous with Amsterdam, the florists were keen to make sure that their display was as eye-catching as possible and the idea of the flying glasshouse soon took off.
While travellers may think the whole idea is magical, the lifting and lowering is actually achieved by some simple but elegant engineering. At each corner of the glasshouse is what appears to be a structural upright, but in fact each one houses a motorised Grob screwjack that activates simultaneously to raise and lower the glasshouse.
Grob screwjacks, available in the UK through Drive Lines Technologies, use an electric motor to turn a worm gear and generate the linear lifting/lowering movement. One advantages of this type of mechanism is that speed and position are easily controlled, another is that groups of jacks can by synchronised with one another through electronic controls (or using mechanical shafts). Significantly, screwjacks usually work out to be a far more cost-effective option than equivalent hydraulics or pneumatic systems which require power packs or compressors.
Drive Lines has used Grob screwjacks in many applications, some industrial, others rather more theatrical, and says their intrinsic simplicity and reliability make them well suited for many applications, particularly where the users are not from engineering or technical backgrounds. The company supplies the full range of Grob screwjacks, which covers sizes ranging from 2.5kN to 2000kN. All are available in two versions, one in which a non-rotating spindle travels linearly through the gearbox and another that incorporates a travelling nut which travels along an axially fixed rotating spindle. There is a full range of options and accessories to complement the screwjacks.
Go to www.drivelines.co.uk for more information about the company's range of Grob screwjacks.
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