Car lifts with quick operation are beneficial in racing pit stop applications that require cars to be regularly serviced and ready for racing in a short period of time. Examples include rigorous off-road races held all year round in vastly varied terrains, locations, and weather in the BAJA SAE competitions. Custom off-road vehicles performing in these harsh conditions often require extensive maintenance and repair. During our in-person visits at BCIT, we were impressed with the passion, dedication, hard work, and project sponsorship application displayed by the BCIT Racing Club. Proudly sponsored by Progressive Automations, we will cover how our PA-QR1 quick release actuators were used in their car lift system!
Challenges of Servicing Cars without Lifts
In 2023, four men were responsible for raising the BCIT Baja vehicle by hand to be placed on top of a static platform to allow for tire changes and user access to the undercarriage. After servicing, the four men would lower the car back down from the platform by hand. To help reduce back pain and physical strain for future events, the BCIT Racing Club knew that a better long-term solution would be required to:
- Lift the BCIT Racing BAJA Vehicle (900+ lbs)
- Be suitable for outdoor use
- Handle terrain slopes of 15 degrees
- Operate electrically
- Be moveable by a single person
Forming ATLAS Elevations
To facilitate optimal servicing of the BCIT Baja vehicle while competing in races, members of the BCIT Racing Club formed team ATLAS Elevations to create a car lift system that met all their requirements. The five Mechanical Engineering students of ATLAS Elevations and their roles are listed below:
Johnathan Worobetz - 3D Modelling & CAD Manager
Takeshi Tsuboi - Control Systems Manager
Tyler Correia - Designer, 3D Modeler & Benchmark Manager
Stefano Pellegrino - Manufacturing Lead & 3D Modeler
Dan Chaves - Design Lead & Project Manager
Together, team ATLAS Elevations designed and manufactured a motorized portable lift system capable of self-leveling to compensate for uneven terrain.
Choosing The Suitable Actuators
After contacting our team of experts and reviewing their required actuator specifications, team ATLAS Elevations found the PA-QR1 quick release actuators to be the most suitable model for their application. The IP66 ingress protection rating of our PA-QR1 quick release actuators offer water resistance to handle various outdoor use cases. Each PA-QR1 actuator has a force rating of 675 lbs and easily handles the 900 lbs load of the BCIT Racing BAJA Vehicle when using 4x actuators to lift the car (675 lbs x 4 actuators = 2700 lbs).
The extra lifting capacity of 2700 lbs with 4x actuators added a safety margin for lifting the car on uneven terrain with slopes of 15 degrees. Each PA-QR1-14-675-N-12VDC has a 14 inch stroke for sufficient travel length to lift the BAJA Vehicle and one actuator weighs 7.9 lbs for a single person to benefit from the ease of portability. These actuators have simple 12 VDC operation like most of our other electric actuators, however, they also offer manual override capabilities through the quick release feature.
Designing and Manufacturing the Lift System
Once the team had confirmed the suitable actuators to meet their project requirements, they were then able to design and manufacture the rest of their project around the parameters of the selected PA-QR1. The team used SolidWorks for all the 3D modeling and finite element analysis (FEA) of the project. An OMAX waterjet was used to cut their hardened high-carbon mild steel pieces into shape.
The team used metal lathes for the components that required more precise machining such as the Heim sleeve mounts used on their 2x rear lifts. All the shaped-out pieces of the car lift system were welded together using TIG welding to form their:
- Rear Hook Assembly
- Front Bridge
- Actuator Housing
- Foot Pieces
Instead of using 2x 4 channel relays like in their original wiring diagram, ATLAS Elevations used 1x 8 channel relay with their Elegoo UNO R3 Controller Board. This adjustment in their circuit helps keep their components more compact for space efficiency while allowing the lower current Controller Board the ability to handle the higher current of the actuators through relays. Their accelerometer/gyro paired with the LCD displayed the roll and pitch of the car lift system.
The housing around each actuator was powder-coated blue for a stylish appearance and served as an extra protective layer against harsh outdoor elements. Currently, the system runs off 120 V supplied by a wall outlet or by a generator at the competition, however, this solution could easily be swapped with a portable battery in the future.
Operation of The Car Lift System
The handheld wireless remote included in the UNO R3 Super Starter Kit controls the system's raising, lowering, manual, and automatic leveling. For quick lowering action, there is the option to use our AC-32 Quick Release Lever and Cable to activate the quick release function of our PA-QR1 quick release actuators.
After completion, the car lift system by ATLAS Elevations was handed down to the BCIT Racing Club. We wish the BCIT Racing Club the best in all their future competitions and hope the car lift system will serve them well for many years to come! For more information on the BCIT Racing Club, check out their Instagram account link below:
https://www.instagram.com/bcit_racing/?hl=en
To see the operation of the car lift system by ATLAS Elevations, check out the video below:
IN SUMMARY
Our PA-QR1 offers versatile specifications and quick release features suitable for many applications that benefit from the ability to operate without electrical power or require fast travel speeds in certain conditions.
Thank you, ATLAS Elevations and the BCIT Racing Club, for sharing your amazing projects!
We hope you found this as informative and interesting as we did, especially if you were looking for inspirational ideas for a vehicle or car lift system. If you have any queries or wish to discuss our products further, please do not hesitate to contact us! We are experts in what we do and will be happy to assist however we can.
sales@progressiveautomations.com | 1-800-676-6123