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Glossary/Davcon Dictionary

From time to time customers have a query about a term being used in our business so we set out below some Frequently used terms in our business. Please feel free to contact us if you have any other queries or are unsure about a specific term.

  A  
Additional fork carriage hydraulics
– where additional functionality is required on a forklift, e.g. a side shift function or the use of an attachment such as a slip sheet handler or double fork attachment. In such cases an additional hydraulic feed is often required to facilitate the additional functionality. This will be piped separately to the fork carriage for quick snap on connection to the forklifts’ hydraulic control system.
Aisle Width
– often referred to as ‘Working Aisle Width’ or ‘Ast’ in technical specifications. Simply, it refers to the clearance available within the confines of a pallet racking aisle. ‘Standard’ aisle width requirements for Counterbalance, Reach and Very Narrow Aisle forklift will be 4.5m, 2.9m and 1.8m respectively.
Articulated forklift
– in simple terms, an articulated forklift is similar to a HGV tractor and trailer unit. The articulation or hinge point on the machine allows it to operate within the confines of Narrow Aisle pallet racking. This type of forklift can be used both indoors and outdoors.
Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV)
– a driverless vehicle tasked with a number of computer controlled discrete functions relating to transfer, placing or retrieval of palletised or non palletised loads. AGV vehicle guidance is facilitated via Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), laser or gps.
  B / C  
Cantilever Racking
– a type of racking for storing difficult and long items such as steel bars, pipes, tubes, packs of timber and furniture. racking does not have front uprights getting in the way of placing and retrieving loads. All levels are available to a forklift truck.
Capacity Rating
– the certified capacity performance of the forklift given certain load and lift height characteristics.
Closed height
– this measurement refers to the unopened height of the mast when the forks are at ground level.
Cold Store modifications
– forklift modifications that relate to insulating and protecting critical electric and hydraulic systems from the temperature excesses that exist in a cold store environment.
Container specification
– a forklift mast specification that allows the truck to load and strip HGV trailers, these trucks will always be supplied with a Free Lift mast.
  D  
Daily Traction Battery Checks
– see our handy Battery Care sheet for more information.
D.C.
– direct current
De-ionised water
– water for use in refilling flooded lead acid cells, this type of water has been purified by removing most of the commonly occurring mineral ions.
Deep Cycle Traction Battery
– the type of battery power that is used in electrically powered warehouse equipment. The voltage associated with these battery units is generally 24/48/72/80, with each battery cell accounting for 2V each.
Deflection
– excessive mast movement of palletised loads at height, usually related to lifting over the manufacturers recommended rated capacity at a particular height(s).
Double deep
– a pallet racking system where pallets are handled two deep on either side of the aisle.
Drop station
– defined end of aisle pallet positions where pallets are deposited or collected for placement or shipment.
Duplex Mast
– a mast that has two distinct stages and one bearing point, a two stage mast is often preferred to one with 3 stages as it provides less deflection/movement at height. A mast of this nature is more efficient as it requires less energy to raise, when compared to a triplex version.
Dual Clamp Force
– an optional extra available with Payne Pallet Inverters that facilitates handling fragile or breakable loads in conjunction with a Pallet Inverter.
  E-F  
Flue space
– refers to clear vertical lines of sight from the floor up to the ceiling within rack storage areas.
Fork camera
– a camera fitted to the fork carriage, wired to a screen in the drivers’ compartment allowing the driver a ‘fork-eye’ view of his forks when operating at height.
Free lift
– this term relates to a forklift mast design whereby the forks can be raised to a certain height before any additional mast stages are raised.
Free path
- this term refers to an absence of any mechanical or electrical guidance system on board the machine i.e. the truck is entirely directed by the actions of its driver.
Frequency Generator
– see Line Driver below.
  G - H 
Head Centre Distance
– the measurement from the front of the VNA forklift cabin to a position half way between the VNA forks. This measurement will correspond directly to the pallet/load dimensions.
 I 
Inductive Wire Guidance
 – an in aisle guidance system used in conjunction with Very Narrow Aisle (VNA) forklifts. When a VNA truck is operating on an inductive wire guidance loop the forklift can only travel forwards, backwards, up and down.
Initial Lift
– one of most common terms used for the small mast which is located at the front of a VNA forklift. Insertion depth – the lengthways placement measurement of a pallet across the pallet racking beam e.g. where a cheep pallet is inserted on its long side (1200mm), the insertion depth in this case will be 1200mm. 
 J  K  L 
Lager-pilot
– a semi automatic system of driving which presents the optimum speed and lift profile to the VNA driver to most efficiently pick and place pallets within a particular aisle.
Long drop forks
– the specific fork tines that are used in conjunction with a Very Narrow Aisle forklift. Line driver – a device that sends an electrical signal at a particular frequency through a closed loop electrical circuit. This type of system facilitates electrical in aisle guidance for VNA forklifts
Lift height cut-out
 – the mechanical/electrical means of limiting the extended height of a forklift operating at height due to potential obstructions such as HEVAC or fire suppression systems. Light Barriers – a safety interlock system that creates a light curtain at the entrance to the pallet inverter. If this light curtain is broken during the inversion process, the machine will automatically shutdown. 
Lithium Ion Battery
– historically Traction batteries for forklifts were exclusively of the Flooded Lead Acid cell variety. Recently the industry has made tentative steps towards variations of Lithium Ion technology. Some of the benefits associated with this technology are speed of charge/recharge, extended lifecycle, no requirement for daily or weekly battery checks, no emissions so more environmentally friendly. 
 M  N 
Nominal Capacity
– see Capacity Rating above. 
 O 
Opportunity Charging
– the practice of topping up a forklift traction battery outside the normal practice of daily recharging. This method of recharging is not considered
Overhang
-where the palletised load extends beyond the footprint of the pallet. When loads of this nature are handled with a VNA forklift, load dimensions are of particular importance when calculating flue requirement, the appropriate head centre distance and load to load dimensions.
 P 
Pallet Inverter
– a piece of mechanical warehouse equipment that facilitates pallet exchange, load reorientation or Placement depth – see Insertion Depth above.
Placement height
– the maximum height level that a forklift is required to operate to, this measurement should always factor in an additional 200 millimetre clearance to place the pallet on the required top beam.
 Q R 
Rail guided
– in aisle mechanical guidance for a Very Narrow Aisle forklift
Residual Capacity
– the remaining/reducing forklift capacity that is available for placement/retrieval at height
 S 
Side shift
– a standard option that is available with counterbalance forklifts and reach trucks – this feature allows for accurate adjustment of the fork tines to facilitate the correct in-pallet placement of the fork tines.
Slow-down and stop
– an end of aisle interlock solution, which bring s a narrow aisle forklift to a gradual stop at the end of each racking aisle. This functionality is often accomplished by using either magnets or RFID tags.
Solenoid Push Button Control
– an unsequenced push button form of controlling a Payne Pallet Inverter.
Supplementary Lift
– see Initial Lift above.
 T 
Transfer Aisle
– the area at the top of the warehouse where forklifts can be manoeuvred from one aisle to the other.
Trilateral Head
- another term for the rotating and traversing fork carriage that is fitted to a Very Narrow Aisle forklift.
Traverse
– the movement and rotation of a very narrow aisle fork carriage from one side of an aisle to the other.
Triplex Mast
– a three stage forklift mast with two bearing points. Reduced closed height when compared to a two-stage mast, however, the additional bearing point increases comparative movement at height and is also somewhat less efficient from a power usage perspective.
Turret Head
– see Trilateral Head above.
 U V 
VNA Turret Machine
 – another term for a Very Narrow Aisle, Man up Forklift.
 W 
Wire guided
– an in aisle guidance system for Very Narrow Aisle forklifts. A shallow groove is cut in the middle of the warehouse aisle, a wire is placed and then sealed within this groove. The guidance circuit is completed by connecting both wire loops into the Line Driver, once calibrated the Very Narrow Aisle Forklift will recognise the wire guidance system when in-aisle and will only allow forwards and backwards travel and lifting up and down.
 Y - Z 
Zone dependent interlocks
– specific lift and/or travel speed settings pertaining to the operation of a piece of mechanical handling equipment