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Offering technical stage engineering support for theatre and performance, the team at Safe Stage Services has more than 35 years’ experience in the design manufacture and installation of stage equipment.
Their products include stage lift installation, variable acoustic systems, hoists, drapes, rigging and trussing.
Based at Salterhebble in West Yorkshire, they pride themselves in offering personal customer service, whether supplying local or internationally. Working closely with their clients throughout the process, they use the latest CAD technology to create sophisticated stage systems, offer safe installation and regular maintenance and technical support.
Creating a pneumatic rig to use on a steel deck for a University in the United States.
A pneumatic solution to inflate air bags in order to move a large-scale rostra. The company needed a safe, secure and simple lifting mechanism to make it easier for the operator to retract the multiple decks in and out.
While Safe Stage Services have extensive experience of staging and pneumatics, this was their first system of this kind and they wanted to ensure that there was an operator-friendly process.
Safe Stage Services provided the lifting bags, which came built into the castors on which the rostra rolls out. Glenn Stephenson, Pneumatics Area Sales Manager at PPS, organised everything that was needed to raise and lower the equipment, including air fittings and air tanks.
The air tanks are similar to those used on wagons; they feed the air bags rather than the air going directly into the bags from a compressor, so that the air can be added and released gradually to ensure that the unit is raised and lowered smoothly. The tanks are inflated with a small portable piston compressor.
The method of lifting the units was designed to be as user-friendly as possible, with inbuilt safety features. As Glenn had created similar systems for other customers in the past, he knew what was needed to ensure successful and safe operation.
One of the company’s Project Managers has a good ongoing relationship with Glenn and contacted him to carry out the work.
“I’ve worked with pneumatics but had no schematics for this particular application, so Glenn helped us all the way through. I’m really impressed with the system; it lifts up easily and is set on a 360° revolving plate with wheels that also turn, which makes it easy to manoeuvre.
“Glenn was very helpful and supportive, sorting every problem in the process and taking the stress off me. Everything was spot on, I can’t fault PPS and I would highly recommend their services.”
Connor Turner, Safe Stage Services
