90° tilt: the one-piece handle swings the load from flat to upright, to stand a carton on its side or tip out what it holds.
Compact ESM
ESM compact vacuum tube lifters for small loads up to 35 kg
The ESM is the compact series of the Cowest vacuum tube lifter range: the ESM25 and ESM35, rated 25 and 35 kg, with a one-piece handle that tilts the load through 90° and turns it through 360°. It suits small cartons, parts and pails that have to arrive in a set position, and it hangs from a jib crane or rail. Every Cowest series is listed side by side under all vacuum tube lifters.
- Two models, the ESM25 and ESM35
- 90° tilt and 360° rotation at the handle
- SHP stainless-steel hook for pails with a handle
- Vacuum pump on both models, blower option on the ESM35, per catalogue
Ratings are for airtight loads, and a tilt job is sized on the tilt rating, which is lower; plain cartons and paper bags are tested with your samples.
- Rated capacity:
- 25 or 35 kg
- Lifting height:
- 1,700 mm
- Movement:
- 90° tilt, 360° rotation
- Vacuum source:
- pump, or blower on the ESM35, per catalogue
Use cases
Where a compact lifter fits
The ESM is made for small loads that have to arrive in a set position: a carton stood on its side, a part turned to face a fixture, a pail hung by its handle.
Its two ratings, 25 and 35 kg, sit at the light end of the one-hand range, where the industry usually works up to about 50 kg.
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Small cartons stood on edge
Picked by the top and tilted 90°, a carton can be stood on its side or set label-out on a shelf; gripping it by a side face instead counts as a tilt job and is sized on the tilt rating. Carton handling in detail is on the small cartons page.
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Parts at an assembly station
Parts and part boxes often have to be turned or tilted at the fixture, and odd-shaped parts need their dimensions, a drawing or photos before a quote. In the industry a part box with a flat, closed top goes on a box pad, so the SFD and HB carton pads are where we start; any other part is checked with us before a quote.
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Pails by the handle
The SHP stainless-steel hook takes a pail or container by its handle, so the lid does not have to seal. Pails without a handle and heavier drums are covered on the vacuum drum lifter page.
Specifications
ESM models and specifications
Both models have the 1,700 mm lifting height; the 5-step selection guide shows how to check it against your pick and place heights.
| Model | Rated capacity | Lifting height | Handle | Vacuum source | Power supply |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESM25 | 25 kg | 1,700 mm | One-piece, 90° tilt, 360° rotation | 40 m³/h vacuum pump | 380 V three-phase |
| ESM35 | 35 kg | 1,700 mm | One-piece, 90° tilt, 360° rotation | 60 m³/h pump or 2.2 kW blower | 380 V three-phase |
The vacuum source shown is the catalogue listing; the one fitted to your ESM is stated in the quotation, and other voltages and 60 Hz are on request.
Request a quote
send the load, its weight and surface, the face to grip, and whether it is tilted, turned or hung by a handle.
| Load | Starting model | How it works out |
|---|---|---|
| Plain carton up to about 18 kg | ESM25 with an SFD or HB carton pad | Cartons are semi-porous: three quarters of 25 kg is a little under 19 kg |
| Plain carton up to about 26 kg | ESM35 with an SFD or HB carton pad | 75% of 35 kg is about 26 kg, so a carton that heavy is tested first |
| Airtight load such as a plastic box or a film-wrapped pack | ESM25 while the load stays clear of 25 kg, the ESM35 while it stays clear of 35 kg; closer to 35 kg it moves to an ESL-SG | Airtight loads are planned at the catalogue rating |
| Pail or container with a handle | Either model with the SHP hook, rated above the full weight | The hook does not depend on the surface; the weight and the protection valve do |
| Small bag or sack | Pad confirmed for the bag size in the quotation | No sack pad is listed for the ESM in the catalogue |
| Load to be tilted, or gripped by a side face | Sized on the manufacturer's tilt rating; the horizontal 25 or 35 kg does not decide the model | A tilt rating sits below the horizontal one, so leave room for it |
Each row is where the proposal starts; your samples, the angle of the tilt and the handle on a pail can move it before we quote.
| ESM35 | ESL-SG120/22 | |
|---|---|---|
| Rated capacity | 35 kg | 35 kg |
| Tilt and rotation | 90° tilt, 360° rotation | No tilt listed |
| Lifting height | 1,700 mm | 1,700 or 2,500 mm |
| Handle | One-piece | Single, stainless steel |
| Vacuum source | 60 m³/h pump or 2.2 kW blower | 2.2 kW blower |
| Sack pad in the catalogue | None listed | SUS190×290R |
| For pails | SHP hook | HB bellows pad |
Of the two, the ESM35 is the one listed with a tilt, and a tilted load is sized on the manufacturer's tilt rating, which sits below its 35 kg; the ESL-SG120/22 is the pick when the stack needs 2,500 mm or the job is small sacks on a listed pad.
Features
Tilt and rotation
360° rotation: the load turns about the tube, so a carton can face label-out or a part can line up with its fixture.
Planning a tilt job
Tell us the angle the load must reach and which face will be gripped: a load picked by its side face is a tilt job even if it is never turned.
Where powder is tipped into a hopper, ask whether the area is a classified hazardous zone before anything else; the ESM is a standard version, not for explosive atmospheres.
Pads and the SHP hook
The SHP hook is what sets the ESM's tooling apart: it takes a container by its handle instead of sealing on a face.
| Load | Pad or hook | On the ESM |
|---|---|---|
| Cartons, cases and part boxes | SFD / HB carton pads | Both models |
| Pails and containers with a handle | SHP stainless-steel hook | ESM series |
| Small bags and sacks | No sack pad listed | Pad confirmed per bag size in the quotation |
Vacuum source
Vacuum pump or blower
| Vacuum pump | Blower | |
|---|---|---|
| Strength | Higher vacuum, and it does not rely on the airflow to keep cool | Large airflow |
| Watch for | Costs more than a blower | Cooled by the air it moves, so a load held still for a long time can overheat it |
| On the ESM | ESM25, 40 m³/h; ESM35, 60 m³/h | ESM35, 2.2 kW |
Safety
Safety at a compact station
Two points need extra care at an ESM station: the hook, which needs a protection valve, and the tilt, which is sized on the manufacturer's tilt rating.
What happens to a held load if the power goes is covered on how a vacuum tube lifter works; your ESM's manual is the word on your unit.
At the station
- A protection valve between the tube and the SHP hook, as usual industry practice
- Tilt and side-grip jobs sized on the tilt rating
- No long holds with the load hanging still, whether the unit runs on a pump or a blower
- Load carried low, and nobody under it
Mounting
Mounting and working area
Hang the ESM from a WJC pillar jib crane for one workplace, or from an AM aluminium rail where the picks run along a line. In the proposal the crane or rail class is chosen to carry the rated 25 or 35 kg plus what the ESM itself weighs with its tube, handle, pad or hook and the trolley.
Lifting height:
both models are listed with 1,700 mm only; where the drop from the highest place point to the pick point, plus clearance, needs more, the ESL-SG offers 2,500 mm, though without a tilt.
Headroom:
the clear height for your station, with the retracted lifter and the crane, is read from the factory drawing before the order.
Work that moves:
for picks that move between stations inside the building, ask about a complete mobile unit, kept stationary while lifting.
Fit check
When another series fits better
Jobs the ESM hands on to another series
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Case
Airtight loads at or near 35 kg and above, or plain cartons over about 26 kg
Why the ESM is not the answer
Both ESM models stop at 35 kg, and a plain carton is planned at about three quarters of that
What instead
The single-handle ESL-SG from its 45 kg model up, or the two-handle ESL-MD for heavier loads
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Case
25 kg unlined paper sacks
Why the ESM is not the answer
Planned at half its rating the ESM35 keeps about 17.5 kg, and no sack pad is listed for the ESM
What instead
ESL-SG160/30 with the SUS230×380R sack pad
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Case
A stack taller than 1,700 mm of lift covers
Why the ESM is not the answer
The ESM is built with one lifting height
What instead
An ESL-SG with 2,500 mm
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Case
Tipping powder in a classified hazardous zone
Why the ESM is not the answer
No explosion-proof ESM exists
What instead
Tell us the zone first: our range has no unit for it
Request a quote
For an ESM proposal, the deciding facts are the load and how it must end up: its weight and surface, the face to grip, whether it is tilted, turned or hung by a handle, and how high the stack goes.
- Load: weight range, surface, and photos or a drawing of awkward parts
- Movement: tilt angle, rotation, and which face is gripped
- Pails: full weight and the type of handle, for the SHP hook
- Site: stack and clear height, lifts per hour, whether the station is indoors, any hazardous-zone classification, and mains voltage and frequency
Expect the ESM model and its vacuum source, a pad or hook for each load the ESM can take, and the crane or rail; commercial terms such as delivery and payment come in the same document.
Scope
What the ESM does not cover
Two models of 25 and 35 kg, one lifting height of 1,700 mm and no explosion-proof version; heavier loads move to the ESL-SG or ESL-MD, and nothing over 200 kg is in our tube lifter range.
Cowest Machinery designs and manufactures vacuum tube lifters at its factory in Qingyuan, Guangdong, China; CE marked, with Attestation of Conformity No. CE-1629-01-011123 (CGS Test, valid to 2028) available on request.
Tools
Tools and documents for the ESM
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ESM data sheet (PDF):
both models, their vacuum sources and the 1,700 mm lifting height on one sheet
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Lift capacity calculator:
type in a plain carton's weight, choose the semi-porous class and add the site altitude, and the result gives the airtight rating to set against 25 and 35 kg
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NIOSH lifting calculator:
score a manual lift that twists the body, which the asymmetry multiplier marks down, against the recommended weight limit
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Maintenance checklist:
the industry's daily and weekly checks on a sheet to print for the station; where your ESM's manual says otherwise, the manual applies
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Factory and documents:
the Qingyuan site, the conformity papers buyers in each market tend to ask for, and how to request the CE attestation
ESM questions
ESM25 or ESM35?
The ESM25 for airtight loads kept clear of 25 kg and plain cartons to about 18 kg; the ESM35 for airtight loads kept clear of 35 kg, plain cartons to about 26 kg, or a job where the blower option is wanted; a tilt job on either is sized on the manufacturer's tilt rating.
Can the ESM lift a 25 kg paper sack?
Not as a starting point: planned at half its rating, the ESM35 keeps about 17.5 kg on unlined paper, so 25 kg paper sacks go to the ESL-SG160/30.
What is the SHP hook for?
Pails and containers with a handle: the hook takes the handle instead of sealing on a face. In usual industry practice a hook on a tube lifter works with a protection valve between it and the tube; whether the SHP comes with one is confirmed in the quotation.
How much does the tilt take off?
Size the job on the manufacturer's tilt rating for the ESM, which is lower than 25 or 35 kg; as a guide only, published tilt ratings from one manufacturer sit 15–35% under the horizontal figures.
Why only 1,700 mm?
Both ESM models are listed with 1,700 mm only; for a taller stack, the ESL-SG offers 2,500 mm.
Does the ESM come with a pump or a blower?
The catalogue lists a 40 m³/h pump on the ESM25 and a 60 m³/h pump or a 2.2 kW blower on the ESM35; the source for your unit is stated in the quotation.