Can Suspended Platforms Replace Traditional Scaffolding?

Suspended platforms are generally divided into two types: manual (foot-pedal) suspended platforms and electric suspended platforms. They are a new type of high-altitude operation equipment that can reduce labor intensity, improve work efficiency, and be reused. Currently, the use of electric suspended platforms has gradually become a trend. Suspended platforms are widely recognized in high-altitude operations such as exterior wall construction, curtain wall installation, insulation construction, and maintenance and cleaning of exterior walls of multi-story buildings. At the same time, suspended platforms can be used for operations on large tanks, bridges, and dams. Using suspended platforms can eliminate the need for scaffolding, greatly reducing construction costs, with construction expenses being only 28% of traditional scaffolding, and work efficiency is significantly improved.  

Suspended platform operation is flexible, easy to move, convenient, practical, safe, and reliable. Compared with full scaffolding made of steel pipes for exterior wall construction, suspended platforms have the advantages of faster erection speed, saving a large amount of scaffolding materials, saving labor, convenient and flexible operation, and better technical and economic benefits. Coupled with the increasingly popular prefabricated building trend, the use of traditional scaffolding will decrease.

In the short term, due to the limited skill level of operators, especially for electric suspended platforms which require users to understand basic electrical maintenance; the counterbalancing moment must be at least twice the cantilever moment; and the knowledge intensity required is higher! On the other hand, scaffolding has been used for many years, especially the currently used steel pipe coupler scaffolding, and safety knowledge is relatively widespread. At the same time, suspended platforms and traditional scaffolding are used in different stages of engineering construction, each with its own characteristics. Suspended platforms are mainly used for later exterior wall coating construction, are easy to move, have lower costs, and are relatively faster and safer. Traditional scaffolding is mainly used for the main structure construction and plastering stages, during which vertical enclosure of the building is necessary, so scaffolding must be erected. Regarding safety, no one has yet conducted a definitive study, but from the operator's perspective, workers find it more convenient and free to move around on scaffolding, which is far better than using electric suspended platforms.  

Therefore, in terms of the overall trend and future prospects, suspended platforms have greater competitiveness. However, in the current market, since most operators are still using traditional scaffolding construction, and this group is much larger than the electric suspended platform operator group, many projects still use traditional scaffolding.