Sky Hook (dba Syclone ATTCO Service)

• Booth: D41951

 Press Releases

• CNC Manufacturing Gaps Have A Sky Hook Solution (Jul 21, 2025)
  Aided by CAD, CAM, and a team of well-trained professionals, CNC machines bring machining and manufacturing to life, automating much of the process to become as refined and streamlined as possible.  While this streamlined system is a great asset to any company, these systems are not without gaps, many of which are left to the operator to fill.
  
  While the design of the CNC machine has many refinements, for the operator, lifting tooling and materials in and out of the workspace is no cakewalk.  This problem is nothing new, though still to this day, the solutions most commonly integrated are far from adequate for daily operation.  When management and project leads come together to find solutions, legitimate ideas are brought to the table, even with little regard for overall cost as they know the health and safety of their shop-floor operators are of the utmost concern.  As a result, overhead gantry systems, forklifts, die carts, A-frames, and large jib cranes are brought in to be all-encompassing solutions for manufacturing facility material handling.  The question then is, does this actually work?
  
  Generic, large, and usually way over-rated lifting solutions are just that.  The problem for the operators is not that these solutions couldn’t do the work, but that they’re not realistic.  In manufacturing facilities, space is a premium leaving little room to safely move a forklift or mobile A-frame lift into position.  Large floor-mounted jibs might provide a solution for 2-3 lifting applications in a tight workspace but they’re locked to that position becoming very expensive, limited-use tools.  Overhead gantry hoists alternatively are good space savers providing universal lifting for large work spaces though they too come with many limitations in electrical and ducting conflicts, limited single-person use, and a major hit to the project budget. They also provide surprisingly little use to operators needing to make periodic lifts of relatively lightweight loads, which still pose risks of serious lifting injuries.  To further the problem these cranes often require a person with crane certification to use them as well.  The right solution needs to be small, portable, lightweight, and easy to operate.  It should be an operator’s companion, easily accessible and ready to do the job.
  
  The Sky Hook lifting device is that very solution.  Moving away from lifts that are bigger, more complex, and rated for extreme loads, the Sky Hook brings the focus back to the operators and the very needs they have at their work station on a daily basis.  The CNC operator doesn’t need to make a 2-ton overhead lift to complete their job.  The operator is concerned about lifting the 85 lb. tooling from the storage shelf onto the mill table inside the machine cabinet without hurting her back.  The Sky Hook is a small, portable lift, capable of precision lifting up to 500 lbs.  It is completely manually operated with no need for connections to outside power sources.  Learn more about the Sky Hook lifting solution and customization options at www.skyhookmfr.com or by calling their Technical Sales and Design Team at (800) 475-9466.

• Not a Jib or Crane, but a Sky Hook (Jul 22, 2025)
  Every shop and job site has materials, parts, and tooling that exceeds the safe, allowable weight range an operator can lift without assistance from some kind of lifting tool or equipment.  Luckily an entire industry has set its focus on this very problem, though it seems the most common solutions created have skipped a few classes of material handling applications along the way.  One key gap, too quickly overlooked, is the operator’s need to lift more than they can personally handle, more than they want to safely lift with multiple people, and less than the extreme capacity of a multi-ton overhead or jib crane. The operator doesn’t need to make a 2-ton overhead lift to complete their job.  The operator is concerned about moving the 150 lb. tooling from the storage shelf onto the CNC mill table, inside the cabinet without hurting their back.  Besides being locked to their final mounted positions, both overhead and jib cranes pose a problem of high cost, challenging installation requirements, and full crane-type inspections with certified personnel to operate.
  
  Syclone ATTCO Service has spent the last 50 years taking up the challenge of building a lifting product and service which does far better to fill the needs of the ergonomic material handling industry.  From their original product designed back in 1969, in the heart of the manual machine shop industry, the Sky Hook emerged as the key lifting companion to the lathe and mill operators needing to safely handle heavy chucks and tooling.  Growing and learning through the past five decades, this family-owned and operated company has moved to best facilitate its customers’ needs time after time, developing what is now a complete customer application-driven, lifting solution product and service system.
  
  The Sky Hook is a better lifting solution, one that is mobile, portable, lightweight, and requires no connection to an external power source.  The Sky Hook costs a fraction of those other options and is easy to procure as a localized lifting hoist to make simple, single-operator lifts of awkward hard-to-reach loads up to 500 lbs.  Designed from lightweight, structural DOM tubing, the entire design from base to boom, is crafted specifically for the precision handling of loads between 10-500 lbs.  With the lightest model weighing in at only 26 lbs., the Sky Hook can be easily moved from location to location without hassle, while being able to do the lifting of four to five people.  
  
  Roughly the height of a typical person, an operator can use it precisely where they already are, allowing them to easily prevent a dangerous and expensive back injury.  Not only does it prevent lifting-related injuries, but it also saves both time and money.  As Mark Spencer with Spencer Corporation commented after implementing his long reach #8727.42 Premium Chain Sky Hook w/ Bench Mount Base, “Thanks SKYHOOK!  This tool is getting 10X more use than I ever thought it would. We use it every day. The guys love it!”
  
  “I was able to hover it over the screw holes about 1/16” above the table mounts. There were .001 shims on the two back table pads that I would never be able to lower slowly enough without damaging using any other lift in the shop. It worked perfectly!” – Mark Spencer w/ Spencer Corporation. “That table is about 470 lbs.”, referencing the fixture being lifted in the photo.
  
  USA designed and manufactured, the Sky Hook is a quality and safety focused lifting solution with a history of success in nearly every industry in the past 50 years.  As a family-owned and operated company, they work closely with their customers to provide solutions designed specifically to fill their exact needs. Contact Syclone ATTCO Service today to get your precision Sky Hook lifting solution!
   

• Workplace Lifting Injuries and the Sky Hook (Jul 22, 2025)
  Back pain is one of the leading causes of disability in the workplace today.  In 2021, one in six work-related traumatic injuries were back-related, 80% of which were to the lower back and 75% occurred during lifting tasks.  Lifting injury prevention has remained a key focus in nearly all work environments, from hospitals to manufacturing.  While methods and applications to reduce these numbers vary greatly, there is one unique outlier gaining notice in the material handling industry that has proven to be the lifting solution operators and ERGO moguls have been needing.
  
  Originating back in 1969, the Sky Hook made its start in material handling with assisting machinists in lifting chucks on and off lathes for replacement and maintenance.  Today the Sky Hook is much more, now finding its home in nearly every industry and environment, from CNC machine shops to semi-conductor fabs.  With a focus specifically on developing safe, ergonomic lifting for loads up to 500 lbs., the team at Syclone ATTCO Service aims to reduce the occurrence of workplace lifting injuries while saving companies both time and money.
  
  From an employer’s perspective, while lifting equipment options aren’t in short supply, implementing some of those products can be no small task and at no small cost.  Overhead gantry systems, jib and large davit cranes, as well as A-frames and cherry pickers all have their place. However, beyond the large footprint they take up, installation can mean major costs and huge time commitments.  Alternatively, the Sky Hook is designed to be a small, portable lifting solution that in most cases, can be easily mounted or simply rolled into position for completing the lifting task.  Costing a factor of 10-20 times less than an overhead crane, and far more versatile and easier to use in tight working conditions, the Sky Hook lifting devices provide companies with the necessary savings they need to implement further injury prevention solutions across their facilities.
  
  The question then becomes, will the operator actually use the lifting device being put into place or will they side step the provided solution to just do it by hand, risking a damaging injury.  To resolve these concerns, the sales and design teams at Syclone ATTCO Service have used their past 50 years of experience in material handling to build Sky Hook lifting solutions which cater directly to the end user’s needs.  By focusing on small, portable lifting designs with a maximum capacity of 500 lbs., they’ve been able to scale down the Sky Hook’s frame and controls to only that which is required to complete the lift in the simplest of manners.  The height and reach of the lift are designed to emulate that of a person on the floor, removing the dangerous need for a 2-person lift or the lifting of an awkward hard to reach load.  Sticking to their mission of meeting their customer’s exact application needs, the Sky Hook sales team works directly with their customers, offering customization solutions such as modified height, reach, hand wheel location, base modifications, and more.  To the operator the Sky Hook is not a safety crutch to be used only when absolutely needed, but a convenient, ergonomic, and easy-to-use tool, aiding with everyday tasks.
  
  With the right equipment, dangerous workplace-related lifting injuries can be prevented.  The Sky Hook lifting device is a unique solution built specifically for lifting lightweight loads up to 500 lbs.  Fully customizable with models ranging in weight from only 26 lbs. to larger counterweighted mobile carts, the Sky Hook product line shines as a bright yellow beacon of hope in preventing lifting related injuries year after year.