Megapartner MGS: The Heaviest Manipulator In The Range Just Got Off The Floor
A new overhead trolley mounted system for Megapartner industrial manipulators, engineered to lift heavy load handling off your shop floor and onto the ceiling.
Walk any busy production hall and the same quiet conflict is playing out. The machines want space. The operators want space. The forklift wants space. And every column planted in the middle of the floor is a permanent negotiation that nobody wins.
The new Megapartner MGS takes one of those columns out of the argument entirely.
The Megapartner is the heavy end of the Dalmec range. It is the pneumatic manipulator you reach for when a load is genuinely difficult. Awkward, off-centre, and far heavier than anyone should be wrestling by hand. Until now, that capability came anchored to a column planted in your floor. The MGS lifts the whole thing overhead and puts it on rails.
It sounds like a small change. In layout terms it is not.
From a circle to a rectangle
A column mounted manipulator works in a circle. It is a very good circle. Wide reach, 360° rotation, near-weightless handling. But it is fixed around a single point on your floor, and every other thing in that cell has to arrange itself around that point. Pallets, racking, machine doors, walkways and gangways all end up defined by where the column had to go, which is often not where you would have chosen.
An overhead trolley mounted manipulator works in a rectangle instead. The unit hangs from a trolley running along suspended runways, so your working envelope becomes a defined area rather than a defined radius.
Pick from a pallet at one end. Place into a machine at the other. Travel the full length between them with nothing in the way at floor level.
The practical consequences stack up quickly. Pedestrian routes stay clear because there is no base plate to walk around. Cleaning and sweeping get easier. Pallet trucks and FLTs can pass directly beneath the working area. And when the process changes in eighteen months, as it always does, you are moving pallets and benches rather than breaking out concrete and re-anchoring a column.
For anyone planning a new layout, or squeezing a new process into an existing building, that is usually the whole ball game.
Column, overhead trolley or crane?
Three ways to get a heavy part from A to B, and they are genuinely different tools. This is the honest comparison:
| Column mounted manipulator | Overhead trolley mounted (MGS) | Overhead crane / hoist | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working envelope | Circular, around a fixed point | Rectangular, along the runway | Rectangular, along the bridge |
| Floor space used | Base plate plus exclusion zone | None | None, but columns or corbels needed |
| Load control | Balanced, guided by hand | Balanced, guided by hand | Suspended, free to swing |
| Orientation of the part | Rotation and tilt via tooling | Rotation and tilt via tooling | Manual, or a second lift |
| Precise placement | Excellent | Excellent | Slow, often needs a second person |
| Typical cycle time | Fast, single operator | Fast, single operator | Slower, settle time between moves |
| Best suited to | A single workstation or cell | Transfers between stations | Occasional lifts across a wide bay |
The short version: if the part needs to be placed rather than simply moved, a manipulator wins. If it also needs to travel any distance, the MGS is the version to look at.
Under the hood: four parts, one smooth movement
Dalmec’s innovation and development team in Cles has kept the architecture refreshingly legible. Four subsystems, each doing one job properly, with no cleverness for its own sake.
1. The runways
Two pairs of aluminium rails, mounted parallel and opposite one another, tied together by transverse beams that hold the geometry rigid and stop the rails spreading or twisting under load.
That second point matters more than it sounds. An overhead rail system fails long before it breaks. It fails when the rails drift a few millimetres out of parallel, the wheels start to bind, and the operator begins fighting the machine on every travel. The transverse beams exist to make sure that never starts happening.
The whole assembly is suspended from the building structure by tie rods, which both carry the weight and hold the runways in position. Aluminium keeps the dead load down, which is a genuine consideration when the roof steels also have to carry the trolley, the manipulator and the part.
3. The sliding trolleys
This is the clever bit, and the part that decides how the system feels to the operator.
Handling heavy loads is not only about static weight. It is about the moments and dynamic forces that appear the instant something starts, stops or swings. A 300kg part being accelerated by hand puts a very different demand into a rail than a 300kg part sitting still. Those are the forces that make a badly designed overhead system judder, bind or drift, and they are the reason cheap rail systems feel awful within a year.
The sliding trolleys are built specifically to absorb them, using sliding wheels paired with containment rollers that keep the assembly captive in the rail and take the side and overturning loads the wheels should not be carrying. The result is movement that stays fluid under acceleration instead of fighting back.
2. The trolley
The trolley is where the manipulator meets the rails, and it is made of steel for exactly the reason you would expect: rigidity under heavy load.
Its job is to spread weight evenly across the sliding trolleys rather than letting any single point take the punishment. Uneven loading is what wears wheels prematurely and puts twist into a frame, so the geometry here is doing quiet, unglamorous work every single cycle.
At the centre of the frame sits a perforated mounting plate, the hook point for the Megapartner itself. Strong, straightforward, serviceable, and accessible when the manipulator needs to come off for maintenance.
4. The motorisation
Travel is pneumatic, driven by two motorisation units mounted on opposite, crossed corners of the trolley.
Crossing them is a considered choice. Drive from one side only and the frame absorbs the skew, which the operator feels as a slight crab or a system that pulls as it starts. Diagonally opposed drive units balance the input across the frame, so the trolley tracks straight.
For the operator that translates into controlled, predictable movement across the full length of the runway. No lurch at the start, no fighting the system into position at the end. It also keeps the whole installation on a single compressed air supply, with no travel motors, drives or festoon cabling to specify, install or maintain.
Why this matters on the shop floor
You get your floor back
No column, no base plate, no permanent no-go zone in the middle of the cell. In retrofits, where the floor is already spoken for, this is often the deciding factor rather than a nice-to-have.
Reach becomes rectangular
Long transfers between stations stop being a problem you solve with a second machine, a conveyor or a crane. One operator, one device, the full length of the cell.
The ergonomics survive the move
The operator still guides rather than lifts. Mounting overhead does not dilute weightless handling. It just widens where it can happen, which means fewer awkward reaches, less twisting at the waist, and no reason for anyone to take the shortcut and lift by hand.
It runs on air
Pneumatic drive keeps the system consistent with the manipulator it carries, and viable in environments where electrical drives are restricted or unwelcome. One supply to plumb in, one supply to maintain.
Fewer people per move
Two-person lifts are expensive twice over. They cost you the labour and they cost you the flexibility, because neither person can be anywhere else. Balanced handling turns most of those into single-operator tasks.
It moves when you do
Runway systems can be extended, reconfigured or relocated far more readily than a floor-anchored column. Useful in a leased unit. Very useful when a line gets re-laid.
Where the Megapartner MGS earns its keep
Think of the applications where the load is heavy, the placement is precise, and the floor is contested:
- Machine tending across multiple stations within a single cell, loading and unloading without a second lift
- Moulds, dies and tooling changes, where accuracy matters as much as capacity and a dropped tool is a very expensive afternoon
- Reels, coils and drums moved between staging and line, gripped on the core and tilted to suit the machine
- Assembly lines feeding large components into fixtures at a controlled, repeatable rate
- Foundry, forming and press shops, where floor obstructions are a safety issue in their own right
- Battery, EV and automotive work, where modules and packs are heavy, awkward and intolerant of impact
- Any retrofit where a column simply cannot go where the work needs to happen
If your current answer to one of these is an overhead crane plus a slow, careful, two-person routine, this is a conversation worth having.
Specification
The MGS overhead trolley system
| Mounting | Overhead trolley mounted on suspended runways. Column mounted version also available. |
| Runway construction | Two opposed pairs of aluminium rails joined by transverse beams |
| Suspension | Tie rods and brackets fixed to the building structure |
| Trolley | Steel frame with central perforated mounting plate for the manipulator |
| Guidance | Sliding wheels with containment rollers |
| Travel drive | Two pneumatic motorisation units, diagonally opposed |
| Air supply | Filtered, non-lubricated compressed air |
| Runway span and length | Specified per application, subject to load, travel distance and supporting structure |
| Structural requirement | Assessed at survey. Suspension from roof steels, portal frame or an independent support structure |
The Megapartner manipulator it carries
Figures below are for the standard Megapartner MG. Ratings for an overhead trolley mounted configuration are confirmed per installation.
| Maximum load | Up to 1,500 kg |
| Maximum working radius | Up to 5,000 mm |
| Vertical lift | Up to 3,050 mm |
| Rotation, main axis | 360°, continuous |
| Rotation, intermediate axis | 300° |
| Rotation, tooling axis | 360°, continuous |
| Working pressure | 0.7 to 0.8 MPa |
| Air quality | Filtered to 40 µm, non-lubricated |
| Balancing | Pneumatic cylinder and lever transmission, two-circuit control |
| Gripping | Bespoke tooling: jaws, clamps, vacuum, mandrels, magnetic, forks |
Working capacity, runway span and lift height are always confirmed at survey stage. Every Dalmec installation is engineered around the actual load, the actual building and the actual process, so treat the above as the envelope rather than the answer.
What installation actually involves
The most common question we get is not about the machine. It is about the roof.
| 1 | Site survey. We measure the area, look at the pick and place points, watch the job being done as it is done now, and take details of the supporting structure. Bring us the awkward part, not the easy one. |
| 2 | Structural assessment. The runways transfer their load into your building, so the supporting steelwork has to be capable of taking it. Where it is not, an independent support structure can be designed to carry the system instead. This is established before anything is ordered, not discovered on installation week. |
| 3 | Tooling design. The manipulator is only as good as what it grips with. Tooling is designed around the part, allowing for variants, changeover, contact marking and centre of gravity. |
| 4 | Installation and commissioning. Typically a short, planned intervention. Runways up, trolley in, manipulator hooked, air connected, travel and balance set. |
| 5 | Operator familiarisation. Balanced handling is quick to learn and quicker to like. Most operators are confident inside an hour, and the usual reaction is that they would rather not go back. |
| 6 | Servicing. Lifting equipment in UK workplaces sits under LOLER and PUWER obligations, and planned maintenance keeps you compliant as well as running. Dalmec manipulators are manufactured in conformity with the EC Machinery Directive and the relevant EN standards. |
Common questions
Can the MGS be installed in an existing building?
In most cases, yes. That is a large part of the point. The runways are suspended from the existing structure using tie rods and brackets. What matters is whether your roof steels, portal frame or gantry can carry the imposed load. That is established during the site survey, before anything is designed, and where the structure is not suitable an independent support frame can be used instead.
How does it compare to an overhead crane?
A crane lifts. A manipulator lifts and controls orientation. With a Dalmec manipulator the load is balanced in a near-weightless condition, so the operator can position, rotate and tilt it by hand with fine precision. No pendulum swing, no spotter, no waiting for a load to settle before it can be placed. For repetitive placement work the difference in cycle time is substantial.
Does it need an electrical supply?
The handling and travel are pneumatic, running on filtered, non-lubricated compressed air. This keeps the system suitable for environments where electrical drives are restricted or undesirable, and it means no travel motors, drives or festoon cabling to install and maintain.
What load can it handle?
The Megapartner is the heavy-duty model in the Dalmec range and handles up to 1,500 kg in its standard column mounted form. The rated capacity for an overhead trolley mounted configuration depends on the installation, including runway span and supporting structure, so it is confirmed as part of the technical proposal rather than quoted as a blanket figure.
Will it handle off-centre and awkward loads?
Yes, and that is precisely what the Megapartner is designed for. Off-centre loads are where cheaper lifting aids struggle, because the moment arm works against the operator. The balancing system and rigid structure are specified to deal with it, and the tooling is designed around the actual centre of gravity of your part.
How long does installation take?
It depends on runway length and site access, but installation is normally a short, planned intervention rather than a shutdown. We agree the window in advance and work around your production schedule wherever possible.
Who installs and maintains it?
Dalmec handles design, installation, commissioning, operator familiarisation and ongoing servicing. Manipulators fall under statutory inspection obligations in the UK, and a planned maintenance agreement keeps the equipment compliant, safe and available.
Book a free site survey
Every installation depends on your loads, your travel distances and what your roof structure can carry, and those are questions worth answering before the layout is drawn, not after.
Send us the part, the weights and a photo of the area. We will tell you honestly whether the Megapartner MGS is the right answer, or whether something else in the range fits better.
Megapartner MGS: overhead trolley mounted system for Megapartner manipulators. Innovation and development, Dalmec S.p.A., Cles.
Related: Megapartner · Maxipartner · Micropartner · All industrial manipulators