Inclined models are based on a stair lift template: a rail installed along a staircase moves a non-skid platform from one floor to another. Apex’s Delta and Omega platform lifts support a wheelchair or motor scooter, transporting it and the passenger from one floor to another in a residential or commercial building. Safety sensors detect potentially-harmful obstructions, and battery operation the lift from stalling during power outages. Not all staircases are straight, and to equip a structure with sufficient mobility options, Apex develops custom stair lifts with 90- or 180-degree curves and other unique features.

But, why go around when a trip can be a simple straight line? Vertical wheel chair lifts take the passenger directly to the destination. Distance, however, determines the structure of the device: if travel goes beyond six feet into the air, enclosure – four walls surrounding the platform – is obligatory. Along with the acrylic or metal panels forming a hoistway, a full-height door must be the entryway to the lower level, and a gate or door acts as a barrier on top. All doors or gates, for guarding against falls, must be level with the enclosure’s interior wall and be secured with an interlock.

A gate is enough for wheel chair lifts traveling no more than six feet. Like the larger systems, the upper gate is required to have an interlock that opens only when the platform is at level.

Regardless of distance, a screw or hydraulic drive system operates a vertical Apex wheel chair lift. With a motor , screw shaft, and large nut, a screw drive rotates to move the Apex Green platform up and down. Hydraulic operation, on the other hand, involves the flowing of fluid from a reservoir to a piston. When it moves into the piston, the platform raises, and when it flows back into the reservoir, the system moves downward. Hydraulic Apex wheel chair lifts are fully self-contained systems, however, and installation does not involve creating a pit and machine room.