Vacuum Lifters for Panels — Coolroom & Cladding Installation Australia
Handle coolroom, cladding and roof panels faster, safer and with full control. German-engineered Oktopus® vacuum lifting solutions for restricted sites, heavy panels and precision installation — supplied, serviced and supported across Australia by Lincer.
✓ AS/NZS compliant
✓ Engineered by Wirth GmbH (Germany)
✓ VOC training included
✓ Lifecycle Management
Why Are Vacuum Lifters for Panels Essential for Efficient Installation?
Panels are large, fragile and expensive — and most Australian builds put them on sites where cranes, manpower and access are all in short supply.
The four problems we hear most
- Damage cost. A single dropped or scratched coolroom panel can write off thousands of dollars and delay handover.
- Manual handling. 16 m insulated panels are unsafe to lift by hand and slow the program down.
- Access. Plant rooms, cool stores and tight facade interfaces don’t suit a mobile crane.
- Crew size. Skilled installers are hard to find — every job that needs four hands instead of two is a problem.
How Vacuum Lifters Solve Panel Handling
Oktopus® vacuum lifters use redundant vacuum circuits and non-marking pads to grip panels without clamps or chains — so installs are faster, safer, and don’t damage finished surfaces.
What you get on the job
- Dual-vacuum, fail-safe grip. Two independent circuits — if one fails, the second holds the panel.
- Non-marking suction pads. Safe on Colorbond, painted aluminium, PIR and EPS coolroom panels.
- Variable lift, 90° tilt & 360° rotation. Place panels in plant rooms, on roofs, or against curtain walls with millimetre control.
- Crane or forklift attachment. Swap the interface in minutes; suit any site.
- Smaller crews. Typical coolroom install team drops from 4 operators to 2.
Vacuum Lifters for Panels — Applications
Built for the panels Australian contractors install every day.
Coolroom & cold storage
Cladding & facades
Roof & sandwich panels
Insulated panel installation on food processing, supermarkets, distribution centres and pharma cold rooms.
- EPS, PIR and PUR cores
- Colorbond and stainless skins
- 4–8 m panel lengths
Commercial buildings, architectural facades, ACP/composite panel installation and large-format cladding.
- Aluminium composite (ACP)
- Pre-finished steel facade panels
Industrial sheds, warehouses, gymnasiums and aircraft hangars where panels are long, heavy and high.
- Up to 12 m sandwich roof panels
- High placement work
- Restricted-access sites
Oktopus® Panel Vacuum Lifters — Range Available in Australia
Lincer is the official Australian dealer for the full Oktopus® panel range. Compare specs at a glance, then dive into the model that suits the job.
| Model | Application | Suction pads | Working Load Limit | Rotate | Weight | Attachment | Operation | Optional |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PANEL PT 400 | • turning over construction elements (face-to-face delivery) • installation of roof elements with a maximum length of 16 m (with extensions mounted) | • round suction pads (ø 250 mm) or • oval suction pads (100 mm x 320 mm) | Installation Turn-over • 12 round suction pads (Ø 250 mm) 400 kg 400 kg • 16 oval suction pads (100 mm x 320 mm) 400 kg 260 kg • 24 oval suction pads (100 mm x 320 mm) 400 kg 400 kg | Turn-over ≥ 180° | Depending on the equipment up to 740 kg | • Fork lift • Telescopic boom/crane | Cable remote control | Optional facilities: • Radio remote control • Extensions Optional equipment: • Safety belts • Transport rack • Protective caps |
| PANEL JACK KT-B/ ROOF CROSS BEAM DT5 | suitable to install roof elements with a maximum length of approx.14 m • Coupling two OKTOPUS® PANEL-Jack KT-B single devices with a roof cross beam of either 6 m or 10 m (DT 6 or DT 10) is possible. In this case roof elements of up to 22 m in length can be installed. • As a single device it is suitable for installing horizontal and vertical wall elements as well as roof elements of up to 8 m in length. | • round suction pads (Ø 250 mm) or • oval suction pads (100 mm x 320 mm) | 0° ≤ α ≤ 10° 10° < α ≤ 90° • 8 round suction pads (Ø 250 mm) 350 kg 250 kg • 12 round suction pads (Ø 250 mm) 400 kg 400 kg • 8 oval suction pads (100 mm x 320 mm) 200 kg 130 kg • 12 oval suction pads (100 mm x 320 mm) 300 kg 200 kg • 16 oval suction pads (100 mm x 320 mm) 400 kg 260 kg | Approx. 130 kg | Crane attachment | Control panel on the device | Optional facilities: • Set of spare batteries • Transport box • Safety belts Optional equipment: • Tcrane mounting horizontal installation • Crane mounting vertical installation • Rope lashing (2 ropes, l = 3 m) • Chain lashing (2 chains, 2 ropes, l = 3 m) |
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| PANEL-JACK IT-BT 500 | Handling flat construction elements on construction sites | • 8 oval suction pads (100 mm x 320 mm) 130 kg • 12 oval suction pads (100 mm x 320 mm) 200 kg • 16 oval suction pads (100 mm x 320 mm) 250 kg • 8 round suction pads (∅ 250 mm) 250 kg • 12 round suction pads (∅ 250 mm) 400 kg • 16 round suction pads (∅ 250 mm) 500 kg | 360° | approx. 845 kg | forklift / telescopic forklift | Cable remote control | Radio remote control |
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| PANEL GI-B 400 | • Horizontal and vertical installation of wall elements for industrial and cold room constructions • Installation of ceiling elements of up to 8 m in length | • round suction pads (ø 250 mm) or • oval suction pads (100 mm x 320 mm) | • 8 round suction pads (Ø 250 mm) 250 kg • 12 round suction pads (Ø 250 mm) 400 kg • 8 oval suction pads (100 mm x 320 mm) 130 kg • 12 oval suction pads (100 mm x 320 mm) 200 kg | • Tilt around horizontal axis • Tilt around vertical axis (swivel) | Approx. 600 kg | Fork lift | Cable remote control | Equipment: • safety belts • protective caps Options: • radio remote control • suction bridge 5 m |
| PANEL JACK GL-E | Installation of sandwich panels for cold room construction and on industrial construction sites | • round suction pads (ø 250 mm) or • oval suction pads (100 mm x 320 mm) | • 8 round suction pads (Ø 250 mm) 250 kg • 12 round suction pads (Ø 250 mm) 400 kg • 8 oval suction pads (100 mm x 320 mm) 130 kg • 12 oval suction pads (100 mm x 320 mm) 200 kg • 16 oval suction pads (100 mm x 320 mm) 260 kg | • Rotating: manually 360°, all 45° lockable • Slewing: hydraulically 0-90°, stepless • Side stroke: in forklift operation 200 mm | • Crane attachment approx. 230 kg • Forklift attachment approx. 400 kg | • Fork lift • Telescopic boom/crane | • Crane: control panel on the device. • Fork lift: control panel connected to the device via cable, optional radio remote control. | • Radio remote control • Forklift adapter with built-in side shift |
| PANEL JACK IT-BT 850 | Handling flat construction elements on construction sites | • 12 round suction pads Ø 250 mm max 400 kg • 16 round suction pads Ø 250 mm max 530 kg • 24 round suction pads Ø 250 mm max 800 kg | 360° | • approx. 750 kg (12 round suction pads without extension) • approx. 970 kg (24 round suction pads with extension) | Fork lift | Cable remote control | Radio remote control | |
| PANEL JACK KS-/KS-e Compact | Suitable for horizontal and vertical installation of wall elements | Wirth rectangular suction pad 720 x 960 mm | 400 kg | Tilt around horizontal axis | • Approx. 100 kg (without forklift adapter) • approx. 180 kg (with forklift adapter) | • Fork lift • Telescopic boom/crane | • Operation KS-Compact: Manually on the device • Operation KS-e Compact: Radio remote control | • Forklift adapter • Transport and storage box • Panel protecting plate |
Why Australian Installers Choose Lincer
We don’t just ship boxes. Lincer is the official Australian dealer for Oktopus®, and we back every lifter with technical advice, on-site service and operator training.
Australia-wide
Sales, service and parts everywhere from New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia.
VOC training
Verification of Competency for your operators, in person or on-site.
Inspection and Testing
Lincer provides professional lifting equipment inspection and testing across Australia, ensuring your machinery meets safety standards and operates at peak performance.
Parts
We offer a wide range of genuine parts to keep your lifting equipment operating at peak performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
The questions Australian installers and engineers ask us most often.
What is a vacuum lifter for panels and how does it work?
A vacuum lifter for panels uses pneumatic or electric vacuum pumps to create suction between rubber pads and a panel surface, holding the panel securely without clamps. The Oktopus® range supplied by Lincer features dual-vacuum circuits — if one circuit fails, the second keeps the panel safely held until you can lower it.
What's the difference between a crane-mounted and a forklift-mounted panel lifter?
Crane-mounted lifters hang from a tower or mobile crane hook and excel at high or far reach. Forklift-mounted units use fork pockets and are faster to deploy on ground-floor and warehouse work. The Oktopus® GL-E is designed to switch between both setups.
Do you hire or only sell panel vacuum lifters?
Lincer’s primary model is sales, service and parts. Hire is available through partner companies — contact us with your project details and we’ll point you to the right option.
Is a VOC required to operate a vacuum lifter in Australia?
Vacuum lifters do not always require a national licence, but most major sites and PCBUs require a Verification of Competency (VOC). Lincer delivers VOC training for operators across Australia, in person or on-site.
Can a vacuum lifter handle coolroom panels with a pre-finished or PIR surface?
Yes. Oktopus® panel lifters use soft, non-marking suction pads designed for pre-finished steel, Colorbond, painted aluminium and PIR / EPS-cored insulated panels — without scuffing or denting the surface.
