Home lift
A home lift is a specific product in the elevators (lifts) of apartments, homes, or other private property with multiple stories or uneven flooring.
Home lifts are compact lifts for 2 to 6 persons. Unlike hydraulic lifts or traditional "gear and counterweight" operated elevators, a home lift doesn't require additional space for machine room, over head, or pit, making it more suitable for domestic and private use. Often, maintenance costs are also lower than a more conventional lift.
The driving system for a home lift is often built inside the lift structure itself and features a screw, an electric motor, and a nut mounted behind the control panel of the lift's platform; it is thus referred to as a "screw and nut" system. When the lift is operated, the engine forces the nut to rotate around the screw, pushing the lift up and down. Most home lifts come with an open platform structure to free even more space and grant access from 3 different sides of the platform. This requires all producers to include specific safety mechanisms and, in some countries, to limit the travel speed.
Home lifts have been present on the market for decades, and represent a growing trend. Most common producers are based in Europe, such as the Sweden-based cAritco Lifts AB, active since 1995. Many home lifts producers sell their products through their own network, but it is not rare to see them providing their lifts to bigger elevating system groups.