Patent ID: 7308929

Claim:
A vacuum seal arrangement for use on a vacuum lifting head for lifting metal ingots, said vacuum lifting head having a source of vacuum, said vacuum seal arrangement comprising: a sealing element having a flexible core which can deform to form a vacuum seal against an ingot and a flexible abrasion-resistant outer layer on said core, one or more retaining elements located on a lower face of said lifting head for releasably retaining said sealing element onto the lifting head, and at least one seal compression limiter sized, shaped, and positioned on said lifting head so as to limit the compression of said sealing element when said vacuum seal is formed against said ingot, wherein said at least one seal compression limiter is threaded, and wherein said lifting head includes at least one threaded hole for receiving the at least one seal compression limiter, the at least one limiter being adjustable by rotating the at least one limiter in the at least one threaded hole.