For a steel service center or hygienic piping manufacturer, a single scratch on a polished stainless steel tube (Ra < 0.5µm) isn't just a defect—it's immediate scrap. Traditional floor stacking and forklift handling are the primary causes of surface contamination and impact damage.
It is time to move from "warehousing" to "precision handling." Our solution allows you to access any specific bundle of tubing without moving a single surrounding item, directly via overhead crane.
The Hidden Cost of "Secondary Handling" in Steel Fabrication
In the high-purity stainless steel industry—supplying sectors like dairy, pharma, and semiconductors—material integrity is everything. When you store 6-meter lengths of 316L stainless tubing on static racks or floor stacks, you face the "First-In-Last-Out" (FILO) nightmare.
To reach a specific heat number or diameter buried at the bottom or back, your operators perform "secondary handling." They move the top three bundles to get to the fourth. Every time a forklift fork slides under a bundle, or a bundle is set down and picked up again, the risk of surface scratching, dents, or carbon contamination increases exponentially.
The
Telescopic Cantilever Rack eliminates this completely. By allowing 100% full extension of the rack arm, we convert your storage from a static shelf into a dynamic drawer system.
An operator easily extends a fully loaded level using the mechanical crank system.
Mechanism: How the "Crank Out" System Works
Unlike standard cantilever racks that require wide aisles for forklift turning radius, the
crank out cantilever rack is designed for vertical access.
1.
The Drive: A heavy-duty rack and pinion system, driven by a mechanical crank (or electric motor), transfers torque into linear motion.
2.
The Extension: The cantilever arm extends 100% out of the rack column structure.
3.
The Access: Once extended, the tube bundle is completely clear overhead. This allows your shop's overhead crane (bridge crane) to lower nylon slings directly onto the material.
This mechanism means a single operator can move up to 6,600 lbs (3,000 kg) of steel tubing with a simple rotation of a crank handle, requiring minimal physical effort.
Integrating with Overhead Cranes for Damage-Free Handling
The transition from forklift to overhead crane is the single biggest operational upgrade for handling long materials. Forklifts have blind spots. Maneuvering a 20-foot tube bundle through a narrow aisle is a constant collision risk—not just to the rack, but to the expensive electropolished tubes.
With
overhead crane accessible racking, the lifting path is vertical and unobstructed.
Heavy-duty electric extendable arms allow for safe, direct vertical picking via overhead crane.
By using cranes with soft straps or vacuum lifters, you eliminate metal-on-metal contact. This ensures that the high-quality surface finish of your sanitary fittings and tubes is preserved from the moment it leaves the mill until it hits your laser cutter or saw.
Maintenance and Structural Integrity
In a busy steel service center, equipment durability is non-negotiable. Our racks are not light-duty shelving; they are structural steel assets.
The system is anchored securely to your concrete slab using heavy-duty expansion bolts. The robust nature of the H-beam base and thick-wall rectangular columns ensures stability even under eccentric loading conditions when arms are fully extended.
Securing the heavy-duty base to the floor ensures stability during the extension of heavy loads.
Maintenance is intentionally designed to be low-burden. Since the transmission mechanism is enclosed and geared, the primary maintenance requirement is periodic lubrication of the drive gears and bearings. This keeps the
roll-out cantilever motion smooth and prevents wear, even in dusty fabrication environments.
Typical Specifications for Pipe & Tube Storage
| Parameter |
Standard Specification |
| Load Capacity Per Arm Level |
2,200 lbs - 11,000 lbs (1,000 kg - 5,000 kg) |
| Arm Length (Usable Depth) |
Up to 48 inches (Customizable for longer sheets/bundles) |
| Rack Height |
Typically 10ft - 16ft (Matches crane hook height) |
| Operation Mode |
Manual Crank or Electric Motor |
| Material Length Compatibility |
20ft (6m) standard, extendable with more columns |
Optimizing Floor Space for Production
If you are currently using standard cantilever racks, you are likely wasting 50% of your floor space on forklift aisles. A standard 5-ton forklift requires a 12-15 foot aisle to handle 20-foot long tubes.
By switching to a
crank out cantilever rack system, you can reduce that aisle width significantly, or eliminate it entirely if the rack is placed against a wall. The crane does the moving, not the forklift. This recovered floor space allows you to install additional processing equipment—like another band saw or a CNC machining center—directly increasing your factory's revenue potential.
Electric controls allow for precise handling of heavy inventory, further optimizing operation speed.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can we store sensitive stainless steel tubes without scratching them?
Yes. This is the primary use case. We recommend adding UHMW (plastic) liners to the steel arms. Combined with the use of nylon slings via overhead crane, your material never touches abrasive surfaces or other metal bundles during retrieval.
2. What are the floor requirements for installation?
Because these racks offer high-density storage, the point loads are significant. We typically require a reinforced concrete slab with a minimum thickness of 6-8 inches (depending on total load) and 3000 psi rating. We provide specific load diagrams for your civil engineers.
3. Can one operator handle a 3-ton bundle of bars manually?
Yes. The crank out cantilever rack uses a reduction gear system. Even with a 6,600 lb load, the cranking resistance is low enough for a single person to operate comfortably without strain.
4. How does this system improve safety compared to forklifts?
It eliminates the need for forklifts to travel down narrow aisles carrying wide, unstable loads of pipe. By moving the transport overhead (crane) and keeping the operator in a clear zone (cranking from the end of the rack), you virtually eliminate the risk of crushing accidents or rack collisions.
5. We have 40-foot custom profiles; can the rack handle this length?
Absolutely. The system is modular. We simply add more vertical columns and connect them with the drive shaft. This ensures the long material is supported at appropriate intervals to prevent sagging or bending.
