In the world of sanitary fluid handling, surface finish is everything. When you are storing high-purity stainless steel tubes (ASME BPE, 20Ra or better), the traditional "floor stack and forklift" method isn't just inefficient—it’s a liability. A single scratch from a fork tine or a collision during "secondary handling" can turn a premium electropolished tube into scrap metal. You need a storage solution that respects the metallurgy as much as your fabrication process does.
For distributors and manufacturers dealing in 304L and 316L stainless steel, titanium, or nickel alloys, storage density often comes at the cost of material integrity. Standard cantilever racks force operators into a high-risk dance. To access a specific bundle of 1.5" OD tubing located on a lower level, forklifts must maneuver down wide aisles, often shuffling stock that sits in front or on top.
This "digging" process is where profit bleeds out. In a high-mix, low-volume environment—typical for suppliers of pharmaceutical or food-grade components—you aren't moving full truckloads at once. You are picking specific lengths for laser cutting or sawing orders. Every time a forklift touches a bundle for shuffling, you risk carbon contamination from the forks or physical dents. Furthermore, wide forklift aisles consume 50% of your clean, expensive floor space.
The Roll Out Cantilever system changes the physics of retrieval. Instead of driving a vehicle into the rack, the rack extends out to you. Each level acts as a fully extendable drawer (100% extension), revealing the entire length of the tube bundle.
By allowing overhead crane access directly from above, we eliminate the need for forklifts to interact with the rack face entirely. An operator can use nylon slings or a vacuum lifter to gently pick a single tube or a full bundle without ever touching adjacent materials. This "no-contact" handling is the only way to guarantee the surface integrity of polished sanitary tubing while reclaiming the vertical space often lost in traditional setups.
Standard racks are rarely fit for the specific demands of hygienic component manufacturing. Our Custom Crank Stacking Rack Solutions are engineered to address specific inventory challenges:
Depending on your throughput, the drive mechanism can be tailored to your workflow. For maintenance stores or lower-frequency access, the crank out cantilever rack utilizes a mechanical reduction gear. This allows a single operator to move a drawer loaded with 6,000 lbs of steel bar stock with just 30 lbs of force on the crank handle.
For high-velocity service centers feeding automated laser tube cutters or band saws, speed is critical. Our motorized Telescopic Cantilever Rack systems allow operators to open specific drawers via remote control while simultaneously positioning the overhead crane. This cuts cycle times by up to 80% compared to forklift retrieval, keeping your expensive processing machinery running, not waiting.
Beyond protecting the Ra value of your tubes, these systems protect your workforce. Manually wrestling heavy bars or guiding a forklift blindly into high racks are leading causes of injury in metal service centers. By moving the load out into the open aisle and utilizing overhead crane accessible racking, you create a controlled, highly visible picking environment.
Furthermore, because the crane loads from above, aisle widths can be reduced to the width of the load itself, eliminating the 12-14 foot turning radius required for heavy-duty forklifts. This allows you to store 2-3 times more inventory in the same footprint—crucial for climate-controlled warehouses where square footage costs are premium.
Q1: Can we install UHMW liners on the arms to protect polished stainless steel?
Yes, this is a standard request for the hygienic industry. We can line the support arms and the base with UHMW (Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene) or other non-marring materials to ensure the carbon steel rack never touches your stainless product, preventing iron contamination and scratches.
Q2: What is the maximum length of tubing your custom racks can handle?
Our systems are modular. We frequently design racks for standard 20-foot (6-meter) bundles, but we can customize the number of columns and spacing to accommodate 24-foot or even 40-foot special alloy lengths while maintaining structural rigidity.
Q3: Does the system support "honeycombing" for different heat numbers?
Yes. Unlike bulk floor stacking where bundles get buried, every level is accessible independently. With the addition of vertical dividers on the arms, you can further segregate different heat numbers or OD sizes on the same level without mixing them.
Q4: How does this system integrate with a cleanroom environment?
The Roll Out Cantilever design significantly reduces particulate generation compared to forklifts (tire dust, exhaust). The racks are powder-coated for easy cleaning, and the reduction of floor traffic helps maintain higher cleanliness standards required for pharmaceutical component storage.
Q5: Can the motorized drawers interface with our WMS (Warehouse Management System)?
Yes, our electric systems can be equipped with PLCs that interface with your WMS. This allows for directed picking, where the system automatically identifies and opens the correct drawer containing the specific SKU or heat number required for the order.
