In high-volume Glass Fabrication, the bottleneck isn't always at the cutting table or the tempering furnace—it's in the transport between them. If your crew is still manually struggling to sort lites for IGU pairing, or if you are seeing edge chips on high-value coated glass during WIP transfer, your logistics strategy is eating into your margins. We engineer mobile buffer solutions that secure every single lite, from the CNC breakout to the final seal.
In a professional glass fabrication plant—whether you are supplying architectural facades or custom shower enclosures—the storage rack is a dynamic tool, not just a static shelf. The standard A-frame is excellent for shipping packs of bulk float glass, but it is a disaster for Work-in-Progress (WIP) sorting.
When your production line requires sequencing for Insulated Glass Unit (IGU) manufacturing, relying on L-bucks or standard A-frames leads to "digging" for the right lite. This double-handling is the primary cause of surface scratches on soft-coat Low-E glass and catastrophic shelling on edges. The Glass Fabrication Rack, specifically the Harp style, is designed to eliminate this chaos by treating every sheet of glass as an individual, accessible unit.
The engineered anatomy of a Harp Rack: Designed for assembly and durability.
The core value of a Harp Rack lies in its ability to synchronize with the "pairing" process in IGU production. When glass comes off the washer or the tempering furnace, it often arrives out of sequence. To maintain a high cycle time on the pressing line, operators need a system that allows for instant visual identification and retrieval.
Our racks feature numbered slots on the base. This allows the breakout team to organize glass lites (e.g., inner pane and outer pane) in exact production order (1 through 40). The high-density storage capability means a compact footprint can hold an entire shift's worth of "partners," ready to be rolled to the sealing robot without re-sorting.
Numbered slots (1-40) enable precise sequencing for IGU pairing, eliminating production line confusion.
Fabricators dealing with laminated glass or heavy architectural sheets know that the bottom edge is the most vulnerable point. A metal-on-glass contact point is a guaranteed reject.
We utilize a specialized Nylon roller system embedded in the base. Unlike a static rubber pad where glass must be lifted and placed, the rollers allow heavy sheets (even 1/2" or 3/4" thick) to be slid in effortlessly. This reduces operator fatigue and prevents the "drop and chip" motion common with static racks. Furthermore, the vertical dividers are sheathed in durable PVC casing. This provides a non-marring leaning surface that protects sensitive coatings like double-silver Low-E from abrasion during transport.
PVC-coated dividers ensure zero metal-to-glass contact, protecting high-value soft coatings.
A common headache in custom glass fabrication is handling "awkward" sizes—such as tall, narrow transom windows or wide, short balustrades. On a standard rack with only two bottom rails, these pieces can slip through the gap or twist, leading to breakage during the roll across the factory floor.
Our solution utilizes a Full Base or High-Density Roller design. This ensures that even a narrow strip of glass has continuous support underneath it. Combined with the Foot-Actuated Lifting Mechanism, the rack transitions from a mobile cart to a static station instantly. When the pedal is engaged, the rack lifts off its casters and rests on solid pads. This is critical when loading heavy glass; it prevents the rack from "skating" away when an operator applies force to slide a heavy sheet into the slot.
The foot-actuated lock anchors the rack firmly to the floor, ensuring safety during loading and unloading.
For facility managers overseeing equipment procurement, shipping costs for fully welded racks can be a dealbreaker—you are essentially paying to ship air. We have engineered our Glass Fabrication Rack with a smart Knock-Down (KD) design.
The base, uprights, and grid sections are bolted together on-site using high-strength fasteners. This allows us to flat-pack the units, significantly increasing the quantity that fits in a container or truck. Once they arrive at your facility, they can be assembled quickly, providing the same structural rigidity as a welded unit but with a fraction of the logistics cost.
Flat-pack delivery reduces shipping volume, lowering freight costs for international glass fabricators.
| 1. Can these racks handle hot glass directly from the tempering furnace? |
| While the steel structure is heat resistant, the PVC coatings on the harp strings and the Nylon rollers have temperature limits. For glass coming strictly out of the quench (where it is cool to the touch), standard models are perfect. For hot glass applications, we recommend specifying high-temperature resistant contact materials. |
| 2. What is the maximum glass thickness for the standard slot width? |
| Our standard numbering and spacing are optimized for single lites ranging from 3mm up to 12mm (1/2"). However, for fabricators handling heavy multi-ply laminated glass or thick fire-rated glass, we can customize the slot pitch to accommodate thicknesses up to 1 inch or more. |
| 3. How does the floor lock mechanism differ from standard caster brakes? |
| Standard caster brakes only stop the wheel from rolling. Our foot-actuated lifting mechanism physically lifts the rack's weight off the wheels and places it on a rubber friction pad. This provides vastly superior stability, preventing the rack from pivoting or sliding when heavy glass is pushed into it. |
| 4. Can we use these racks for storing IGU spacers and muntin bars? |
| Yes. While designed for glass sheets, the high density of the dividers makes them excellent for vertical storage of long, slender components like spacer bars or muntin grids, keeping them organized and preventing bending. |
| 5. Do you offer replacement parts for the rollers or PVC sleeves? |
| Absolutely. In a busy glass plant, wear and tear is inevitable. The bolt-on design of our racks means you can easily replace a damaged PVC sleeve or a worn roller without welding or scrapping the entire rack, ensuring a long service life and low total cost of ownership. |
