Stop treating your laser cutting machines like expensive waiting rooms. When your operators spend 20 minutes digging out a specific bundle of 304 stainless steel tube from the bottom of a stack, your production line bleeds money. It's time to switch from "warehousing" to "active supplying."
In the metal fabrication and steel service center industry, the biggest thief of productivity isn't machine breakdown—it's material retrieval. If you are handling 20ft lengths of hollow structural sections (HSS), aluminum profiles, or solid bar stock, you know the drill.
Traditional static cantilevers or floor stacking creates a "FILO" (First-In, Last-Out) nightmare. To get to the raw material needed for the next job, your forklift driver has to move three other bundles. This "secondary handling" poses two critical threats:
Stop the forklift shuffle. Manual crank-out mechanisms allow single operators to access specific bundles in seconds.
The solution is not just "more shelves"; it is dynamic access. The High capacity crank out rack is engineered specifically for high-mix, low-volume metal manufacturing environments. Unlike static racks, every arm level on this system functions like a heavy-duty drawer.
The defining feature of this system is the ability to extend the rack arm 100% out into the aisle. This simple mechanical change completely alters your material handling workflow.
By exposing the material fully from the top, you unlock Overhead Crane Access. You no longer need to navigate a wide forklift down narrow aisles, risking collisions with racking uprights. An operator can position the crane directly over the specific bundle required—whether it's on the top level or the bottom—and lift it vertically using straps or a vacuum lifter.
Forklifts require turning radiuses of 12 to 14 feet to handle long tube stock safely. By switching to a crane-serviced High capacity crank out rack, you can slash aisle widths dramatically. We have seen service centers recover up to 50% of their floor space—space that can be used to install an additional laser cutter or press brake, directly increasing revenue per square foot.
This is not light-duty shelving. It is structural steel infrastructure designed for the realities of steel distribution.
| Feature | Benefit for Metal Fabricators |
|---|---|
| Load Capacity | Up to 6,600 lbs (3 Metric Tons) per level. Handles dense bundles of solid bar stock or thick-wall pipe effortlessly. |
| Drive Mechanism | Available in Manual Crank (low maintenance) or Electric Drive (high throughput) for seamless integration with automated cells. |
| Safety Factors | Anti-roll mechanisms and strict deflection limits prevent the "springboard effect" common in inferior cantilever arms. |
| Surface Protection | Optional UHMW liners on arms protect sensitive materials like aluminum or polished stainless from carbon steel contamination and scratching. |
For high-throughput facilities, electric drive systems allow operators to retrieve heavy tube bundles with the push of a button.
Consider a high-end manufacturer similar to GHWA, producing hygienic components. They handle expensive, high-purity stainless steel tubes. A scratch means a scrapped part.
By implementing High capacity crank out rack systems directly adjacent to their cutting stations, they achieve:
Q1: Can these racks handle standard 20ft and 24ft lengths of steel tubing?
Yes. Our systems are modular. For 20ft to 24ft lengths, we typically configure a system with 4 to 5 towers (columns) to ensure proper support and prevent material sagging, which is critical for maintaining the straightness required for automatic bar feeders.
Q2: We handle polished stainless steel. How do we prevent carbon contamination from the rack?
We offer specialized non-metallic arm covers (usually UHMW or heavy-duty nylon). This creates a barrier between the carbon steel rack structure and your stainless stock, preventing galvanic corrosion and physical scratching.
Q3: What are the flooring requirements for installation?
Because of the high density (storing up to 20+ tons in a small footprint), a reinforced concrete slab is required. Typically, a minimum of 6 inches of 3,000 PSI concrete is standard, but our engineering team will calculate the specific load requirements for your facility's floor.
Q4: Is the electric system necessary, or is manual sufficient?
For loads under 6,000 lbs per arm, the manual crank is surprisingly easy to operate due to high-quality gearing—a single operator can move it with one hand. We recommend electric drives for very high-frequency cycling (e.g., feeding a laser 24/7) or for ultra-heavy loads exceeding 3 tons per level.
Q5: Can we retrofit existing static cantilever racks to become crank-out?
No. The structural physics are different. A static rack transfers load directly down; a crank-out rack must support massive eccentric loads when the drawers are extended. The base and column engineering of a High capacity crank out rack is significantly heavier and more robust to prevent tipping.
