Stop sacrificing your mirror-finish stainless steel to forklift damage.
In a high-purity steel service center, a scratch on a sanitary tube isn't just a defect—it's scrap. Your laser cutters and band saws are waiting while operators dig through piles of raw material. It’s time to switch from "storage" to "strategic supply." Adopt the system that allows 100% overhead crane access, eliminating aisle constraints and preserving the critical Ra surface finish of your inventory.
For a manufacturer specializing in hygienic components, high-purity tubing, and pharmaceutical-grade fittings, the way you store raw materials directly impacts your yield rate. Traditional static cantilevers force a "First-In, Last-Out" (FILO) nightmare. To access a specific bundle of 316L stainless pipe stored on the bottom level, your forklift operator must move the top three bundles.
This "secondary handling" is where profit bleeds out. Every time a bundle is moved, there is a risk of collision, denting, or scratching the polished surface. For sanitary industries requiring specific Ra (roughness average) values, a scratch means the material cannot be used for the intended tube fitting or valve body. Furthermore, while your operator spends 20 minutes rearranging the rack, your expensive CNC saws and laser tube cutters sit idle.
Manual operation allows a single operator to access specific layers without a forklift.
The fundamental difference with a roll-out cantilever system is the retrieval path. Instead of approaching from the side with a forklift (which requires wide aisles and visual guesswork), the rack arms extend 100% out of the structure like a drawer. This opens the material up to the ceiling.
This design shift allows you to utilize your facility's overhead crane or vacuum lifter for stock retrieval. The benefits for a steel service center are specific and immediate:
Electric drive systems allow for effortless handling of heavy wall pipes and solid bars.
Our racks are engineered for the rigorous demands of holding solid bar stock, thick-wall pipes, and structural profiles. Whether you are storing 20-foot lengths of raw steel or specialized aluminum extrusions, the structure is built to handle the load without deflection that could warp your inventory.
| Feature | Standard Cantilever | Telescopic (Crank-Out) Rack |
|---|---|---|
| Access Method | Forklift Only | Overhead Crane / Vacuum Lifter / Forklift |
| Aisle Width Required | Wide (10ft - 14ft) | Narrow (Operating space only needed for operator) |
| Surface Protection | Low (Sliding friction risk) | High (Vertical lift, no contact) |
| Retrieval Speed | Slow (requires moving obstacles) | Fast (Direct access to any level) |
Implementing a roll-out cantilever rack is a capital improvement to your facility's infrastructure. The system relies on a heavy-duty H-beam base that must be securely anchored to your concrete slab. This ensures stability even when a drawer loaded with 6,000 lbs of steel bar is fully extended.
The modular design allows for future expansion. As your inventory of specialized tube fittings and components grows, additional columns can be added. We recommend pairing these racks with UHMW (Ultra-High Molecular Weight) plastic liners on the arms to provide a non-marring surface for your most delicate stainless steel products.
Secure anchoring is critical for the stability of fully extended, loaded drawers.
Q1: We store polished pharmaceutical-grade stainless tubes. Can these racks prevent surface damage?
Yes. This is the primary advantage of the system. By extending the drawer and using an overhead crane with nylon straps or a vacuum lifter, you lift the material straight up. This eliminates the scraping action caused by sliding forklift tines in and out of a standard rack, preserving your Ra finish.
Q2: What is the maximum length of material we can store?
The system is modular. Whether you are storing standard 20-foot (6-meter) lengths of pipe or shorter stock for component manufacturing, we can configure the number of columns and arm spacing to support the load evenly and prevent sagging.
Q3: Is the electric operation necessary, or is manual sufficient?
It depends on your load and frequency. For loads under 6,600 lbs per arm level, our manual crank system is geared to be easily operated by one person. For heavier loads or high-frequency processing environments, the electric drive system reduces operator fatigue and speeds up cycle times.
Q4: Can we install this rack right next to our laser tube cutter?
Absolutely. Many of our customers in the fabrication sector install these units directly adjacent to the loading station of their laser cutters or CNC saws. This creates a "Point of Use" storage solution, drastically reducing the travel time for raw materials.
Q5: What are the floor requirements for installation?
Due to the high-density loading (often replacing extensive floor stacking), a standard 6-inch reinforced concrete slab is usually sufficient, but we will calculate the specific point loads based on your inventory weight to ensure your facility meets the structural requirements.
