Is Your Laser Cutting Schedule Bleeding Efficiency Due to “Dead Time” in Is Your Laser Cutting Schedule Bleeding Efficiency Due to “Dead Time” in Material Retrieval?

You have invested millions in high-speed fiber lasers and CNC machining centers to reduce cycle times by seconds. Yet, your operators often spend 20 minutes “digging” through static piles of raw steel just to find the next bar stock. This is the “Last Mile” problem in manufacturing logistics. Stop treating your raw material storage as a warehouse and start treating it as a high-velocity dispenser. Discover how Estanterías en voladizo telescópicas integrate directly into your production line, ensuring the right material is ready for the overhead crane exactly when the machine demands it. Hable con un experto

The “Point-of-Use” Strategy: Eliminating the Forklift Bottleneck

In a traditional setup, raw materials (like Inconel bars or structural steel profiles) are stored in a distant corner of the factory. When a job order comes in, a forklift must navigate busy aisles, locate the bundle, and transport it to the saw or laser. This process is rife with “waste” (Muda)—waiting, transportation, and motion.

By deploying Roll-Out Cantilever Racks directly adjacent to your processing equipment, you create a “Point-of-Use” solution. The rack acts as a magazine feeder for the machine. The operator simply cranks out the required drawer, uses a jib crane or overhead bridge crane to lift the stock, and loads the machine bed. The total cycle time drops from 15+ minutes to under 2 minutes. This keeps your machine utilization rate (OEE) high and your lead times short.

Organizing the Chaos of “Remnants” and SKUs

One of the biggest headaches in metal fabrication is managing “remnants”—the 2-meter piece left over after cutting a 6-meter bar. In static racking, these short pieces get lost behind full bundles or cluttered on the floor, eventually becoming scrap simply because no one can find them.

The telescopic system solves this through granular organization. As shown in the detail below, arms can be fitted with adjustable dividers (pins). This allows you to subdivide a single drawer into multiple lanes. You can store full-length raw bundles on the lower levels and organize short remnants or low-volume specialty alloys on the upper levels. Every piece remains visible and accessible, turning potential scrap losses back into usable inventory.

Detail view: Custom orange dividers allow for the organized storage of multiple SKUs or short remnants on a single rollout arm level.

Designed for the Realities of Heavy Manufacturing

This is not lightweight shelving. It is structural infrastructure. Built from heavy-gauge steel profiles and anchored with industrial expansion bolts, these units are designed to withstand the daily abuse of loading 5,000 kg bundles via crane. Whether you are handling delicate aerospace-grade aluminum that cannot be scratched, or rough Q355 construction beams, the system provides a stable, safe, and organized home for your most valuable assets.

Preguntas frecuentes

1. How does this system improve our inventory accuracy?
Static piles are hard to count. With telescopic racks, every bundle is separated and visible. You can see exactly how many bars of 316L stainless are on Level 3 without moving anything. This makes cycle counting fast and accurate, preventing those production stoppages caused by “system says we have it, but we can’t find it” scenarios.

2. Can we automate the extension process?
Yes. While the manual crank is ergonomically designed for ease, we offer fully motorized electric versions. These come with remote control operations (as seen in our electric models), allowing the operator to open a drawer while approaching with the crane, further shaving seconds off the retrieval time.

3. What if our material lengths vary?
The system is flexible. We can install bridge beams or steel grating decks across the arms to create a solid shelf surface. This allows you to store flexible or short items that might otherwise sag or fall between standard cantilever arms, ensuring 100% support for any inventory mix.

4. Is it difficult to train operators on this system?
It is intuitive. Unlike forklifts which require specialized licensing and high skill to operate safely in narrow aisles, the telescopic rack operation is straightforward: “Unlock, Crank, Lift.” The learning curve is minimal, and it significantly reduces the “skill gap” risk in your material handling operations.

5. Can this rack support tooling or heavy dies?
Yes. Due to the high load capacity (up to 5 tons per drawer) and the ability to add solid decking, many clients use the lower levels for raw material and the waist-height levels for storing heavy press brake dies or injection molds, allowing for quick tool changes using the same overhead crane.