What is the Best Material for Shelving?
The two most popular materials for shelving are steel and wood. For an interior book shelf, wood is most popular due to the look it gives a home. For archive storage, steel is the preferred option as it is long lasting and highly durable. Over time, wood tends to start deflecting under the load placed on it, especially in damp or humid conditions. When it comes to fire prevention, wood is also combustible, which may put your archive at risk.
Steel and wood shelving solutions are often combined, using a steel racking structure with timber decks. The timber decks offer an affordable, strong, durable shelf. The steel structure offers the strength which is not prone to deflection with time.
What are the Parts of a Shelving Unit?
The most common shelving units are Bolt Together Shelving/ Industrial Shelving / Angle Upright Type shelving units. These units (bays) are supported using 4 angle uprights. The shelves are bolted to the uprights. On a few of the shelves in each unit are corner gussets – these are in place to brace the unit. Sometimes (particularly with older shelving systems), cross braces are used to brace the unit. These are no longer popular as the cross braces block the openings between units for longer items.
Units may be clad in solid back and side panels. In the openings, there is also an option for dividers, which create pigeon holes.
The bottom of the shelving bay needs to have a shelf to prevent the upright buckling when, for example, a broom may hit the upright. The bottom shelf is normally a few centimeters from the floor to raise the bottom items from potential flooding or to access the floor for cleaning. This space may also be fitted with a kick plate to block off the opening under the bay.
What are the Parts of a Racking Unit?
Warehouse Racking comprises end frames – the vertical supports. Each frame has 2 upright posts with cross bracing between them – a horizontal brace at the top and the bottom and diagonal braces between them. The horizontal beams are clip into the upright posts (these are normally orange so that they are easy to see by a forklift driver and a forklift operator is also better able to judge the height of the beam level).
Pallets are then stored on the beams, however, timber decks can be placed onto the beams – this allows smaller items to be packed directly onto the shelf. Timber decks can also be used to distribute the load better if four-way entry pallets are being used.
Racking Frames can also be spliced to increase the height of the frames.
What is Mobile Shelving?
Standard shelving requires an aisle between rows in order to access the shelves. The shelving units can be put onto mobile bases which then run on tracks. This enables the rows or units to be pushed together across the aisles, so that there is only one ‘moveable’ aisle, thus maximizing space.
Are Mobile Shelving Units Heavy To Push?
The tracks on which the mobile shelving units run is levelled using a dumpy level or a laser level. The mobile bases (bogeys) also have high specification bearings and rounded wheels to minimize friction. This means that a heavy weight can be easily pushed along the tracks. For heavier units, mechanical chain drives are used making it even easier to push the units together.
Can I Convert my Static Shelving to Mobile Shelving?
Almost all shelving and racking can be converted to mobile shelving, as long as the structure of the shelving or racking is sound enough.
Are Mobile Systems Fixed to The Floor?
The tracks are normally fixed to the floor, or even embedded into the floor where a new floor is screeded, however smaller units utilize a platform which is levelled and simply rests on the floor.