Storlogi’s gravity-driven technology leads the new era of intelligent warehousing

I. The Intelligent Choice of Gravity Racking Warehousing

Gravity racking, also known as roller racking, ingeniously makes use of the self-weight of goods. Through the design of inclined sliding channels, it enables the automatic flow, storage and retrieval of goods. Without the need for electric power drive or complex operations, under the action of gravity, the goods are like products on an assembly line, automatically sliding to the designated position, which greatly improves the warehousing efficiency.

II.  The Design Secrets of Gravity Racking

The sliding channel of the gravity racking is designed to be inclined, which is the key to realizing the automatic sliding of goods. The inclination angle is usually between 3° and 5°. This can not only ensure that the goods slide smoothly but also prevent the goods from being damaged or posing potential safety hazards due to excessive sliding speed.

The roller track is an important component of the gravity racking. It is installed on the cross beams of the racking to provide sliding support for the goods. The design of the roller track enables the goods to remain stable during the sliding process and reduces the sliding resistance at the same time.

On the sliding channel, guide wheels are usually installed to guide the goods to slide along the correct path. Meanwhile, in order to prevent multiple pallets from sliding out simultaneously during the goods picking process, which may cause interference in goods picking, separators are equipped between adjacent pallets.

In order to control the sliding speed of the goods, gravity racking is usually equipped with resistance braking wheels. These braking wheels can control the sliding speed of the goods by adjusting the magnitude of the resistance, ensuring that the goods can slide smoothly and safely to the outbound end.

III.  Characteristics and Application Scenarios of Gravity Racking

• The most prominent feature of gravity racking lies in its automatic sliding function. Goods are placed at the higher end of the racking and automatically slide towards the lower end along the specially designed sliding channels relying on their own gravity. This design makes the storage and retrieval of goods extremely efficient. Without the need for manual handling or mechanical assistance, it greatly saves time and labor costs.
• Gravity racking strictly adheres to the principle of first-in, first-out, ensuring the turnover efficiency of goods. Newly received goods are placed at the higher end of the racking, while the goods that were received earliest automatically slide towards the lower end and wait for outbound. This management method helps enterprises better control their inventory, avoid the backlog and expiration of goods, and optimize inventory management.
• Gravity racking has a very high space utilization rate. Compared with traditional racking, it can make more effective use of both the vertical and horizontal space in the warehouse. There is no need to set up operation aisles between racking groups, which greatly saves warehouse space. At the same time, since the goods slide automatically, there is no need to additionally configure handling equipment, further reducing the operating costs of enterprises.
• During the design and manufacturing process of gravity racking, safety and stability are fully taken into consideration. Dampers are installed on the sliding channels, which can control the sliding speed of the goods to ensure that the goods will not be damaged due to excessive speed during the sliding process. In addition, the maintenance of the racking is relatively simple. It only requires regular inspection of the status of the sliding channels and dampers to ensure their normal operation.
• The flexible configuration of gravity racking is also one of its major highlights. Parameters such as the depth and number of layers of the racking, as well as the slope of the sliding channels, can all be customized according to the actual needs of enterprises. This flexibility enables gravity racking to be applicable to various types of warehouses and storage requirements, providing enterprises with more room for choice.
• Against the current social background of advocating green development, the environmental protection and energy-saving features of gravity racking have also attracted much attention. It does not require electric power drive, resulting in no energy consumption or noise pollution, which is in line with the concept of sustainable development. At the same time, due to the automatic sliding of goods, the demand for manual handling and mechanical assistance is reduced, further reducing carbon emissions and energy consumption.