Wire Rack Shelving: Versatile Storage Solutions for Industrial Applications

Wire rack shelving is a versatile storage solution that has become an essential component in various industrial settings. With its open-grid design and sturdy construction, wire rack shelving offers efficient organization, easy visibility, and improved airflow for stored items. In this blog post, we will explore the concept of wire rack shelving, its applications in industries such as automotive, food service, and furniture, and how it contributes to effective storage through its unique design.

What is Wire Rack Shelving?

Wire rack shelving, also known as wire grid shelving or wire mesh shelving, is a type of storage system composed of wire grids or shelves supported by metal frames. The wire grids are designed with evenly spaced openings, allowing for increased visibility and airflow. These shelves are commonly made from materials like stainless steel, carbon steel, or galvanized steel wire, providing durability, strength, and resistance to various environmental conditions. The benefits of using wire rack shelving include the following:

• Ease of customization: Wire rack shelving is available in a variety of colors and finishes, and can be easily shaped into different configurations to accommodate any storage requirements.
• Enhanced durability: Constructed of steel posts and support wires that weave into a pattern to create a sturdy shelf, wire rack shelving can withstand upwards of 200 pounds depending on the weaving and steel posts. Industrial wire shelving with welded units may hold up to 800 pounds or more.
• Durable construction: Constructed from premium carbon or stainless steel, making it durable and able to withstand various elements year after year.
• Abrasion resistant: Steel material prevents scuffs and damage, ensuring long-lasting use.
• Strength: Built to withstand a wide range of weight capacities, from a few pounds to hundreds, making them suitable for storing various items.
• Easy to clean: Minimal surface space results in less dust buildup and maximizes airflow, ensuring the stored items remain clean and well-ventilated.
• Versatility: Removable design allows for easy and convenient changes to storage configurations, making it a versatile storage option.

Wire Rack Shelving Applications

With its adaptability and durability, wire rack shelving proves indispensable in diverse and industrial settings, catering to the specific storage needs of various industries.

1. Retail and POP Displays: Wire rack shelving finds extensive use in retail and warehousing environments. In retail stores, wire rack shelving is commonly used to display and organize products such as clothing, electronics, household items, and more. Its open-grid design enables excellent product visibility and easy access for customers.
2. Automotive: In the automotive industry, custom wire racks provide efficient storage and transportation solutions for various parts and components. Wire forming techniques are used to create racks that accommodate the unique shapes, sizes, and weights of automotive parts. Custom wire racks can be designed with specialized features such as dividers, hooks, or adjustable shelves to ensure secure storage and easy access to critical components during assembly or maintenance processes.
3. Food Service: Custom wire racks find extensive use in the food service industry, where specific storage requirements are necessary to maintain food quality and safety. Wire forming allows for the creation of racks that can accommodate different sizes and shapes of food products. Customization options include adjustable shelves, removable partitions, or specialized coatings for improved hygiene and temperature control. These racks facilitate efficient inventory management, proper ventilation, and easy accessibility of perishable goods in commercial kitchens, restaurants, or grocery stores.
4. Furniture: The furniture industry often deals with a wide range of components and materials that require specialized storage solutions. Wire forming enables the creation of custom wire racks that are tailored to accommodate specific dimensions, weight capacities, and storage needs. These racks can be designed to hold upholstery fabrics, wooden panels, metal hardware, or other furniture components. By incorporating custom features such as hanging bars, labeling systems, or stackable configurations, wire racks optimize space utilization and streamline the furniture production process.
5. Laboratories and Medical Equipment: Wire rack shelving plays a crucial role in medical facilities and laboratories. It is utilized to store medical supplies, equipment, and laboratory specimens. The open-grid design allows for proper air circulation, which is important for preserving sensitive materials and minimizing the risk of contamination. Wire rack shelving’s versatility allows for easy customization to accommodate specific requirements, such as adjustable shelving heights or the integration of accessories like hooks or dividers for organizing medical supplies or lab equipment.

Forming Techniques for Wire Rack Shelving

Wire rack shelving is created through the process of wire forming. Wire forming involves shaping metal wire into desired configurations using specialized machinery and tools. The wire is fed into the wire forming machine, where it is bent and shaped to match the dimensions and design requirements of the wire rack shelving. Wire forming techniques allow for the creation of sturdy wire shelves, adjustable heights, and the integration of additional features like hooks or dividers.

Choose Rockford Specialties for Your Wire Storage Needs

Wire rack shelving offers versatile and efficient storage solutions across a wide range of industries. Its open-grid design, durability, and adaptability make it suitable for retail, warehousing, e-commerce, healthcare, laboratories, residential storage, and garage applications. Through the utilization of wire forming techniques, wire rack shelving is manufactured to provide optimal storage capacity, organization, and accessibility. Customize your wire rack shelving with the experts at Rockford Specialties. Contact us to receive a quote and get your shelving solution started.

Why Choose Robotic Welding?

Robotic welding is an automated welding process that uses programmable tools—or robots—to handle and weld parts. When paired with the right applications, welding robots allow manufacturers to increase productivity levels and reduce costs while improving weld quality and consistency. This blog explores the applications and advantages of robotic welding and discusses key questions to consider when choosing between robotic and manual welding.

In general, the best candidates for robotic welding are:

• High-throughput, continuous welding operations
• Applications in which weld quality is critical to part performance
• Welding projects involving high-value parts with little-to-no room for error

While the automotive manufacturing sector has long been the primary adopter of robotic welding, technological advancements have expanded the scope of robotic welding to include everything from medical and OEM part manufacturing to furniture construction. Common uses of robotic welding in these industries include:

• Automotive: Industrial welding robots with extended-reach arms and large payload capacities are used to spot-weld automobile body panels and other large structures. Smaller robots are ideal for welding lightweight parts such as mounts or brackets.
• Medical: In the medical industry, welding robots allow critical medical devices and diagnostic equipment to be produced quickly and affordably without sacrificing quality.
• OEM: OEMs rely on robotic welding for the high-volume production of specialized or safety-critical components used in a range of applications.
• Furniture: The furniture building industry uses robotic welding in several applications, from assembling metal chair bases to creating cabinetry framework and room dividers.

Today’s welding robots can be adapted to perform most types of welding, including:

• Resistance welding
• TIG welding
• MIG welding
• Spot welding
• Arc welding
• Plasma welding
• Laser welding

What are the Advantages of Robotic Welding?

Automated welding offers the following benefits:

Improved Weld Quality

Robotic welding improves all aspects of weld quality, including:

• Integrity: Unlike manual welding, robotic welding allows each welding variable (temperature, torch position, etc.) to be tightly controlled. The mechanized torch combined with the precise movement of the parts during the welding process facilitates a higher-quality weld. Robotic welding systems can also be equipped with vision inspection systems, sensors, and leak detection tests to confirm weld quality.
• Repeatability: With more control over the welding variables, welding robots also enable a more repeatable output. The robot can be programmed to position the parts and welding torch within highly specific tolerances, allowing for nearly identical welds across multiple parts.

Increased Output

Robotic welding eliminates human fatigue, distraction, and other issues that can interfere with productivity. Setup time is minimal and weld speeds are controlled by the machine, allowing for much higher output.

Reduced Scrap

By controlling each welding parameter and eliminating human error, robotic welding significantly reduces scrap and weld rework. In some cases, the cost savings from reduced scrap are enough to justify the equipment investment.

Decreased Variable Labor Costs

In manual welding operations, manufacturers must consider the variable costs associated with worker injuries, sick leave, staff overtime, and other factors that affect production. For example, when a welder misses work, the company loses 8-12 hours of production time, causing variable costs to increase.

With robotic welding, labor costs are lower and more predictable. General machine operators are sufficient to handle most robotic welding operations and are typically more affordable and readily available than skilled welders.

When to Choose Robotic Welding Over Manual Welding

In today’s fast-paced manufacturing environment, automated welding processes are often critical to a company’s ability to remain competitive. Robotic welding can provide large productivity gains, but knowing when and where to implement automation in your welding operation is essential for maximizing these benefits.

Key questions to keep in mind when weighing your welding options include:

• What level of automation will be most beneficial to the overall operation?
• What percentage of the budget can be allocated to the welding portion of the operation?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the current welding process?
• Is a high-quality weld essential to the part’s performance or safety in its application? What are the consequences of the customer receiving or implementing a faulty part?
• What types of materials are being welded? Are they compatible with automation?

Robotic Welding Services at Rockford Specialties

When used in high-volume or quality-critical welding operations, robotic welding can significantly enhance productivity and weld quality while keeping labor costs low. At Rockford Specialties, we use our extensive industry experience and comprehensive robotic welding services to help clients optimize their welding operations in a range of industries. Our robotic welding capabilities include:

• MIG welding
• TIG welding
• Resistance + spot welding

To learn more about our robotic welding services and general welding capabilities, visit our welding service page or contact us today.