High-density 4D storage solution maximises warehouse pallet capacity

(Photo: Rainbow Dynamics)

A high-density 4D storage solution is maximising warehouse pallet capacity, according to its manufacturers Rainbow Dynamics.

The new 4D Pallet Shuttle Automated Storage and Retrieval System (AS/RS) has been designed to make the most profitable use of every square foot of the available space within both ambient and cold store warehouse facilities.

The high-density storage solution allows pallets to be stored safely and compactly and, significantly, does not require multiple aisleways.

Pallets are fed into or retrieved from a series of ‘storage channels’ that make up the rack structure by lift truck.

Incoming loads are simply placed on to a Rainbow Dynamics pallet carrier at the entrance to the allocated ‘storage tunnel’. The pallet carrier then travels to the furthest point in the ‘tunnel’ where it deposits the load before returning to its original position.

The pallet carrier can then either receive another pallet for storage within the same ‘tunnel’ or be easily and safely picked up by the fork truck and switched to another location within the storage system.

The high-density storage scheme can be designed to offer a choice of first in, last out (FILO) storage, where loading/ unloading is undertaken from just one side of the system.

Or if required, first in, first out (FIFO) mode with pallet loading and unloading carried out from two opposing sides of the storage structure.

This in-built flexibility means that Rainbow Dynamics’ 4D Pallet Shuttle AS/RS not only makes the most of a warehouse facility’s storage space but also improves the speed and efficiency of the pallet put-away and retrieval process.

Furthermore, the fact that the pallet carriers are easily moved to serve any one of the storage cube’s ‘tunnels’ allows the user to reduce operational overheads by optimising the size of the material handling equipment fleet in use at the site.

The 4D Pallet Shuttle AS/RS is easily integrated with other warehouse process. Rainbow Dynamics supply all software and hardware and manage the entire project.

The system is understood to be the first and, so far, the only 4D pallet carrier-based storage solution available in the UK.

Global Vice President of Rainbow Dynamics, Frazer Watson, said: “Within any type of storage facility, it is essential to maximise pallet density.

"Quite simply, the more pallets you can get into the warehouse the lower your costs per pallet stored are going to become.

“With good quality warehouse space still hard to come by in the most sought-after locations throughout Europe, there is a lot of interest around high-density storage systems now.

"The combination of high-density pallet racking and Rainbow Dynamics’ 4D Pallet Shuttle technology delivers maximum storage density while ensuring that pallet accessibility is simple and rapid."