If you have a project you're working on that requires the use of T-slot aluminum framing and you are entirely unfamiliar with the medium, then you might find yourself feeling frustrated with approaching it. However, you'll soon find that using aluminum extrusions opens up a world of possibilities as countless industries utilize it, from automotive to automated to pharmaceutical.
In fact, these tools are cost-effective, sturdy, and have a great strength-to-weight ratio. You likely are ready to start your project as soon as possible, which is why we have created this beginner's guide; here is everything you need to know about building with T-slot aluminum framing.
It's important to know the origins of the creation of the material you plan to work with. That's why you might find yourself asking the question, "What is T-slot framing, and how is it made?†To easily understand T-slot framing, we'll take it back to childhood. You might remember playing with Play-Doh as a kid, during which you also utilized a number of tools to make shapes and molds. There was likely a tool that pushed the Play-Doh through a cylindrical mechanism to create a unique tubular shape.
The above example is a simplified version of how countless industries make T-slot aluminum framing. Aluminum is quite malleable, which makes it very easy to manipulate into a variety of shapes. The aluminum used to make T-slot framing goes through a heating process to increase its malleability. Then the heated aluminum will push through custom molds, resulting in a variety of complex shapes.
There are many benefits to using T-slot aluminum framing, otherwise known as aluminum extrusion. At its inception, T-slot framing was quite unknown aside from its use in the industrial spheres. However, T-slot aluminum framing has since exploded into several other industries. That's because it's incredibly useful, durable, and cost-effective. You can create a wide variety of shapes, making it quite modifiable.
Moreover, aluminum is incredibly resistant to corrosion which allows for multi-faceted use in a number of environments and changing climates. When you work with T-slots, you'll also find yourself relieved at how simplistic the assembly process is. The pieces work a lot like puzzle pieces that connect together seamlessly; all you need are your basic hand tools to secure and tighten the connectors, no welding required. Finally, you can't deny that aluminum is an aesthetically pleasing metal that gives off a clean and modern look many people appreciate.
Aluminum also has a high strength-to-weight ratio, which refers to the amount of time a material can hold its weight when supported only at the top and secured vertically. When you also consider the fact that aluminum is quite a lightweight metal, you can understand why it's incredibly popular in the automotive industry. However, that's not the only industry this amazing material benefits, as you'll also find it utilized in boats, roof rails, engine blocks, roof racks, transmission housings, and 3D printers.
Now you know a little about T-slot aluminum framing, why it's beneficial, and the varied industries that utilize this handy building component. It's quite easy to use aluminum framing, so you might be wondering how to build with it. The best part is that any beginner can build with T-slot aluminum framing, so you'll appreciate our guide's usefulness and simplicity. The thing with aluminum extrusions is that building with them is pretty universal and doesn't change too much, no matter what you're attempting to create.
No matter the type of project you have, the most important component of working with extrusions has to do with affixing them together. Thankfully it's quite simplistic to connect them together. You will need to purchase aluminum extrusion connectors to get the job done. Before you get your connectors, it's important to know that there are a variety of connectors available. That's why you must choose the correct style.
At A-Line Corporation, we have every type of connector style you'd need for your aluminum extrusions. We have gussets, specialty connectors, cube connectors, and much more to make your project as seamless as possible. That's not all; we also have the highest quality T-slot aluminum framing guaranteed to be compatible with Bosch aluminum extrusion profiles. When you choose us as your supplier, you can trust that we will provide you with supplies that meet and even exceed industry standards every single time.
Once you have the best connector for your T-slots, assembly is quite simple. As we mentioned earlier, there are a variety of connectors available on the market today. That's why it can feel overwhelming trying to find the best connector, but we are here to help. In fact, you can give us a call if you have further questions. But in the meantime, we will go over the most common connectors you can use.
Cube connectors are optimal when connecting up to three T-Spot extrusion profiles at a 90-degree angle. The benefit of these connectors is that you can connect multiple extrusions together.
If you want to reinforce the corners of your aluminum extrusions, then gussets are the perfect connector to use. Many appreciate gusset for its main benefit, which is the ability to affix two extrusions together at a 90-degree angle, with no extra machinery required.
It's understandable that you might feel worried about the gussets' ability to stay in place and hold the T-slots together. Aluminum gussets actually have an alignment tab to keep that from happening. At A-Line Corporation, we have gussets available in a variety of dimensions that will suit any of your needs, no matter what type of project you're working on.
We also understand that sometimes, your project will be so unique you'll require specialty connectors to suit your needs. That's why we also provide specialty connectors for your niche project. We have the PVS direct connector and the PVS screw safe. Our direct connectors require nothing more than an Allen wrench, so you don't even have to worry about additional machining. Moreover, our PVS screw safe is perfect for any application or project you have involving high-security standards. What makes the PVS screw so safe is that one cannot disassemble it with an Allen wrench.
We hope this guide has helped you to see how simple it is to work with T-slots and their connectors. You now have everything you need to know to start your first building project utilizing T-slot aluminum framing. If you have questions, don't hesitate to contact us, and we'll be happy to help you!
A wide variety of industries have adopted aluminum extrusions from construction to manufacturing. Thus, aluminum extrusion fabrication has never been in higher demand. To help show you why you should join the trend toward aluminum, we cover five reasons to choose T-slot aluminum extrusions for your next project.
By design, T-slot aluminum extrusions are modular so that you can easily change and add to a profile as necessary. You can change and reposition the extrusions as needed, so you'll reduce the need to buy new setups for workstations or meet shifting demands. Aluminum is also a flexible enough material that it can meet more specific designs that other materials cannot.
Another great reason to choose T-slot aluminum extrusions is that they're incredibly strong and impressively lightweight. Aluminum is very unique in this regard. It allows workstations and other structures to be sturdy and easy to move.
Because the extrusions are reusable and can change at your will, your business will save lots of money on materials. Furthermore, because the extrusions are modular for easy construction, the amount of time and labor necessary also diminishes.
One of the more popular features of aluminum extrusions is that they have a naturally sleek and modern appearance. This naturally complements the modern designs in architecture and interior decoration that are becoming more common in newer homes and buildings. Aluminum extrusions take inspiration from minimalism and provide structures with a naturally clean and pleasing appearance.
Perhaps the most important reason to adopt T-slot extrusions, however, is that aluminum is much more sustainable. In particular, aluminum can undergo recycling again and again without ever compromising its integrity. As a result, aluminum is constantly returning to the supply chain while using minimal amounts of energy to become usable once more.
Architects place a high value on aluminum framing systems for their incredible practical benefits and sleek, modern designs. However, did you know they're also useful for making buildings more resilient against natural disasters like earthquakes? Here's why aluminum framing systems help against earthquakes.
Aluminum is an incredibly strong building material because harsh weather doesn't typically affect it. Temperature changes don't affect the aluminum's performance either. In fact, when it's cold, aluminum becomes much stronger. In contrast, extreme temperature changes and bad weather can weaken and damage materials like plastic and wood.
Aluminum is incredible for being as strong as it is while still being incredibly lightweight, so the framework is far less dependent on supporting itself. Regarding earthquakes, seismic forces are proportional to the structure's weight; therefore, lighter materials can withstand them.
Tensile strength is the maximum load aluminum can endure while under tension. Aluminum also excels here because climate changes don't negatively affect it. As previously mentioned, aluminum's tensile strength will increase if the temperature is cold.
Another great reason why aluminum framing systems help against earthquakes is that they are very resistant to bending. This elasticity helps structures maintain stability during an earthquake without fear of the aluminum frames bending or deforming. In fact, it's so effective that manufacturers have been able to design slimmer and more elegant aluminum frames without compromising their strength.
While aluminum isn't invulnerable to wear and tear, it's much easier to maintain and keep in good condition for much longer periods. Aluminum is naturally resistant to corrosion, meaning that issues such as rust or stress cracks won't occur nearly as often. Aluminum's natural corrosion resistance helps it maintain its structural integrity in the event of an earthquake. Because aluminum needs less maintenance and doesn't need replacing as often as other materials, aluminum framing systems will give you greater peace of mind during natural disasters.
One of the largest responsibilities and challenges for managers in the manufacturing industry is to keep the work environment safe. Manufacturing facilities contain necessary hazards, such as machinery, that could easily injure someone if proper care is not taken. For that reason, it's no small feat to create a company-wide effort to create a safe work culture—and it does pay off. Here are eight components to create a safe work culture in manufacturing to help ensure your workplace accounts for hazardous conditions, practices, and more.
You need to ensure there's a strong emphasis on safety and caution to prevent apathy about safety in the workplace and ensure caution is pervasive in your employees' mindset. Offer lessons and lectures on safety practices to all employees throughout the year. Don't confine such education to employee onboarding or occasional meetings. The workplace needs to prioritize safety so that workers don't become lax in their safety practices or make the safety information seem like lip service, quickly forgotten once they are on the manufacturing floor.
Furthermore, to foster a safety culture, you need to make sure your workers know what to do in emergency situations. Whenever there is a hazard present, leadership must commit to addressing and eliminating or minimizing the hazard as much as possible. Acting on and responding to reports will show employees that there is a dedication to safety and well-being and encourage them to prioritize it as well.
In a similar vein, you will need to consistently train and update your safety practices to ensure they stay relevant and in the minds of your employees. Consistent training will help ingrain safety practices into the minds of employees so that, in the event of an emergency, they will know what they need to do to keep themselves and their coworkers safe.
Furthermore, regularly updating your safety practices is crucial because technology advances quickly, and you may have new machinery or processes to account for. Communication practices are key for both daily operations and emergencies. On a day-to-day basis, workers should be able to communicate openly with each other so that everyone is aware of what's going on around them. In an emergency, employees will know whom they need to turn to for a swift response.
A big part of open communication is making sure workers can report safety hazards easily and without fear of reproach. Unfortunately, it is common for employees to feel like they can't report danger in their workplace because the company may be trying to cut corners or protect its reputation and will retaliate as a result.
Make reporting hazards accessible and a direct line to the appropriate leadership to ensure responses are swift and create a safe work culture in manufacturing. Suppose it takes too long for a response and investigation into the hazard to occur. In that case, employees may lose faith in the process and become more apathetic toward reporting and addressing hazards.
A common tactic to try and encourage safety practices is to incentivize employees by rewarding them for maintaining a safe workplace. The problem, however, is that it backfires when employees receive penalties for reporting safety hazards. Workers will downplay or cover up hazards and injuries if they know they'll only receive a reward for maintaining the perception of a safe workplace.
Instead, incentivize and reward workers for swiftly reporting safety hazards and allow for swift action to correct the hazard. Such incentives will ensure the workplace is safe, efficient, and compliant with safety laws.
Your facility needs to invest in preventative safety measures that anticipate the workplace's necessary hazards to increase an effective safety culture. For instance, in most industries, falling is the number one cause of workplace injuries. While you can't eliminate gravity, you can minimize falls by ensuring all walkways, catwalks, staircases, and more have handrails to provide support.
Furthermore, a lot of machinery has some sort of exposed section that can be dangerous if a worker's clothes or limbs were to get caught in it. Custom machine guarding provides a barrier to protect employees and cover these exposed areas without impeding the machinery.
Another general tip is to ensure your facilities receive a regularly scheduled inspection. Safety hazards often start subtly; then, they grow into larger, more dangerous, and more expensive problems. Catch them early to benefit both your company and your workers' safety.
As part of your routine inspections, you should also provide maintenance to your machinery—even if it's just making sure they're clean. By taking regular care of your machines, you'll keep them clear of any dust, dirt, and debris that may clog their internal components and cause costly or irreversible damage. It'll also be important for preventing contamination, depending on what your facility manufactures.
Regular maintenance is also a good way to instill a routine of safety practices and avoid negligent ones. If you or your employees discover an issue, the machinery can be taken offline and repaired before more damage occurs.
Falling under the area of communication, make sure you create proper signage and labels and post them in accessible areas throughout the facility. Providing clear directions will make sure everyone gets where they need to go or that employees are performing company best practices correctly. Human error is always inevitable, but signs and labels that provide guidance will help minimize it by always detailing the proper instructions whenever necessary.
Lastly, if you want your employees to fully invest in perpetuating a safe work culture, leadership must also remain invested. The moment leadership takes a step back, employees will as well unless they are given adequate incentives to uphold all your best practices. It's also the responsibility of leadership to facilitate and implement new practices and address hazards. Best practices can quickly become outdated, and hazards will go unaddressed if you or the members of your leadership team are not around. Therefore, leadership and employees on the ground floor effectively communicate with each other to ensure this doesn't happen and that the best practices remain up-to-date, consistent, and effective, preventing delays.
For any industry, you want a warehouse workstation that is ergonomic and efficient, and one that's designed to complete that role as quickly as possible without sacrificing quality. These workstations also have to account for multiple craftsmen using them, which makes it tricky to determine the most efficient design when each person has their own needs for completing their work. To help, here are three steps for creating a standard lean workstation.
When designing a lean workstation, you want to make sure everyone is involved in the process. You can't make an efficient workstation if you don't know what the needs of your workers are and what issues they may face that will need to be solved. Rather than guessing or assuming, getting first-hand accounts of needs and involving tradesmen in the design process will ensure the workstation is designed to fulfill the right needs. This process will also help find compromises between conflicting ideas and needs that may interfere with another role's work, so it's important that such differences are mediated during this phase of creation.
The next step in creating a standard lean workstation is to ensure and enforce safety measures. If workstations cannot adapt or minimize hazards, then you should be using them at all. While you're trialing and mocking up workstation designs, keep your health and safety people involved to help identify potential hazards that could harm your workers. Furthermore, if a workstation is merely a mockup, then it should be clearly labeled “Not for Production†to prevent unsafe workstations from being used unknowingly.
Failure will almost always be a part of the process. Don't hesitate to trial and error potential workstation designs to see if they perform as well as they seem to on paper. A lot of ideas may sound good in theory, but some aren't able to perform as well as you may have hoped in practice—or could even be dangerous. Trial and error will also help you improve workstations to be more efficient and effective as you find out what works and what doesn't.
Steel is a long-time material of choice for many construction projects; however, aluminum has become a rising star for its strength, durability, and bevy of other benefits. If you need to create frames but can't decide what material to use, allow us to share three benefits of aluminum extrusion frames over welded steel.
Aluminum is a resource- and cost-effective material that is very malleable and easy to mold. You can make aluminum incredibly thin without compromising its strength or integrity, so you can make aluminum framing with less material than if you were to use welded steel. With aluminum, you'll have a frame built in a shorter amount of time, using fewer resources, and without sacrificing the quality or strength of the frame.
One of the biggest benefits of aluminum extrusion frames over welded steel is that aluminum is weather resistant. For one, it doesn't corrode easily. Aluminum develops a natural, quick-acting oxide layer that prevents oxidation from occurring. While this doesn't make aluminum invulnerable, it's highly unlikely for corrosion to occur. This cuts down on how much maintenance and upkeep are necessary.
Furthermore, thanks to its thermal conductivity, aluminum frames actually become stronger in freezing temperatures. This makes aluminum a great option for areas with colder or more extreme weather.
Lastly, aluminum is incredibly beneficial to the environment and your wallet. You can recycle aluminum over and over again without ever compromising its integrity or needing to reinforce the recycled aluminum with new aluminum.
This means old, unneeded frames can become something new and more useful, reducing waste and helping the environment. Furthermore, by being able to endlessly recycle aluminum materials, you cut down on the costs necessary for brand-new aluminum production, meaning it's also much cheaper.
With so many great, naturally-occurring benefits, you can rely on t-slot aluminum framing to provide the same strength as welded steel but with overall greater quality. To learn more about aluminum frames, reach out to us at A-Line Automation. Our experts will be happy to provide you with everything you need.
Between advancements in technology and the rising awareness of humanity’s impact on the Earth, aluminum extrusion fabrication has sharply risen in demand. Many industries have adopted aluminum as their material of choice for its practical and environmental benefits. In fact, those environmental benefits are the reason extruded aluminum is called “the green metal.” As experts in aluminum extrusion, allow us to shed some light on what makes this material so great.
The biggest and most obvious reason why aluminum is called the “green metal” is that it can be recycled endlessly without ever compromising its integrity. Other materials, like plastic, break down and become weaker when recycled, making them less efficient and eventually unusable. This leads to more waste. Aluminum, on the other hand, can be repurposed as many times as necessary, which requires far less energy and resources than extracting new amounts of aluminum from the Earth. This helps many industries cut back on the amount of waste and pollutants they create.
This endless recyclability is further beneficial because it avoids the issue of finite resources. You can’t run out of aluminum if it is constantly being repurposed and put back into the supply chain.
Aluminum is the second most malleable metal in the world—the most malleable being gold—which means aluminum can be rolled and hammered into very thin sheets without any risk of breaking. This allows aluminum to create products like window frames or consumer packaging with less material than other metals. Furthermore, its incredible malleability allows aluminum to create a wider range of designs that are more efficient. In comparison, less malleable metals may require more materials for more convoluted designs because they can’t form certain shapes.
Like stainless steel, aluminum is incredibly resistant to corrosion, even when untreated. Metal corrosion typically comes in the form of rust, which is caused by oxidation. Aluminum spontaneously forms a thin layer of oxide that is effective at preventing oxidation from causing such devastating corrosion. This oxide layer is impermeable and adheres very strongly to its parent metal. Unlike stainless steel, when aluminum extrusions are damaged mechanically, the oxide layer will immediately repair itself, creating no vulnerabilities for corrosion to take root.
While corrosion resistance does not mean invulnerability to corrosion, it should be noted that rusty or damaged aluminum does not have to be disposed of. Aluminum can be recycled and put right back to use so that nothing is ever wasted.
Aluminum is naturally strong and made even stronger when made into aluminum alloys. These alloys can easily compete with the strength of steel. From skyscrapers to planes and cars, aluminum has the strength and durability for a wide variety of uses, including ones where the metal may be placed under high amounts of stress. This feature is another reason that so many industries have been able to adopt aluminum as a staple material. Widespread use of aluminum has greatly improved the environmental impact of the industries using it. Furthermore, because of its greater malleability, building and car designs have become much more efficient and innovative, allowing greater creativity while also reducing the impact on the environment.
Aluminum extrusions are highly conductive to thermal energy. This helps improve our environment by helping us manage thermal insulation in our homes. Proper insulation reduces how much energy is needed to keep homes heated or cooled. Normally, high conductivity is not conducive to insulation, but by putting small breaks in aluminum extrusions, the air serves as a poor conductor that keeps warm or cool air from entering or exiting your home. Alternatively, aluminum foil is used in reflective insulation, as aluminum is good at reflecting heat and light away from a building.
In the cold, however, aluminum extrusions become even stronger. While aluminum extrusions are already fantastic building materials, they absolutely thrive in cold environments and become more durable than other materials. Aluminum is perfect for enduring harsh weather like snow, sleet, hail, and ice.
One unique aspect of aluminum is that, despite its strength, it is actually incredibly lightweight. This makes transporting aluminum materials much more energy efficient because trucks and other vehicles do not need to consume as much fuel to compensate for the weight. In fact, this is the reason that all modern cars, planes, boats, and vehicle chassis are created out of aluminum—to get better gas mileage. Considering how many cars are on the road every day, reducing fuel consumption is imperative. Aluminum chassis have greatly reduced the environmental impact of cars, which is another reason aluminum is considered the greenest metal.
While strength and durability extend the life span of aluminum because it is difficult for it to break or corrode, aluminum is also just naturally long-lasting. Aluminum extrusions can easily last for decades. The cut-off value in construction is 60 years before it needs to be replaced.
Furthermore, if the aluminum does become damaged, the aluminum oxide layer instantaneously repairs itself and ensures the aluminum isn’t exposed to oxidization. This makes it easy for the aluminum to be repaired or recycled without worry that it’s worse off than before. This long life span, combined with the ease and affordability of recycling aluminum, makes any application of aluminum extrusions incredibly energy efficient and beneficial for fighting climate change.
Aluminum is notable for being strong, practical, and environmentally friendly. It helps make many industries more efficient and sustainable. Every industry that has adopted aluminum extrusions and other aluminum materials has found both their business and their impact on the environment to be greatly improved, making it an all-around great material to invest in.
For all these reasons, aluminum has more than earned itself the title of “the green metal.” It should be given the attention it deserves as we turn to find ways to reduce or eliminate climate change. Aluminum has improved the designs of everything from your home to your car and many of the products you use every day. It makes them so much more efficient and friendlier to the environment.
Because of how easy and versatile aluminum extrusions are to work with, there are naturally multiple ways for them to connect together to add further flexibility. Some T-slot aluminum connectors are more suitable for certain applications, while other methods may be more accessible for various uses. Let’s look at three methods for connecting aluminum extrusions and compare the benefits they provide.
Simple and reliable, M12 screws are great for connecting aluminum extrusion joints that don’t need to undergo frequent changes. Because there are no slot obstructions in the joint, M12 screws can work for panels, sheet metal, and similar objects. What the M12 does require, however, is an extrusion that has been tapped so that the screw can thread into it. Thankfully, this is a fairly small task and is possible without much hassle. From there, you can tighten the screw with a simple Allen wrench.
As the name suggests, a quick connector provides a quick and easy way to connect aluminum extrusions. It’s also adjustable. To use a quick connector, you need to drill a hole that the barrel and set screw can insert into successfully. Once you place the barrel, you must insert a stud into the end of the extrusion and press it until you can see the “O-ring.” From there, the stud head can slide into the desired joint location, much like the M12 screw.
Using gussets is perhaps one of the more heavy-duty methods. Manufacturers die-cast gussets with sturdy walls. They design them to connect two extrusions without drilling, tapping, or machining. This makes this connector one of the easiest for even novices to use, as it only requires two T-bolts. Furthermore, gussets have anti-rotation tabs that prevent the connection from becoming loose and ruining the frame as you’re trying to build.
Many industries have adopted aluminum extrusion t-slots as a mainstay over materials like steel that have long since dominated the market. Aluminum’s numerous benefits have improved many everyday utilities and amenities like cars. However, anyone unfamiliar with the benefits of aluminum has given way to some misconceptions and myths. Let’s explore five common myths about aluminum frames that have been debunked.
Aluminum is much lighter than other metals, which is why it’s easy to understand the perception that aluminum must be weaker. It’s true that steel is technically stronger than aluminum, but the difference is minimal. Aluminum is very strong, and its lightweight nature makes that small sacrifice in strength more than worth it. For instance, modern cars use aluminum frames to make them much more fuel efficient.
Another common myth about aluminum frames is that they can’t be insulated, making them bad for construction. The truth is they actually need to be insulated differently. Aluminum frames have thermal breaks that create small bridges. Air is a poor conductor and prevents heat from escaping, making a home insulated and energy efficient.
On the contrary, aluminum is incredibly resistant to corrosion and typically needs minimal maintenance. This material doesn’t react to the elements, thrives in the cold, and deters the growth of insects and pests.
When people think of vintage homes, they typically think of wood and intricate designs. Aluminum is a sleek metal, so people assume it won’t gel well with the vintage style. Luckily, aluminum extrusions can be made with this in mind. You can either cover them up with wooden aesthetics or make them complement vintage designs.
On the topic of aesthetics, some people assume aluminum frames will look ugly because they’re too cheap or industrial. Aluminum is a great material to create modern designs that look absolutely incredible for modern design trends. Like all materials, aluminum will look bad if not designed well, but with a bit of creativity and knowledge, aluminum can be very beautiful.
A comfortable, ergonomic, and efficient workspace is one of the best ways to improve employee productivity in your warehouse. Providing employees with set locations to work and store their materials immediately expedites multiple processes and produces greater results. There are plenty of different options for you to explore, but how do you know which workstation is best tailored to your needs? Here’s everything you need to know about warehouse workstations.
Even the most basic, generic industrial workstations can be customized as needed to fit your warehouse’s needs and provide a comfortable space for employees to work. Employees who have comfortable, ergonomic spaces to work have been shown to exhibit greater productivity and display increased employee happiness. On the other hand, if you don’t customize these workbenches, the basic design may not be conducive to the work your employees need to do, constraining how comfortably and efficiently employees can complete their work.
These workbenches are designed to be modular in the interest of easy customization. This modularity makes workstations incredibly easy to construct and configure, making it possible for anyone to modify their workstation to fit their personal preferences. Consider basic workstations as a jack-of-all-trades, thanks to their incredible versatility and ability to change as needed.
Shipping and packing workstations are opposites. They’re designed with a set role in mind, and they perform it admirably, keeping the logistics and processes of shipping organized and efficient. With these workstations, tasks like referring to shipping schedules, preparing manifests, and weighing packages can all be done in one area. Having a single location where employees complete all shipping-related tasks cuts down on the amount of time employees spend having to chase down individual materials and equipment.
These workstations are also a good place to set up equipment like computers, printers, and scanners for easy use and protection against damages they may incur if they were to sit in the open. With this particular design, your warehouse will streamline the shipping process so that it’s easier and quicker than ever before.
Cantilever workstations are another type of workstation that is highly versatile and greatly suited to the more vital areas of your warehouse, such as assembly, picking, and receiving. A cantilever workstation can be configured to fit whatever form and function you need for the job. Furthermore, with additions like shelving, dividers, drawers, lights, power strips, whiteboards, and more, these workbenches can provide a wide variety of benefits, amenities, and conveniences.
Work with your warehouse employees to determine what their needs are so that you can tailor these workstations to their exact desires. Even if an addition isn’t strictly necessary for any processes in the warehouse, features that make work more comfortable and convenient for your employees are well worth the investment. Making additions that improve working conditions will improve employee morale and, in turn, increase productivity.
A great feature of a workstation is the ability to make it mobile. By placing some workstations on wheels, you enable employees to bring all their equipment and materials wherever needed to help them complete their tasks with ease. This is a great way to improve efficiency, as it allows warehouse employees to cut down on how much time they have to travel between areas of the warehouse.
This also helps prevent workstations from getting in the way of work when they’re not needed. The flexibility to move locations is invaluable, especially if you’re not able to provide workstations for every area or employee in the warehouse.
Though these structures are smaller and designed with a specific role in mind, they are meant to display information that can be easily referenced while employees work, such as work instructions or KPI information. Being able to keep information readily available cuts down on the amount of time employees waste finding and referring to documents and instructions as necessary.
Keeping at least one of these structures near your operation will make it easier for everyone to refer to necessary information without important documents going missing or being misplaced. This will also help keep everyone on the same page as to what processes they should be using.
One important thing you need to know about warehouse workstations is that they’re typically made with aluminum extrusions. This is significant because aluminum is not only a strong and durable material, but it’s also incredibly lightweight. This is great for making workstations mobile without compromising the workstation’s integrity. You’ll also be able to add more features to an aluminum mobile workstation without it becoming overly heavy and unwieldy.
Aluminum is also incredibly sustainable. Should your workstation ever become damaged, the aluminum can be recycled and remade into new extrusions again and again without ever weakening. This makes it easy to replace workstations for an affordable price and ensures nothing goes to waste. Naturally, this will also help your warehouse shrink its carbon footprint by reducing the amount of waste it creates.
Finally, workstations will be incredibly easy to maintain and clean because they’re naturally corrosion-resistant. With basic care, your workstations will last you for years without issue. Additionally, the ease of maintenance will reduce the time and resources you’ll need to commit to upkeeping your equipment, allowing employees to focus on managing the warehouse instead.
Workstations are a boon to any workplace, and the incredible versatility and various designs of workbenches mean there’s always a workstation suitable for any task. These invaluable additions not only improve your warehouse from an ergonomic standpoint but also improve worker safety by giving everyone a safe location to complete their work. Warehouse workstations also ensure everyone has enough space to work safely, making it less likely that anyone will accidentally injure themselves with the various equipment and tools needed to complete their jobs.
For high-quality workstations, get in contact with A-Line Automation! As aluminum extruders, we can help you select the right workstations and customize them to your needs. Get in contact with us today; our experts will be able to recommend the options that may be best for you.
