Vertical Carousels
DistribuTek Leaning Center
Vertical Carousels are simply a horizontal carousel turned on it’s end, and enclosed
in sheet metal. As with horizontal carousels, an order picker operates one or multiple
carousels. The carousels are indexed either automatically via computer control,
or manually by the order picker operating a keypad on the carousel’s work surface.
Vertical carousels range in height from 8 to 35 feet. Heights (as lengths were for
horizontal carousels) are dictated by throughput requirements and building restrictions.
The taller the system, the longer it will take, on average, to rotate the desired
Order pick times for vertical carousels are theoretically less than those for horizontal
carousels. The decrease results from the items always being presented at the order
picker’s waist level. This eliminates the stooping and reaching that goes on with
horizontal carousels, further reduces search time, and promotes more accurate picking.
(Some of the gains in item extract time are negated by the slower rotation speed
of the vertical carousel due to the direction of rotation being against gravity.)
Additional benefits provided by the vertical carousel include excellent item protection
and security. In the vertical carousel, only one shelf of items is exposed at a
time, and the entire contents of the carousel can be locked up.
The price of a vertical carousel begins at $10,000 and increases with the number
of shelves and the weight capacity. The additional cost of vertical carousels over
horizontal carousels is attributed to the sheet metal enclosure and the extra power
required to rotate against the force of gravity.
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