Horizontal Roll storage - tool-machinery suggestions

[teamworld]

I'm fortunate enough to work for a company that is willing to get me tools to make my job easier. I requested something to help me lift heavy 54" rolls of media and a little while later the owner came back from a trade show with a horizontal roll lifter. Now we need to find a horizontal storage solution to make this expensive new toy useful. I have seen several rack options online to buy or base off to build something. We are thinking about the suspended bar & rack type or the peg on one side with a swivel peg on the other, or maybe shelves & using shipping core ends. Does anyone have a preference? Do you ever have problems with the cores elongating (egging) if the media is not used often? - or flat spots? Do you have problems with the roll sagging in the middle if you only support the ends? I have a vague idea for vertical storage that swings down to horizontal, but i'm not sure if i'm over thinking it if a simple gun rack style will suffice.


I will be moving into a new space once we have the storage racks for the media. I've given the owner my wish list with fingers crossed. I have two 54" wide format printer/cutters, laminator, standing cutter, cutting table with flat bar cutter. We run everything from banners, mounted prints on signboard, wall graphics, small decals & heat transfer. If you had or have had the opportunity to design your dream shop what tools or equipment would be first on your list? What tool or equipment do you have that you couldn't live without? I've only been in wide format printing for a couple of years & did not get the opportunity to learn from an experienced operator, so any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

First off, wow... Didn't realize 54" rolls were such a problem that they needed to make a tool to lift it? I'm a small guy and I lift and handle 80+" banner rolls with no real issues.

As for horizontal roll storage, why not keep them in their boxes and just get a pallet rack?

Or look in to a standard wall rack that has a core holder like the mondo racks?

 

[Gene@mpls]

Had to google 'horizontal roll lifter' and came up with everything from very simple to an attachment for a forklift. It would help if you posted a pict
of what you have.

 

[teamworld]

Horizontal roll storage & lifter

Lifting 54" rolls becomes problem when your arm span is short and you develop tendonitis in your elbows from lifting full rolls of banner material several times a day for 5 weeks straight.
My main question was IF anyone has had issues with storing their media horizontally instead of on end and if anyone has a preference to which type they prefer. You didn't say if you actually have mondo rack and like it.
Here's a link to the lifter: http://www.digi-ci.com/transporter.htmlDidn't have that info at home when I posted originally.

 

[Team Valhalla]

I'm afraid your link doesn't work. If you drop "Didn't" off the end... it gets you there.

I think you simply ran your two sentences together and it thinks "Didn't" is part of the web addy.

SP

 

[Team Valhalla]

Neat piece of equipment. I didn't take the time to look at the other stuff they had, but the only thing this one needs is a motorized lift.... verses cranking it.

I'm no expert by any means, but I guess I would wonder about flat spots on your rolls if you were to store them horizontally... without the pieces that go in the cores, but maybe that doesn't effect the printing process.

Since you have the lift, build yourself a vertical rack that would allow you to roll the lift up to it, lift up on the roll a bit, pull out a horizontal rod, and back out with the roll, put the rod back in place.

Just a thought.

SP

 

[player]

Build a simple gun rack style system
as Team Valhalla suggests.

 

[Z SIGNS]

I love lifting rolls of vinyl.

It's good exercise.