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Where to start, depending on what you are trying to solve

Most people arrive here with one of four questions. This page points to the material that answers each of them, in the order it is worth reading.

If you are choosing between lean pipe and aluminium profile

The decision is flexibility against rigidity, and it is decided by how often the station will change rather than by load. A comparison of lean pipe and aluminium profile systems covers cost, rebuild time, tolerance and typical applications side by side.

If you are sizing a shelf or a frame

Do not start from a catalogue load figure. Start from the span, because span governs capacity far more than tube thickness does. Our load rating tables for 28 mm tube give allowable load across six spans and five wall thicknesses, with the calculation method stated so it can be checked. The short version: past about a metre, you are no longer buying strength, you are buying tolerance for sag.

If a joint or a frame has loosened

Lean pipe joints hold by clamping friction, not by pinning. They are supposed to be retorqued 24 to 48 hours after assembly because the coating creeps under sustained pressure. A frame that has never been retightened is running below its rated capacity and looks completely normal. Our technical specifications page lists specified torque and joint data.

If you are planning a line-side material flow

Gravity flow works when slope, lane width and carton condition are matched. The lean pipe guide covers station layout, ergonomics and flow design; the flow rack pages cover slope and lane configuration specifically.

If you need to justify the purchase internally

The strongest argument for modular construction is not the purchase price, it is the cost of the next change. A bolted frame can be rebuilt in an afternoon by one person; a welded frame requires a fabricator, a shutdown window and a new drawing. Put those two numbers side by side and the case usually makes itself.

If the question you have is not on this page, send it. Questions that recur end up as articles here, and specific ones get answered directly.