A secondhand storage carousel can last for decades

There is always a market for used equipment, and used storage equipment is no exception. Surplus carousels are purchased by specialist companies, and then totally refurbished to an almost new condition. Most companies will offer a full warranty and if required a maintenance contract. Usually, the contract is for a full twelve months which includes one or two maintenance visits within that year. Most companies will usually offer a minimum of six months warranty. The main advantage of a secondhand unit is the price, and sometimes this can be a fraction of the cost when compared to a new one.

Thorough refurbishments are carried out meticulously, and after stripping the machine down the necessary work is carried out. If required the machine will have the carrier arm assemblies replaced, and the top support bearings checked and replaced. The rollers will be inspected and the motor and gearbox unit fully tested and replaced if required. End frames and chain tracks are cleaned and degreased, a new counter top may be fitted. All exterior cladding is cleaned or may be replaced or even resprayed, to leave the machine in a ' good as new ' condition.

Secondhand carousels are used in a wide range of industries including manufacturing, precision engineering, healthcare, warehousing and the aerospace industry.

As well as supplying used machines to customers, some companies also offer upgrades, disposal, acquisition and relocation of previously used storage carousels and other storage machinery.

Vertical carousels are storage machines that rotate in a vertical plane. They resemble a ferris wheel in dynamics, as the individual shelving modules are kept horizontal as they rotate. They are best used for consolidating the storage of similar sized parts in a small footprint by using the height of the building instead of valuable floorspace.

Horizontal carousels consist of a fixed number of adjacent storage columns that are mechanically linked to either an overhead or floor mounted drive mechanism to complete the loop.

Storage shuttles are very much like vertical carousels in appearance, but the goods are stored on trays and they don't rotate the product to the operator position like vertical carousels.

An automated storage system can best be defined as a storage system that performs retrieval and storage operations with accuracy and speed under a degree of automation. The performance of any manufacturing company will usually rely on its material handling and storage system.

When supplied as new, all these systems can prove to be very expensive, and it is always a good idea to give some considerable thought to purchasing a secondhand machine.