ダブルマストスタッカークレーンは1時間に何枚のパレットを動かすことができますか?

In the high-turnover world of food, beverage, and 3PL warehousing, every minute counts. You’re constantly battling rising energy costs for your cold storage, facing labor shortages, and risking costly recalls if the wrong batch ships. A simple forklift can’t keep up with the demands for perfect FIFO and 24/7 throughput. You need a system that delivers predictable, high-speed performance without compromising on safety or accuracy.

Talk With An Expert

While many providers will give you a vague answer, a high-performance Double Mast Stacker Crane is engineered for a throughput of 25 to 40 dual cycles per hour. A “dual cycle” means the crane stores one pallet and retrieves another in a single, optimized trip.

However, this number isn’t just about raw speed. It’s the result of a meticulously engineered system where mechanical power, structural integrity, and intelligent software converge. The real question isn’t just “how many,” but “how is this consistent throughput achieved and maintained?”

Beyond a Single Number: The Anatomy of a Stacker Crane Cycle

The total pallets moved per hour is a direct function of the “cycle time”—the time it takes for the crane to complete a mission. This isn’t a single movement but a symphony of three-dimensional actions orchestrated by a PLC controller. A starack Stacker Crane is designed to execute these movements simultaneously to minimize travel time.

Movement Axis	Performance Metrics	Impact on Throughput
Horizontal Travel (X-Axis)	Up to 787 ft/min (240 m/min)	The primary factor in long aisles. S-Curve acceleration control ensures this speed is reached smoothly, preventing load shifting for liquid or fragile goods.
Vertical Lift (Y-Axis)	Up to 197 ft/min (60 m/min)	Crucial in High Bay Warehouse designs. Regenerative braking on descent captures gravitational potential energy, feeding it back into the system to reduce electricity costs by 20-30%—a critical saving in energy-intensive cold storage.
Fork Cycle (Z-Axis)	Typically 8-12 seconds for a full extend/retract cycle.	A constant time, but a telescoping fork designed for double-deep storage will add a few seconds per cycle in exchange for a massive increase in storage density.

The system’s intelligence ensures the crane doesn’t just move along one axis at a time. It travels in a diagonal path, simultaneously moving horizontally and vertically to reach the target location in the shortest possible time. This is what separates a basic crane from a high-throughput Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS).

How System Design Impacts Pallet Throughput in Food & Beverage Logistics

The crane’s speed is only one part of the equation. In a temperature-controlled or GSP-compliant environment, the overall system design is what truly dictates performance. Every second saved translates directly into lower energy costs and faster order fulfillment.

Warehouse Layout: The Shape of Speed

The dimensions of your warehouse directly influence cycle times. A long, low-profile warehouse will have longer horizontal travel times, while a tall, compact Rack Clad Warehouse built on a smaller footprint will emphasize vertical speed. We model these travel times during the design phase to optimize the layout for your specific SKU velocity and throughput requirements, ensuring there are no hidden performance bottlenecks.

Conveyor Integration: The Critical Handshake

A stacker crane moving 40 pallets an hour is useless if the inbound and outbound conveyor systems can’t keep pace. The system begins at the induction point, where an automated profile gauge scans every incoming pallet. It checks for overhang or shifting goods, preventing a poorly stacked pallet from ever entering the system and causing a jam at 100 feet in the air. This “automated security check” ensures the crane’s uptime remains above 99%.

Optimize Your Warehouse Throughput

From Manual Bottlenecks to Automated Flow: A Cold Storage Scenario

The “Before” Picture: Imagine a -18°C (-0.4°F) frozen food warehouse. Forklift operators can only work for short periods before needing a warm-up break. Every time a dock door opens, cold air floods out and energy bills spike. A driver, rushing to meet a quota, accidentally pierces a pallet of high-value goods. Worse, the wrong lot code is picked and shipped, putting your GSP compliance and contracts at risk.

The “After” Picture: A starack ASRS transforms the space into a lights-out, high-density storage cube. The double mast crane, constructed from Q355 high-strength steel, operates 24/7 with ±3mm precision. Your WMS software has full control, enforcing strict FIFO logic to eliminate expiration-date risks. The crane’s regenerative braking system actively lowers your facility’s energy consumption. Throughput becomes a predictable, manageable metric, not a variable dependent on human factors.

So, How Many Pallets Can Your Crane Move?

The answer is a function of intelligent design. A starack Double Mast Stacker Crane can achieve a peak of 40 dual cycles per hour, but its true value lies in delivering a consistent, predictable average throughput tailored to your specific needs. It’s about transforming your warehousing from a reactive cost center into a proactive, strategic asset that drives efficiency, ensures compliance, and directly impacts your bottom line through optimized Warehouse Space Optimization.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is a “dual cycle” and why is it important for throughput?

A dual cycle is a single trip where the stacker crane performs two tasks: it travels to a location to deposit a pallet, and on its way back, it picks up another pallet to bring to the output station. This is nearly twice as efficient as a single cycle (one task per trip) and is the standard measure of a high-performance ASRS. Your WMS orchestrates these moves to maximize efficiency.

2. Can these stacker cranes operate in deep-freeze environments?

Absolutely. Our systems are designed to operate reliably in temperatures down to -30°C (-22°F). We use specialized lubricants, cold-resistant steel (like hot-dip galvanized options), and sealed electronic components to ensure maximum uptime. This makes them ideal for 低温流通物流 providers and frozen food manufacturers.

3. How does the system ensure strict FIFO for products with expiration dates?

The starack system is controlled by a Warehouse Control System (WCS) that integrates directly with your Warehouse Management System (WMS) or ERP. When a pallet is stored, its batch number and expiration date are logged against its specific storage location (e.g., Aisle 05, Bay 15, Level 08). When an order is placed, the WMS instructs the crane to retrieve the oldest stock first, providing perfect, auditable FIFO control required for a GMP Certified Warehouse.

4. What happens if a pallet is damaged or poorly stacked before entering the system?

Before a pallet is handed over to the stacker crane, it must pass through a “profile gauge” at the conveyor induction station. This frame uses laser sensors to scan the pallet’s dimensions and check for any protrusions, leaning, or overhangs. If a pallet fails this check, it is automatically rejected and diverted for manual inspection, preventing it from causing a jam or falling within the high-bay racking.

5. Beyond speed, what are the main ROI drivers for this system in a food warehouse?

The return on investment comes from multiple areas: 1) Space Savings: A high-bay ASRS can increase storage capacity by 3-5x on the same footprint, saving massive land acquisition and construction costs. 2) Energy Savings: High-density design and regenerative braking reduce energy consumption, especially in costly cold storage. 3) Labor Reduction: It automates the most physically demanding jobs, allowing you to reallocate staff to value-added tasks. 4) Accuracy & Safety: It eliminates picking errors, product damage from forklift collisions, and workplace accidents.