KASTO develops cable & hose solution based on storage tower technology

German manufacturer of automated storage systems and sawing machines, KASTO uses a lot of electrical cable and hydraulic hose at its Achern factory in the Black Forest. In order to store the drums and reels neatly and record accurately how much stock is being used, the company developed a system based on one of its own computer-controlled storage towers.

This has proved so effective that KASTO has decided to market the system worldwide as a specific solution to reel storage, cable and hose picking and stock replenishment. Availability in the UK is through the manufacturer's Milton Keynes subsidiary.

The store is based on a Unitower 3.0 containing 15 cassettes to hold the reels. When an order comes in for cable or hose to be picked, it is routed to the inventory control and warehouse management computer, KASTOlvr, supplied with the system.

The control automatically calls up the appropriate cassette(s) to the output station.

An operator uses a multifunctional unwinding, measurement and rewinding device to pay out the required length(s) of stock, cut it and return the remainder to the reel. The amount of stock used is automatically recorded to assist inventory management and cost accounting.

Crane capacity is three tonnes, which is the maximum weight of product that can be held in each 1240 x 1000 x 6200 mm (W x H x L) storage cassette. Roller bearings mounted on modular fixtures bolted to the base support different sizes of reel and facilitate their rotation within the cassettes.