Telescopic Rails for Automated Storage & AS/RS

Where telescopic rails work in automated storage

Typical mounting points across the industry — each one a sized, catalogued VT configuration.

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Shuttle load-handling devices

Full-extension telescopic sets extract totes and trays from single- and double-deep rack positions.

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Stacker-crane telescopic forks

Heavy-duty rails carry pallet loads across the rack gap at full extension.

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Vertical lift modules

Extractor slides pull storage trays onto the lift platform.

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Transfer shuttles

Two-way telescopic travel serves racking on both sides of the aisle from one device.

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Portal & gantry axes

Compact linear guides position grippers and load handlers on the mast and carriage.

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Buffer & sequencing towers

Slim full-extension slides give service access to dense buffer lanes.

What the application demands

The engineering constraints that drive series selection — and how the VT range answers them.

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Extreme cycle counts

A shuttle LHD can exceed 1 000 cycles per day. Induction-hardened raceways and captive ball cages keep wear — and pull-out force — stable over millions of strokes.

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Full reach, minimal deflection

Double-deep extraction demands 100 %+ extension with the payload cantilevered into the rack. Deflection budgets are set by the rack pitch, not by comfort.

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Dynamics without vibration

High extension and retraction speeds must not excite the mast. Zero-clearance and preloaded (K1) executions suppress rattle and overshoot.

Recommended VT series

Start with these families; the configurator weighs your exact load, stroke and length against the whole range.

VT-H100 %+ ext

Heavy-Duty Full Extension

Modular heavy-duty sets (executions F / V / S) are the natural basis for shuttle and crane load-handling devices — configured per device, sizes 30–80.

Sizes 30–80modular executions F / V / S

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VT-X100 % ext

I-Beam Full Extension

I-beam intermediate gives the stiffest full extension per kilogram — the right choice for fast LHDs where moving mass matters.

Sizes 22–63best load-to-weight ratio

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VT-LLinear ext

Linear Guide

Compact linear guide for mast, carriage and gripper axes — up to 12 000 kg per carriage inside a C-profile.

Sizes 22–63up to 122 kN per carriage

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Technical fit

Range-wide execution options relevant to this industry.

Working speed

≤ 0.8 m/s (derates with length) · max accel 1.2 m/s²

Surface coatings

Zinc per ISO 2081 (standard) · zinc-nickel · nickel · E-coat on request

Lubrication

Medium lithium grease; re-lube every 100 km or 6 months. FDA, cleanroom, marine & temperature greases on request.

Load basis

Telescopic series per pair of rails · VT-L per carriage

Frequently asked questions

Which telescopic rail suits a double-deep AS/RS shuttle?expand_more

Double-deep extraction needs beyond-100 % reach: VT-H heavy-duty sets are configured per device (executions F, V, S), and VT-S one-way slides can be ordered with extended stroke to 130 % of rail length. Our engineers size the set from your payload, reach and rack pitch.

How many cycles do the rails survive in continuous shuttle duty?expand_more

With induction-hardened raceways, correct sizing and the 100 km / 6-month re-lubrication interval, VT telescopic rails are designed for multi-million-stroke service. High-frequency duty is verified per application against load spectrum and speed.

Can the slides extend to both sides of the aisle?expand_more

Yes. VT-S is available as a two-way S2 execution, and VT-P converts to two-way travel by removing the stop screw — one load-handling device can then serve racking on both sides.

What speeds and accelerations are permissible?expand_more

The range is rated to 0.8 m/s working speed (derating with length) and 1.2 m/s² acceleration. For fast automatic motion, external end stops are mandatory and preloaded executions are recommended.

Other industries

Vehicle Equipmentarrow_forward Machine Toolsarrow_forward Electronicsarrow_forward Medical Techarrow_forward Cateringarrow_forward Transportarrow_forward Aerospacearrow_forward

Tell us your application — we return a part number.

Send the payload, stroke and envelope, or let the configurator narrow the range first. Our team returns a sized series, deflection estimate and 3D model — prototypes in under 14 days.

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