Today we will talk with you about what a rack is. This interior item has long ceased to be an exclusively industrial object, although so far many people associate it with heavy and bulky metal construction.
Shelves come in different shapes, they differ in size, scope of use and the material from which they are made. But their main purpose is always the same - the organization of space and compact storage of a variety of things.
Definition and Functionality
So, to make it easier to understand what a rack is, you need to find out where the name of this design came from. The source of this definition can be considered the Dutch word Stellen, which in translation into Russian means "put". In a more familiar interpretation of our hearing, it is modified to the German Stellage.
In a dry academic language, this device is defined as a structure consisting of a frame assembled from racks and beams on which flooring is installed in several tiers. The rack is designed to store piece items and materials - this is its main function. In everyday life, he can serve not only for its intended purpose, but also as a barrier necessary to protect individual zones in the room.
Basically, racks are metal structures in which the frame is made of pipes of different thicknesses (depending on what kind of load they will be exposed to) and overlappings from boards, chipboard or perforated metal sheets.
Types of shelving by area of use
The simplest and most common type of racking device is a simple stationary design with cell shelves. Their depth, height and width may vary depending on the dimensions of the items stored in them. Modified models are equipped with pull-out shelves, and sometimes an automated search system for ease of use of file cabinets and documentation. Do you know what a pallet, cantilever or stacker rack is?
The first are equipped with slots for placing warehouse pallets in them, which greatly simplifies the storage and movement of goods. The cantilever and rack stacker are specialized systems that do not contain stationary decks, shelves can be understaffed and height-adjustable using universal hooks-clamps.
Depending on where the shelf structures are used, they are divided into:
- archival - devices of narrow profile purpose, suitable for storing filing cabinets and documentation, which is rarely requested;
- office - usually it is stationary, easy-to-use racks, where they stack business papers, various items;
- exhibition - special designs that are used to create exhibits, demonstrate production products;
- storage - most often these are metal racks, they can be mobile, have a different structure and purpose;
- household - fall under a separate category of furniture, which can be used as an interior item in a residential, office or work space.
Due to the fact that the range of equipment needed to optimize warehouse and office space is very diverse, you need to carefully consider its choice.
What racks are made of
Once the main material for the manufacture of shelving was wood. However, racks and ceilings from this raw material did not differ in durability, especially in conditions of damp and cold storage rooms, therefore metal replaced wood.
Modern racks are made from a metal profile, on which a powder-polymer coating is applied. Such designs are characterized by good resistance to various atmospheric influences, have enhanced load capacity, reliable and durable.
The vast majority of household and office shelving, as well as some types of exhibition, are assembled from MDF, durable plastic or natural wood. These can be monolithic structures in which the frame and flooring are a single product. However, there are also such modifications where glass shelves are installed. Racks most often do not have a back wall. Also, this type of furniture is not locked with doors.
Business projects
What are racks and what is the scope of their application, without fail, entrepreneurs know, and regardless of the vector of their activity. Where might such equipment be needed?
- In production - for the situation of storage facilities.
- In sales - at points of sale of goods, not only structures for the equipment of utility rooms and warehouses are needed, but also trading racks in the halls for visitors.
- At fairs and thematic exhibitions - as showcases for demonstrative product samples.
As we have already said, there are office racks necessary for systematization and storage of documentation, but this furniture will also be useful for decoration in public catering establishments, schools, kindergartens, medical institutions, etc.
Domesticating Industry
In interior design, a shelving unit can be simply an indispensable object. This lightweight and versatile design has many incarnations. The rack can be made not only in the traditional form of a high rack with shelves located in strictly geometric order with perfectly even lines and lines, but also have a more modernized appearance. Modern furniture designers offer asymmetric designs of various heights, widths and depths.
The most popular among buyers are shelving from MDF panels. This predisposition is due to the ease of installation, as well as its versatility. Furniture manufacturers make modular shelving, the location of the cells of which is possible in various versions, which allows you to modify this piece of furniture depending on the current needs and characteristics of the room.
You can install the design in almost any room, it all depends on its size. A small rack fits into the interior of the hallway or bathroom, a large height and width design will be an excellent addition to the living room or bedroom.
Reader Paradise
And if in the common areas the multi-tiered shelf will serve rather as a showcase for various souvenirs and other small things that are lovely to the eye, then in the children's and home office the shelving is special-purpose furniture. In the child’s room, it will be an ideal place to store numerous toys and educational literature, notebooks, crafts, awards. In an office or home library, a bookcase will help you organize your space and arrange prints according to your personal preferences and aesthetic convictions.