AS/RS 3D high-rise warehouse: high stacking or long stacking?
The warehouse needs 4,000 pallet positions and must handle 160 imports and exports during peak hours. Each row of shelves has an automatic stacker crane that runs across the row and lifts and lowers at the same time. You choose the number of rows and floors; The length of the sequence is calculated automatically to have 4,000 positions. The goal: pallets wait at the door for no more than one minute on average, with the least amount of cranes.
Drag to rotate · scroll or pinch to zoom.
Game rules
- Select sequence number (1–8, one stacker crane per row) and number of floors shelves (4–16), click Rush hour begins.
- The length of the range is automatically calculated to accommodate 4,000 pallet positions. A row longer than 120 m is considered unbuildable.
- 160 turns per hour, alternating input and output, spread evenly over time; The cell position is random but fixed (the same configuration always produces the same results).
- Three stars: pass (average wait ≤ 60 seconds, finished within an hour) with the least possible delays. Two stars: pass.
How to read the results
- The crane runs horizontally and lifts at the same time, so each trip costs the slower axis more time. Low shelves but long rows are determined by the horizontal axis; If the shelf is too high, the lifting shaft decides.
- There is a point of balance. When the time to run to the end of the row is approximately the time to lift to full height, the hoisting cycle is the shortest. The higher the stack, the more compact the warehouse will be, but each crane will be slower.
- Adding rows means adding cranes. Capacity adds up directly to the number of cranes, but each crane is a large investment, and the warehouse floor is wider horizontally.
- Pallets waiting at the door are a sign of lack of capacity. One rush hour is enough for the queue to lengthen very quickly when the crane is almost full.
How is the model calculated?
Each cell is 1.4 m wide, each floor is 1.6 m high. The crane runs horizontally at a maximum of 3 m/s, lifts at a maximum of 0.75 m/s, both have an acceleration of 0.5 m/s² and run simultaneously; Each pick-up or release takes about 5.7 seconds (forks in and out and positioning). Each turn is a single cycle: from door to box and then back to the door. Kinematic parameters are taken in the same set as 2D high-rise warehouse game.
Not calculated: double cycle (putting and picking in one trip), frequency stacking (fast moving goods kept close to the door), conveyor and front inspection stations, crane problems. The parameters are illustrative assumptions, not specific to any company.
⚖️ The model is a cube illustrating a common high-rise warehouse, not built according to any warehouse, business or crane company; In-game figures are the result of the above assumptions, not intended as design parameters. Model built using Three.js library (MIT license).
Frequently asked questions
Should AS/RS warehouses be stacked high or long?
The stacker crane runs horizontally and lifts at the same time, so each trip takes time for the slower shaft. There is a balance between range length and shelf height; The higher the warehouse, the more compact it will be, but each crane will be slower. Simulation for testing each configuration.
Have real project parameters? Send them to CGD and get feedback on the design scope
This simulation stops at the principle. For a specific project, CGD builds the model on real operating data and floor plan drawings.
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