Cast blanks in a foundry weigh from a few kilograms to over a hundred kilograms each; their surfaces carry molding sand, flash and burrs, and after shakeout they still hold residual sand and iron chips. An ordinary light-duty warehouse cage deforms after just a few loads. The first step in cage selection is to set the load grade by the heaviest single piece and the total weight per cage.
Choose heavy-duty load rating: mesh wire diameter should be 6 mm or above, and the bottom should use a full steel plate or a densified mesh with a support plate, to prevent casting edges from cutting through the mesh or falling through large openings. Post wall thickness should be no less than 2 mm; stacking feet and base skeleton must be fully welded—when heavy castings stack two or three layers, the bottom cage bears highly concentrated load.
Temperature and surface treatment also matter. Freshly shaken-out castings can exceed 100°C and must not go straight into plastic turnover boxes; galvanized cages tolerate heat, but it is advisable to wait until the casting drops below 60°C before putting it in the cage. The shop is dusty with abundant iron chips, and powder coating easily gets scratched and peels off; hot-dip galvanizing is more wear- and impact-resistant than powder coating.
Handling is mostly by forklift or overhead crane: forklift slot openings must be wide enough and the four corners reinforced. Castings bump easily; finishing faces need rubber mats or divider plates—one casting type per cage—to avoid mixed loads and scratches. After each pour-out, shake out residual sand thoroughly to prevent sand grains accumulating at the bottom and accelerating cage wear.
Nanjing Tongnuo Warehouse Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd. was founded in 2013, with a 9,000 m² factory, and regularly builds heavy-duty material cages for casting conditions: bottom plates, thickened wire diameters, sleeved posts, with support for sampling and trial installation before bulk supply.