Tube and joint
Two families of components, no more. Tubes carry, joints assemble. Every geometry is built from that vocabulary, which keeps the number of stocked references low and makes each part reusable elsewhere.
Guide
The modular tubular structure
Steel tubes and joints, assembled without welding or cutting. One set of components becomes a workstation, a trolley, a rack — then something else when production changes. Here is how it works, what it carries, and where it is not the right answer.
Three ideas, and everything follows
There is nothing complicated about the tubular system. Its strength comes from what it does not do: it does not weld, it does not cut, it does not freeze anything.
No welding
Assembly is done with a spanner, not a welding set. The direct consequence: the structure is built on the shop floor by your own people, corrected the same day, and needs neither certification nor repainting.
Demountable, therefore reusable
What goes together comes apart. A workstation built for one production run is transformed for the next with the same tubes. The investment does not expire at changeover — that is the main economic difference with a welded frame.
Five thicknesses, from 350 kg to 3 tonnes
Thickness is chosen on the load to carry, not on habit. Oversizing costs weight and money; undersizing costs far more.
1 mm
Up to 350 kg
Round tube
2 mm
Up to 700 kg
Round tube
2 mm
Up to 1 tonne
Square profile
4 mm
Up to 2 tonnes
Square profile
6 mm
Up to 3 tonnes
Square profile
Indicative loads per structure, to be confirmed by our design office according to geometry, spans and loading method. The same thickness does not carry the same load at every distance between supports.
What you build with it
All these families use the same tubes and the same joints. That is what lets one become another.
Workstations
Adjustable worktops, uprights, support arms, line-side shelving.
Handling trolleys
Kitting and picking trolleys, tray and bin trolleys, tugger trains.
Shelving and racking
Workshop racking, tubular shelving, point-of-use storage.
Flow racks
Sloped roller beds, loaded one side, picked from the other.
Kitting solutions
Kit holders, component presenters, preparation trolleys.
Workstation carts
Mobile workshop furniture, fitted to the tools actually used.
Tubular, welded or aluminium profile?
All three technologies coexist and none is better at everything. Here is how they separate, including where tubular does not have the advantage.
| Criterion | Steel tubular | Welded frame | Aluminium profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time to first use | Short: prototype in 72 h | Long: study, fabrication, paint | Medium: cutting to size required |
| Later modification | On the floor, by your team, in minutes | New fabrication | Possible, but often needs recutting |
| Component reuse | Complete, from one project to the next | None | Partial, depending on lengths |
| Heavy loads | Up to 3 tonnes depending on profile | Advantage: no practical limit | Limited at equal load, or costly |
| Rigidity for machinery | Sufficient for most workstations | Advantage: the benchmark | Good, with high-inertia profiles |
| Finish and integration | Industrial, unapologetically | Variable | Advantage: finer finish |
| Cost per metre | Low | Variable, labour-heavy | High |
This comparison is made from our standpoint as a tubular manufacturer. We state the cases where the other two technologies win, because that is the information you need when choosing.
When it is not the right answer
Better said before the quote than during installation. Four situations where we point elsewhere.
- A machine frame subject to significant dynamic forces or continuous vibration: a welded assembly remains stiffer, and it is the right choice.
- A load-bearing building structure, or anything falling under structural engineering: neither our trade nor the system's field of use.
- An environment requiring cleanroom finish or permanent high-pressure washdown: mechanical assembly multiplies crevices.
- A need that has been perfectly stable for ten years and will stay that way: if nothing will ever move, modularity buys you nothing and a welded frame may cost less.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a modular tubular structure?
- An assembly of steel tubes and mechanical joints, without welding or cutting, used to build workshop equipment and to modify it afterwards with the same components.
- What load does a tubular structure carry?
- From 350 kg to 3 tonnes depending on thickness and profile, across five thicknesses from 1 to 6 mm. Actual capacity also depends on geometry and the distance between supports, so it is validated case by case.
- Is welding or drilling required?
- Neither. Assembly is mechanical, with a spanner. That is what allows building, correcting and dismantling without a specialised workshop or any surface treatment rework.
- Can an installed structure be modified?
- Yes, that is the whole point. Moving a shelf, changing a height or extending a worktop is done on site, in minutes, without replacing the structure.
- How does it differ from aluminium profile?
- Aluminium offers a finer finish and high rigidity, at a higher cost per metre and with cutting to size that limits reuse. Steel tubular favours cost, speed of modification and reuse of components.
- Can I design my own structure?
- Yes. Our 3D configurator is freely accessible, with no sign-up: you assemble your structure on screen and download the drawing. Our design office then takes over to validate loads if you wish.
A structure to design?
Start by drawing it yourself, or hand us the requirement: either way you get an answer within 72 hours.
- Free 3D configurator, no sign-up
- Quote or drawing within 72 hours
- Prototype built before series production
- French manufacturing, in-house design office