What Happens Between Order and Delivery
Once you place an order, your rack isn't pulled from a warehouse shelf — it's built specifically for that order. Every rack we sell is CNC-cut and assembled to order, which means your purchase starts a build process rather than a pick-and-pack fulfillment process. This is a meaningful difference from mass-produced racks sitting in inventory, and it's part of why our racks ship flat-packed rather than pre-assembled — building to order at CNC precision and shipping flat-packed keeps both cost and lead time reasonable while still delivering a rack built specifically for your purchase.
Build and Ship Timeline
From order to shipment, every rack builds and ships within one week. That timeline covers CNC cutting every panel, assembling and testing heat tape placement, and packing the completed flat-pack kit for shipping. Once your rack ships, standard ground shipping transit time applies on top of that build window, so total time from order to delivery depends partly on your location relative to our South Georgia facility.
What Arrives in the Box
Every rack ships as a complete kit — CNC-cut panels, integrated heat tape, ARS tubs matched to your rack's tub series, locking casters, and all hardware needed for assembly. You're not receiving a bare frame and sourcing components separately from multiple suppliers; everything needed to go from box to functional rack is included in a single flat-pack shipment.
Given the size of a fully assembled rack, expect a genuinely large, heavy flat-pack box or set of boxes — this isn't small-parcel shipping, and it's worth planning for delivery to a location where a large freight or ground shipment can actually be received and moved, rather than assuming standard mailbox or porch delivery.
Inspecting Your Shipment on Arrival
Before signing for delivery or moving boxes to their final assembly location, do a quick visual inspection of the packaging for any signs of damage from transit — crushed corners, tears, or visible impact points. If you notice significant damage, photograph it before opening and reach out to us directly so we can address it quickly rather than discovering a damaged panel partway through assembly with no documentation of shipping damage.
Unboxing and Sorting Components
Once you're ready to begin assembly, start by unpacking everything and laying out components in an organized way before diving into construction — panels, hardware, heat tape, tubs, and casters all in visible, separated groups. This sounds like an obvious step, but it's the single biggest time-saver for assembly day, since hunting for a specific hardware piece mid-build slows things down far more than a few minutes of upfront sorting.
Assembly Overview
Every rack is designed to be assembled by a single person in well under an hour using basic tools, with every panel CNC-cut to fit precisely rather than requiring on-the-fly adjustments. The general assembly sequence starts with the frame — connecting side panels and cross supports into the basic rack skeleton — followed by tier installation with heat tape already integrated into the appropriate tier panels, and finishing with caster attachment to the base.
If you've ever assembled flat-pack furniture, the process will feel familiar — panels align to pre-cut connection points rather than requiring measuring or improvised fitting, which is a direct benefit of CNC manufacturing over hand-built alternatives that can vary panel to panel.
Testing Heat Tape Before Adding Animals
Once assembly is complete, don't skip the step of testing your heat tape and thermostat setup with a full 24-hour temperature check before adding any animals to the rack. Place your thermostat probe on the warm side of each tub, verify actual surface temperature with an infrared thermometer, and confirm consistent readings across every tier before treating the rack as ready for occupants. This is standard practice for any new rack setup regardless of build quality, since it catches any thermostat or probe placement issues before an animal is depending on that heat source.
Locking Casters and Final Placement
Once assembly and heat testing are complete, use the locking casters to move your rack into its final position in your rack room, then engage the locks to prevent unwanted movement during daily use. This is also the point to confirm your rack's final position accounts for the room and location considerations that matter for long-term use — proximity to outlets, clearance for stacking a second unit later if planned, and general access for daily feeding and cleaning.
Assembling Multiple Racks in the Same Order
If your order includes more than one rack, whether for immediate stacking or to place side by side in your rack room, it's generally more efficient to fully assemble one unit completely before starting the next, rather than partially assembling both simultaneously. This keeps hardware and components organized by unit and reduces the chance of mixing up parts between two builds happening at the same time, especially useful advice if you're assembling a larger order on your own without a second person helping sort components.
What to Do If Something's Wrong
If you encounter a missing part, a manufacturing defect, or any assembly issue during setup, reach out to us directly rather than trying to work around it — we build every rack to a consistent standard and want to resolve any issue quickly rather than have you compromise on a rack that isn't functioning the way it should.
Preparing Your Space Before the Rack Arrives
Assembly day goes more smoothly when your intended rack room location is already prepped before the box arrives — floor space cleared, nearby outlets confirmed and accessible, and any structural or electrical considerations already addressed rather than discovered mid-assembly. This is especially worth doing if you're planning to stack a second rack later, since knowing your final planned footprint ahead of time means you can position the first unit correctly from the start rather than needing to relocate it once a second rack arrives.
From Box to Fully Operational Rack
The entire process — from order placement through build, shipping, assembly, and heat testing — is designed to get you from purchase decision to a fully operational, properly heated rack with minimal friction and no guesswork about what's included or how it goes together.
Ready to place your order? Explore the Core 55-5, Core 70-5, Glow 55-4, and Glow 70-4 — every rack built to order and shipped complete within one week.
