Material handling equipment relates to the movement, storage, control and protection of materials, goods and products throughout the process of manufacturing, distribution, consumption and disposal. Material handling equipment is the mechanical equipment involved in the complete system. Material handling equipment is generally separated into four main categories: storage and handling equipment, engineered systems, industrial trucks, and bulk material handling.
Suitable to almost all industrial requirement, a wide variety of material handling equipments are available in the market. Material handling equipments differ from each other in the following aspects:
1. Suitability for the type of material: Some material handling equipment is suitable for bulk load while others are suitable for packaged load or individual pieces.
2. Direction of movement: Some equipments can move materials only in horizontal directions others can move in vertical direction, while there are some which can move materials in horizontal as well as vertical direction.
3. Speed of movement: Some equipments have fixed path, while in others, path can be verified.
4. Path followed: Some equipments have fixed path, while in others, path can be verified.
5. Power required for the operation of the equipments: Material handling equipments can be power driven or manual driven or gravity driven.
6. Supervisions required: some equipments require close supervision while others do not.
Considering the above characteristics, material handling equipment may be grouped as under;
Wheelbarrows, hand trucks and trolleys, etc –
These are generally used in small scale industries w here laborers bring materials, single or in unit loads for the operator and carry away the semi- finished goods/finished goods after the operation. Most commonly used equipments are:
· Wheelbarrow: A wheelbarrow is a kind of vehicle that is built to be pushed around with a load. It is usually used in gardens. Most of the time it has one wheel, but sometimes has two. Wheelbarrows are used to carry heavy stuff which some people cannot carry.
· Hand trucks: It is an L-shaped box-moving handcart with handles at one end, wheels at the base, with a small ledge to set objects on, flat against the floor when the hand-truck is upright.
· Trolleys: They are some of the most common form of transport in warehousing and distribution environments, for moving bulk loads. A very simple design that offer a basic flat platform with four castors and a fixed handle which is used to either push or pull the platform with the load on the platform.
Conveyors:
They are Useful for moving materials from one place to another. They are especially useful in applications involving the transportation of heavy or bulky materials. Conveyor systems allow quick and efficient transportation for a wide variety of materials, which make them very popular in the material handling and packaging industries. Many kinds of conveying systems are available, and are used according to the various needs of different industries.
Industrial trucks:
Industrial trucks are wheelers with a precision to carry and move materials by transportation of vehicle itself. Industrial trucks are used to move materials over variable paths, with no restrictions on the area covered by the movement.
- Used to move materials over variable (horizontal) paths with no restrictions on the area covered (i.e., unrestricted area)
- Provide vertical movement if the truck has lifting capabilities
- Used when there is insufficient (or intermittent) flow volume such that the use of a conveyor cannot be justified
- Provide more flexibility in movement than conveyors and cranes
- Not licensed to travel on public roads—"commercial trucks" are licensed to travel on public roads.
The major types of industrial trucks are: hand trucks, fork lift trucks, etc.
Cranes:
These are used to move materials over variable paths within a restricted area. General characteristics of cranes:
- Used to move loads over variable (horizontal and vertical) paths within a restricted area
- Used when there is insufficient (or intermittent) flow volume such that the use of a conveyor cannot be justified
- Provide more flexibility in movement than conveyors
- Provide less flexibility in movement than industrial trucks
- Loads handled are more varied with respect to their shape and weight than those handled by a conveyor
- Most cranes utilize hoists for vertical movement, although manipulators can be used if precise positioning of the load is required
Ropeways: are used for overhead transport of materials over greater distance.
Slides and Chutes:
They are employed to transfer jobs under gravity from one location to another. Chutes have either sheet metal or roller base for transferring material down to incline. Chutes generally feed parts to the conveyor.
Tractors:
They are employed to transport material over long distances.
Bibliography:
1. MLM Nirali prakashan Pg. no 8.9
2. Wikipedia
3. http://www.ise.ncsu.edu
4. Google search
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