Thursday, January 10, 2008
Positioning Equipment
Positioning equipment is used to handle material at a single location so that the material is in the correct position for handling, machining, transport, or storage. Material can also be positioned manually using no equipment. The major types of positioning equipment are:1) Lift/Tilt/Turn Table
2) Dock Leveller
3) Ball Transfer Table
4) Rotary Index Table
5) Parts Feeder
6) Air Film Device
7) Hoist
8) Balancer
9)Manipulator:a) Rigid-Link Manipulator; b) Articulated Jib Crane Manipulator and c) Vacuum Manipulator
10) Industrial Robot
Manual (No Equipment)
Material can be positioned manually without using equipment.Under ideal circumstances, maximum recommended weight for manual lifting to avoid back injuries is 23kg.
As compared to manual handling, the use of positioning equipment can provide benefits:
- raise the productivity of each worker when the frequency of handling is high
- improve product quality and limit damage to materials and equipment when the item handled is heavy or hard to hold and damage is likely through human error or inattention, and
- reduce fatigue and injuries when the environment is hazardous or inaccessible
Now, let us look at the different functions of the different positioning equipment:
1) Lift/Tilt/Tur
n Table It is used when positioning involves the lifting, tilting, or turning of a load.
Also, it is used to reduce or limit a worker’s lifting and reaching motions.
Pallet load levellers are lift and turn tables used in manual palletizing to reduce the amount of bending and stooping involved with manually loading a pallet by combining a lifting and turning mechanism with a device that lowers the table as each layer is completed so that loading always takes place at the optimal height
of 1m.
2) Dock Leveler
Used at loading docks to compensate for height differences between
a truck bed and the dock.
3) Ball Transfer Table
The ball transfer table is used when products are required to be manually rotated or correctly positioned, such as a work station or other similar operation that requires quick, easy handling of the product. Ball transfer table is also used when more than two conveyor lines converge and packages must be transferred from one line to another.
4) Rotary Index Table
It is used for the synchronous transfer of small parts from station to station in a single workcenter. The circular table rotates in discrete intermittent steps to advance parts between stations located along its perimeter. However, it is difficult to put buffer between stations since each part moves between stations at the same time.
5) Parts Feeder
For feeding and orienting small identical parts, particularly in automatic assembly operations. Motion can be imparted through vibration, gravity, centrifugal force, tumbling, or air pressure.
Parts feeders can be used to provide inspection capabilities with respect to the shape and weight of parts (e.g., the coin feeder of a vending machine).
6) Air Film Device
Used to enable precision positioning of heavy loads. It can be used in place of cranes and hoists. It can be used in warehousing as the mechanism to
convert stationary racks into sliding racks.
7) Hoist
It is used for the vertical translation (i.e., lifting and lowering) of loads. Frequently attached to cranes and monorails to provide vertical translation capability.
8) Balancer
Used to enable precision positioning of heavy loads. It can be used in place of cranes and hoists. It can be used in warehousing as the mechanism toconvert stationary racks into sliding racks.
7) Hoist
It is used for the vertical translation (i.e., lifting and lowering) of loads. Frequently attached to cranes and monorails to provide vertical translation capability.8) Balancer
Mechanism used to support and control loads so that an operator need only guide a balanced ("weightless") load, thus providing precision positioning. It can also be attached to hoist and manipulators.
9) Manipulator
Commonly used for vertical and horizontal translation and rotation of loads. Acting as "muscle multipliers," manipulators counterbalance the weight of a load so that an operator lifts a small portion (1%) of the load’s weight. It can be powered manually, electrically, or pneumatically.
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A rigid-link manipulator is distinguished from an industrial robot by the use of an operator for control as opposed to automatic computer control.
b) Articulated Jib Crane Manipulator
Extends a jib crane’s reaching capability in a work area through the use of additional links or "arms"
c) Vacuum Manipulator It provides flexibility.
10) Industrial Robot
To provide variable programmed motions of loads. It is also used for parts fabrication, inspection, and assembly tasks. It consists of a chain of several rigid links connected in series by revolute or prismatic joints with one end of the chain attached to a supporting base and the other end free and equipped with an end-effector. The end-effector can be equipped with mechanical grippers, vacuum grippers, electromechanical grippers, welding heads, paint spray heads, or any other tooling. It can be powered manually, electrically, or pneumatically.
Here is a video on NACHI, a Japanese company which uses industrial robot to handle material.
Here is a video on NACHI, a Japanese company which uses industrial robot to handle material.
Labels: Ashikin
by SMS at 4:54 AM |
2 Comments:
Very fantastic and well-written post about Material Handling Equipment
Thank you for sharing the valuable content.
Jost’s material handling provides innovative solutions for internal material handling needs for its customers so that it improves the efficiencies of their processes.
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