Material Handling Equipment

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Unit Load Formation Equipment

Unit load formation equipment used to restrict materials so that they maintain their integrity when handled a single load during transport and for storage. The major types of unit load formation equipment are :

-Self-restraining(no equipment)

-Pallets

-Skids

-Slipsheets

-Tote pans

-Pallet boxes/skid boxes

1. Self-Restraining (No Equipment)
Self-restraining means one or more items that can maintain their integrity when handled as a single item (e.g., a single part or interlocking parts)

2. Pallets

-Platform with enough clearance beneath its top surface (or face) to enable the insertion of forks for subsequent lifting purposes.

-Most common materials for pallets is wood but paper, plastic, rubber and metal can also be used.

-Size of pallet is specified by its depth (i.e., length of its stringers or stringer boards) and its width (i.e., length its deckboards)—pallet height (typically 5 in.) is usually not specified.

3. Skids

-Platform (typically metal) with enough clearance beneath its top surface to enable a platform truck to move underneath for subsequent lifting purposes

-Forks can also be used to handle skids since the clearance of a skid is greater than that of a pallet

-Compared to a pallet, a skid is usually used for heavier loads and when stacking is not required; a metal skid can lift heavier loads than an equal-weight metal pallet because it enables a platform truck to be used for the lifting, with the platform providing a greater lifting surface to support the skid as compared to the forks used to support the pallet

4. Slipsheets

-Thick piece of paper, corrugated fiber, or plastic upon which a load is placed

-Handling method: tabs on the sheet are grabbed by a special push/pull lift truck attachment

5. Tote Pans

-Tote pans are reusable container used to unitize and protect loose discrete items

-People typically used for in-process handling

-Returnable totes provide alternative to cartons for distribution

6. Pallet Boxes/Skid Boxes

-Pallet boxes are reusable container used to unitize and protect loose items for fork/platform truck handling

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Friday, January 11, 2008

Transport Equipment

Transport equipment is used to move material from one location to another within a facility or at a site.

The major subcategories of transport equipment are:

-Industrial truck

-Cranes

-Conveyors

-No Equipment

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Industrial trucks

Industrial trucks are used to move materials over variable paths, with no restrictions on the area covered by the movement. The major types of industrial trucks are:

1. Hand truck
a)Two-wheeled hand truck
b)Dolly
c)Floor hand truck

2.Pallet jack
a)Manual pallet jack
b)Powered pallet jack

3.Walkie stacker
a)Manual walkie stacker
b)Powered walkie stacker

4.Pallet truck

5.Platform truck
a)Walkie platform truck
b)Rider platform truck

6. Counterbalanced lift truck
a) Sit-down counterbalanced lift truck
b) Stand-up counterbalanced lift truck

7. Narrow-aisle straddle truck

8. Narrow-aisle reach truck

9. Turret truck
a) Operator-down turret truck
b) Operator-up turret truck

10. Order picker

11. Sideloader

12. Tractor-trailer

13. Personnel and burden carrier

14. Automatic guided vehicle (AGV)
a) Tow AGV
b) Unit load AGV
c) Assembly AGV
d) Light load AGV
e) Fork AGV

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Thursday, January 10, 2008

Cranes

Cranes are used to move materials over variable paths within a restricted area. The major types of cranes are:

1.Jib crane
2.Bridge crane
3.Gantry crane
4.Stacker crane

1. Jib Crane
-It operates like an arm in a work area, where it can function as a manipulator for positioning tasks
-A hoist is attached to the arm for lifting

-Arm mounted on the wall or attached to a floor mounted support

-Arm can rotate 360°-The hoist can move along the arm

-The hoist can move along the arm

2. Bridge Crane

-Bridge mounted on tracks that are located on opposite walls of the facility

-Enables three-dimensional handling

-Top riding (heavier loads) or underhung (more versatile) versions of the crane

-Underhung crane can transfer loads and interface with other MHS (e.g., monorail systems)

3. Gantry Crane

-Single leg, double leg, and mobile types of gantry cranes

-Similar to a bridge crane except that it is floor supported at one or both ends instead of overhead (wall) supported

-Used to span a smaller portion of the work area as compared to a bridge crane

-The supports can be fixed in position or they can travel on runways

-Can be used outdoors when "floor" supported at both ends

4. Stacker Crane

-Similar to a bridge crane except that, instead of a hoist, it uses a mast with forks or a platform to handle unit loads

-Considered "fork trucks on a rail"

-Used for storing and retrieving unit loads in storage racks, especially in high-rise applications in which the racks are more than 50 feet high

-Can be controlled remotely or by an operator in a cab on the mast

-Can be rack supported

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