MATERIAL HANDLING AND

IDENTIFICATION TECHNOLOGIES

Chapters:
1. Material Transport Systems
2. Storage Systems
3. Automatic Identification and Data Capture
Material Handling Technologies
in the Production System
 1 Material Transport Systems

Sections:
1. Introduction to Material Handling Equipment
2. Material Transport Equipment
3. Analysis of Material Transport Systems
 Material Handling Defined

“The movement, storage, protection and control of

materials throughout the manufacturing and distribution
process including their consumption and disposal”
(The Material Handling Industry of America)
 Estimated to represent 20-25% of total manufacturing
labor cost in US
 The proportion varies depending on type of
production and degree of automation
 Material Handling

 Handling of materials must be performed

 Safely
 Efficiently
 At low cost
 In a timely manner
 Accurately (the right materials in the right quantities to
the right locations)
 And without damage to the materials
 Logistics
Concerned with the acquisition, movement, storage, and
distribution of materials and products as well as the planning and
control of these operations to satisfy customer demand

 Two categories of logistics:

 External logistics - transportation and related activities that
occur outside of a facility (between different geographical
locations)
 Five traditional modes of transportation: rail truck, air, ship,
and pipeline
 Internal logistics - material handling and storage within a facility
External Logistics
Internal Logistics
 Categories of
Material Handling Equipment

1. Material transport equipment - to move materials inside a

factory, warehouse, or other facility
2. Storage - to store materials and provide access to those
materials when required
3. Unitizing equipment - refers to
(1) containers to hold materials, and
(2) equipment used to load and package the containers
4. Identification and tracking systems - to identify and keep
track of the materials being moved and stored
 Design Considerations
in Material Handling
 Material characteristics
 Flow rate, routing, and scheduling
 Plant layout
 Unit load principle
 Material Characteristics

 Material characteristics affect type of transport and storage

equipment required
 Solid, liquid or gas
 Size
 Weight
 Shape - long, flat, bulky
 Condition - hot, cold, wet, dirty
 Risk of damage - fragile, brittle, sturdy
 Safety risk - explosive, flammable, toxic, corrosive
 Flow Rate, Routing, and Scheduling

 Flow rate - amount of material moved per unit time

 Examples: pieces/hr, pallet loads/hr, tons/hr
 Whether the material must be moved in individual units,
as batches, or continuously (pipe line)
 Routing - pick-up and drop-off locations, move distances,
routing variations, conditions along the route (surface,
traffic, elevation)
 Scheduling - timing of each delivery
 Prompt delivery when required
 Use of buffer stocks to mitigate against late deliveries
 Plant Layout

 Material handling equipment considerations must be

included in the plant layout design problem
 Correlation between layout type and material handling
equipment:
Plant layout type Material handling equipment
Fixed-position Cranes, hoists, industrial trucks
Process Hand trucks, forklift trucks, AGVs
Product Conveyors for product flow
Trucks to deliver parts to stations
 Unit Load Principle (unitizing)
In general, the unit load should be as large as practical for
the material handling system that will move and store it
 A unit load is the mass that is to be moved or otherwise
handled at one time
 Reasons for using unit loads in material handling:
 Multiple items handled simultaneously
 Required number of trips is reduced
 Loading/unloading times are reduced
 Product damage is decreased
 Unit Load Containers

(a) Wooden pallet, (b) pallet box, (c) tote box

 Principles of Material Handling
 Planning Principle
 Needs, objectives, specifications to be planned
 Standardisation Principle
 Methods, equipment, controls, software
 Work Principle
 Minimise work without affecting productivity
 Ergonomic Principle
 Human capabilities and limitations to be recognised
 Unit Load Principle
 Size it appropriately to achieve material flow
 Principles of Material Handling
 Space Utilisation Principle
 Use all available space efficiently and effectively
 System Principle
 Integrate all activities in plant
 Automation Principle
 Automate wherever feasible to improve efficiency
 Environmental Principle
 Impact and energy considerations also to be made
 Lifecycle Cost Principle
 Full economic analysis of entire lifecycle of equipment
 Material Transport Equipment

Five categories:
1. Industrial trucks
2. Automated guided vehicles
3. Monorails and other rail guided vehicles
4. Conveyors
5. Cranes and hoists
 1. Industrial Trucks

Two basic categories:

1. Non-powered
 Human workers push or pull loads
2. Powered
 Self-propelled, guided or driven by human
 Common example: forklift truck
 Nonpowered Industrial Trucks
(Hand Trucks)

(a) Two-wheel hand truck, (b) four-wheel dolly, (c) hand-

operated low-lift pallet truck
 Powered Trucks:
Walkie Truck

 Wheeled forks insert into pallet openings

 No provision for riding; truck is steered by worker using
control handle at front of vehicle
 Powered Trucks:
Forklift Truck

 Widely used in factories

and warehouses because
pallet loads are so
common
 Capacities from 450 kg
(1000 lb) up to 4500 kg
(10,000 lb)
 Power sources include
on-board batteries and
internal combustion
motors
 Powered Trucks:
Towing Tractor

 Designed to pull one or more trailing carts in factories and

warehouses, as well as for airport baggage handling
 Powered by on-board batteries or IC engines
 2. Automated Guided Vehicles

An Automated Guided Vehicle System (AGVS) is a

material handling system that uses independently
operated, self-propelled vehicles guided along defined
pathways in the facility floor
 Types of AGV:
 Driverless trains
 Pallet trucks
 Unit load AGVs
 Automated Guided Vehicles:
Driverless Automated Guided Train
 First type of AGVS to
be introduced around
1954
 Common application
is moving heavy
payloads over long
distances in
warehouses and
factories without
intermediate stops
along the route
 Automated Guided Vehicles:
AGV Pallet Truck
 Used to move
palletized loads along
predetermined routes
 Vehicle is backed into
loaded pallet by
worker; pallet is then
elevated from floor
 Worker drives pallet
truck to AGV guide
path and programs
destination
 Automated Guided Vehicles:
Unit Load Carrier

 Used to move unit loads from station to station

 Often equipped for automatic loading/unloading of pallets
and tote pans using roller conveyors, moving belts, or
mechanized lift platforms
 AGVs Applications

1. Driverless train operations - movement of large quantities

of material over long distances
2. Storage and distribution - movement of pallet loads
between shipping/receiving docks and storage racks
3. Assembly line operations - movement of car bodies and
major subassemblies (motors) through the assembly
stations
4. Flexible manufacturing systems - movement of workparts
between machine tools
5. Miscellaneous - mail delivery and hospital supplies
 Vehicle Guidance Technology

 Method by which AGVS pathways are defined and vehicles are

controlled to follow the pathways
 Three main technologies:
 Imbedded guide wires - guide wires in the floor emit
electromagnetic signal that the vehicles follow
 Paint strips - optical sensors on-board vehicles track the white
paint strips
 Self-guided vehicles - vehicles use a combination of
 Dead reckoning - vehicle counts wheel turns in given direction
to move without guidance
 Beacons located throughout facility - vehicle uses triangulation
to compute locations
Vehicle Guidance Using Guide Wire
 Vehicle Management

Two aspects of vehicle management:

 Traffic control - to minimize interference between vehicles
and prevent collisions
1. Forward (on-board vehicle) sensing
2. Zone control
 Vehicle dispatching
1. On-board control panel
2. Remote call stations
3. Central computer control
 Zone Control

Zone control to implement blocking system. Zones A, B,

and D are blocked. Zone C is free. Vehicle 2 is blocked
from entering Zone A by vehicle 1. Vehicle 3 is free to
enter Zone C.
Vehicle Management
 Vehicle Safety

 Travel velocity of AGV is slower than typical walking speed

of human worker
 Automatic stopping of vehicle if it strays from guide path
 Acquisition distance
 Obstacle detection system in forward direction
 Use of ultrasonic sensors common
 Emergency bumper - brakes vehicle when contact is made
with forward object
 Warning lights (blinking or rotating red lights)
 Warning sounds of approaching vehicles
 3. Rail-Guided Vehicles

 Self-propelled vehicles that ride on a fixed-rail system

 Vehicles operate independently and are driven by
electric motors that pick up power from an electrified rail
 Fixed rail system
 Overhead monorail - suspended overhead from the
ceiling
 On-floor - parallel fixed rails, tracks generally
protrude up from the floor
 Routing variations are possible: switches, turntables,
and other special track sections
Overhead Monorail
 4. Conveyor Systems

Large family of material transport equipment

designed to move materials over fixed paths, usually
in large quantities or volumes
1. Non-powered
 Materials moved by human workers or by gravity
2. Powered
 Power mechanism for transporting materials is
contained in the fixed path, using chains, belts,
rollers or other mechanical devices
 Conveyor Types

 Roller
 Skate-wheel
 Belt
 In-floor towline
 Overhead trolley conveyor
 Cart-on-track conveyor
 Roller Conveyor

 Pathway consists of a
series of rollers that are
perpendicular to direction
of travel
 Loads must possess a flat
bottom to span several
rollers
 Powered rollers rotate to
drive the loads forward
 Un-powered roller
conveyors also available
 Skate-Wheel Conveyor

 Similar in operation to
roller conveyor but use
skate wheels instead of
rollers
 Lighter weight and
unpowered
 Sometimes built as
portable units that can be
used for loading and
unloading truck trailers in
shipping and receiving
 Belt Conveyor

 Continuous loop with

forward path to move
loads
 Belt is made of reinforced
elastomer
 Support slider or rollers
used to support forward
loop
 Two common forms: (Support frame not shown)

 Flat belt (shown)

 V-shaped for bulk
materials
 In-Floor Tow-Line Conveyor

 Four-wheel carts powered

by moving chains or cables
in trenches in the floor
 Carts use steel pins (or
grippers) to project below
floor level and engage the
chain (or pulley) for towing
 This allows the carts to be
disengaged from towline
for loading and unloading
 Overhead Trolley Conveyor

 A trolley is a wheeled
carriage running on an
overhead track from which
loads can be suspended
 Trolleys are connected and
moved by a chain or cable
that forms a complete loop
 Often used to move parts
and assemblies between
major production areas
 Cart-On-Track Conveyor

 Carts ride on a track

above floor level
 Carts are driven by a
spinning tube
 Forward motion of
cart is controlled by a
drive wheel whose
angle can be
changed from zero
(idle) to 45 degrees
(forward)
 Powered Conveyor
Operations and Features
 Types of motions
1. Continuous - conveyor moves at constant velocity
2. Asynchronous - conveyor moves with stop-and-go
motion
 They stop at stations, move between stations
 Another classification of conveyors:
1. Single direction
2. Continuous loop
3. Recirculating
 (a) Single-Direction Conveyor and
(b) Continuous Loop Conveyor

(a) Single direction

conveyor

(b) Continuous loop

conveyor
 5. Cranes and Hoists

Handling devices for lifting, lowering and transporting

materials, often as heavy loads
 Cranes
 Used for horizontal movement of materials
 Hoists
 Used for vertical lifting of materials
 Cranes usually include hoists so that the crane-and-hoist
combination provides
 Horizontal transport
 Vertical lifting and lowering
 Hoist

Hoist with mechanical

advantage of four:
(a) sketch of the hoist
(b) diagram to
illustrate mechanical
advantage

(a) (b)
Bridge Crane
 Gantry Crane

A half-gantry crane
Jib Crane
 Analysis of
Material Transport Systems

 Analysis of vehicle-based systems

 From-to charts and network diagrams
 Types of systems: industrial trucks, AGVS, rail-guided
vehicles, and asynchronous conveyor operations
 Conveyor analysis
 Single-direction conveyors
 Closed loop conveyors
 Recirculating conveyor systems
 Analysis of
Material Transport Systems

 From-To chart
 Table to indicate material flow data and distance over
multiple locations

 Network Diagram
 Same information is displayed but by nodes and arrows
 Arrows indicate the relationship
Network Diagram Showing Deliveries
between Load/Unload Stations
 Analysis of
Material Transport Systems

 In vehicle-based systems, cycle time (Tc) depends on

 Pick-up station loading (time to load TL)
 Travel time to destination (Ld/Vc) distance of vehicle
travel to its velocity
 Unloading at drop-off station (Tu)
 Empty travel time of vehicles between delivery Le/Vc
Le empty vehicle distance travel
 Cycle time per delivery per vehicle is given by
 Analysis of
Material Transport Systems

 Rate of delivery =

 Available time AT is given as

 Rate of delivery per vehicle is

 Workload is given by

 Number of vehicles required

 Problem

 AGV layout given below, the vehicle travels in the direction from loading to
unloading station. Loading time is 0.75 min, unload time is 0.5min.
Determine no of AGVs required fro transporting 40 del/hr. velocity of vehicle
is 40 m/min, aailability 0.90 and E is 1. determine a) travel distance loaded
and empty, b) Ideal delivery cycle time, c) no of vehicle required to satisfy
the demand
 Solution:
a) Ld and Le is 110 and 80 m
b) Tc= 0.75+(110/50)+ 0.50+ (80/50)+5.05min.
c) nc = WL/AT
WL= 40* 5.05=202min/hr
AT=60(0.95)(0.90)(1)=51.3min/hr per vehicle
nc =202/51.3=3.94 vehicles
Analysis of
Material Transport Systems
Analysis of
Material Transport Systems
Analysis of
Material Transport Systems
Analysis of
Material Transport Systems
 Analysis of
Material Transport Systems
7( 30  20)  6( 40  30)  5(50  40) 1220
 Ld = 7 6 5
= 18 = 67.7 m Le = 0

 Average handling and processing time =

7(5.0)  6( 7.0)  5( 9.0)
1.0 + 7 6 5
+ 1.0 = 8.78 min.

67.7 0
 Tc = 8.78 + 60 + 60
= 9.91 min.

 Rdv = 60( 0.85)

9.91
= 5.15 pc/hr per vehicle
7 6 5
 nc = 515
.
= 18/5.15 = 3.5  4 vehicles
 Conveyor Analysis

 Single direction conveyors

 Materials are loaded at one end and unloaded at other
 Deliver time Td = Ld / v
 Flow of material Rf = RL
= velocity (v) / Spacing of components (s)
≤ 1 / {Loading time (TL)}
 Time required to Unload should be less than or equal to
Loading time
 Rf = npv / s < 1 / TL
Where Rf is flow rate, np number of parts,, v is velocity, s is center
spacing.
 Conveyor Analysis

 Continuous loop conveyors

 Conveyor moves parts in carrier between load station and
unload station
 Td (Delivery time)= length of conveyor from loading to
unloading (Ld )/ velocity v
 Number of carriers nc = L / s (centre-to-centre distance)
 Total parts in system = npnc Ld / L
 Flow of material Rf = RL = v / s < 1 / TL
 Conveyor Analysis

 Recirculating conveyors: KWO Analysis: Rules to be

obeyed
 Speed Rule: Must be within range
 npv / s ≥ Max {RL, RU} or v / s ≤ Max {1/TL, 1/TU}
 Capacity constraint: Flow rate capacity of conveyor must
be at least equal to flow rate requirement
 npv / s ≥ Rf
 Uniformity Principle: Parts should be uniformly distributed
throughout length of conveyor