MATERIALS HANDLING
EQUIPMENT
Basics of Materials Handling Equipment
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Outlines
• Definitions of Materials Handling
• Pros and Cons of MH
• Classification and Application of MHE
• Design considerations in MHE
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1.1. Materials handling definition
Materials Handling is the art and science of moving,
packing, storing, controlling and protection of
materials, goods and products throughout the process
of manufacturing, distribution, including process of
consumption and disposal.
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Cont..
Material handling is the function of moving the right
material to the right place in the right time, in the
right amount, in the right sequence, and in the right
condition to insure efficiency, safety and minimize
production cost.
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Cont..
The essential requirements of a good materials handling
system may be summarized as:
• Efficient and safe movement of materials to the
desired place.
• Timely movement of the materials when needed.
• Supply of materials at the desired rate.
• Storing of materials utilizing minimum space.
• Lowest cost solution to the materials handling
activities.
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1.2. Advantages of MH
Reduce cost by
– Utilizing space to better advantage
– Increasing productivity
– Making a few number of effective movements
Reduce waste by
– Eliminating damage to materials during the handling
processMaintaining proper control over the in- and out of
stock handling process
Improve working conditions by
– Providing safer working conditions
– Reducing worker fatigue
Improve the efficiency of the plant by
– Providing a better organization of storage facilities
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Disadvantages of MH
• Additional capital cost involved in any materials handling
system.
• Once a materials handling system get implemented, flexibility
for further changes gets greatly reduced
• With an integrated materials handling system installed failure
in any part of the system leads to increased downtime of the
production system.
• Materials handling system needs maintenance, hence any
addition to material handling means additional maintenance
facilities and costs.
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1.3. Classification and Application of
MH
1. Bulk handling
• It involves the extracting, handling and storage of bulk
materials
including gases, liquids, semi-liquids and solids.
• These processes apply particularly in the processing, basic
heavy industries, and in the mine and construction
industries.
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2. Unit Handling
• In manufacturing operations it covers the handling of
formed materials in the initial, intermediate and
final stages of manufacture.
• It involves the handling of unit loads ranging from
pins to locomotives.
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3. Packaging
Covers the design, selection and use of in process
containers, and included packing of semi-finished and
finished products
Cont …
4. Warehousing
The area covered by warehousing includes the
receiving, storing, shipping of materials in any form,
and at any point in the process of manufacture and
distribution.
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5. Carrier Handling
It covers the loading , securing, transporting ,
unloading and transfer of all kinds of materials in
highway trucks railway cars, barges, ships, airlines
and at carrier terminals.
Classification of MHE
Material handling equipment can be classified into five major
categories
1. Transport Equipment:-
– Equipment used to move material from one location to
another
– e.g. between workplaces, between a loading dock and a
storage area, etc.
– The major subcategories of transport equipment are
conveyors, cranes, and industrial trucks.
– Material can also be transported manually using no
equipment.
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2. Positioning Equipment
Equipment used to handle material at a single location
– e.g. to feed and/or manipulate materials so that are in the
correct position for subsequent handling, machining, transport,
or storage.
– Unlike transport equipment, positioning equipment is
usually used for handling at a single workplace.
– Material can also be positioned manually using no
equipment
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3. Unit Load Formation Equipment
– Equipment used to restrict materials so that they maintain
their integrity when handled a single load during transport
and for storage.
– If materials are self-restraining (e.g., a single part or
interlocking parts), then they can be formed into a
unit load with no equipment.
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4. Storage Equipment
Equipment used for holding or buffering materials over
a period of time.
– If materials are block stacked directly on the floor, then
no storage equipment is required.
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5. Identification and Control Equipment:-
– Equipment used to collect and communicate the
information that is used to coordinate the flow of
materials within a facility and between a facility and its
suppliers and customers.
– The identification of materials and associated control
can be performed manually with no specialized
equipment.
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Classification of MHE based on their design
features
1. Hoisting equipment:
– A group of machines with lifting gear intended for
moving loads mainly in batches.
– This type of equipment is intended mainly for unit loads
– Hoisting machinery , cranes and elevators belong to this
group.
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2. Conveying equipment:
– A group of machines, which may have no lifting gear
and which move load in a continuous flow.
– They are intended for bulk and unit loads one at a time
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3. Surface and overhead equipment:
– A group of machines which may not be
provided with lifting gear and which usually
handle loads in batches.
– Trackless trucks, narrow-gauge cars belong to
this group.
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Some Application area of MHE
The application of materials handling is very wide. It is
worthwhile to list a few of them.
1. Manufacturing industry
2. Building construction industry
3. Heavy construction industry
4. Mining industry
5. Food industry
6. Automotive and transportation industry
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1.4. Design considerations in Material handling
I. Material characteristics
II. Flow rate
III. Plant layout
IV. Unit load principle
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1. Material Characteristics
• Material characteristics affect type of transport and
storage equipment required
Category Measures
Physical state Solid, liquid, or gas
Size Volume; length, width, height
Weight Weight per piece, weight per unit
Shape volume Long and flat, round,
Condition square, etc.
Safety risk Hot, cold, wet, etc.
and risk of Explosive, flammable, toxic;
damage fragile, etc.
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2. Flow rate
• Quantity of material moved
Conveyors Conveyors
AGV train
High
Manual handling Powered trucks
Hand trucks Unit load AGV
Low
Short Long Move Distance
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3. Plant Layout
Layout Type Characteristics Typical MH Equipment
Fixed – position Large product size, low Cranes, hoists, industrial trucks
production rate
Process Variation in product and Hand trucks, forklift trucks,
processing, low and medium AGVs
production rates
Product
Limited product variety,
Conveyors for product flow,
high production rate
trucks to deliver components to
stations.
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Process Layout
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4. Unit Load Principle
• 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 unit to be moved or handled at one time.
• A unit load includes the container, carrier, or support that will be
used to move materials.
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Factors for determining unit load/ container:
– Size of carrier
– Size and weight of items
– Space for storing loaded/unloaded container
– Equipment used for moving
– Cost, supply and maintenance
– Aisle widths, door sizes, and clear stacking
heights
– Environmental regulations
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Advantages of unit load handling
- It permits handling of larger loads at a time and
thereby reduces handling and transportation costs.
- Loading and unloading time of unit load is
substantially less than when handled as loose/
individual material.
- Unitized loads are less susceptible to damage and
loss during movement from one place to another.
- It offers safer handling and transportation
compared to those of loose materials
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Disadvantages of Unit load Handling
– Time spent forming and breaking down the unit
load
– Empty containers/pallets may need to be returned
to their point of origin.
– Cost of containers/pallets and other load
restraining materials used in the unit load
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Part II
Principles of Materials Handling
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1. PLANNING PRINCIPLE
• All material handling and storage activities need to
be planned to obtain maximum overall operating
efficiency.
• Material handling planning considers every move,
every storage need, plant layout and any delay in order
to minimize production costs.
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2. SYSTEMS PRINCIPLE
• The system concept is that all material handling
equipment should work together so that everything fits.
• The system principle integrates as many steps in the process
as possible into a single system from the vendor through
your plant and out to your customers.
• Integrate as many handling activities as possible
encompassing full scope of operations like receiving,
storage, production, inspection, packaging, warehousing,
shipping/transportation
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An example will be a oil company purchased
plastic bottles from an outside manufacturer.
The bottles were packaged in a carton of 12
with separators in between. These cartons
were placed on a pallet and shipped out to
the company’s oil bottling plant. In the plant,
the bottles were dumped onto a filing line
and filled with oil. The empty cartons was
conveyed to the packout end of the filing line
and repacked with 12 bottles, closed, stacked on
a pallet and shipped to the customer.
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3. MATERIAL FLOW PRINCIPLE
• It is to provide an operation sequence and
equipment
• arrangement to optimize material flow.
4. SIMPLIFICATION PRINCIPLE
• Reduce, combine or eliminate unnecessary movement
and/or equipment.
• It increases efficiency of materials handling.
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5. GRAVITY PRINCIPLE
• There are many ways to make use of gravity to
move
materials between workstations.
• Thus, utilize gravity to move material wherever
possible
6. space utilization principle
• It is to make optimum utilization of the cubic
capacity of the warehouse.
• Make optimum use of building volume.
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7. Unit size principle
• Strength, durability, versatility, weight, size, cost
and ease of use must all be considered when
choosing a unit load.
• It is to increase the quantity, size, or weight of unit
loads or flow rate.
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8. Safety principle
• Handling methods and handling equipment use must be safe.
• Provide adequate guards & safety devices on materials handling
equipment.
• Do not overload materials handling equipment.
• Maintain floor in good condition.
• Provide adequate shop lighting.
• Provide good housekeeping.
• Materials handling equipment operators should be properly trained.
• Keep materials handling equipment in proper condition and do not
use defective equipment.
• Use mechanical handling equipment for difficult handling
activities and to handle dangerous/ hazardous materials.
• Use proper personal protective gears during handling
materials.
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9. Mechanization principle
• It is to add power to eliminate manual moving.
• Mechanization implies the use of mechanical tools to
aid in the movement of material.
10. Automation Principle
• Automatic storage and retrieval systems place
material into storage racks automatically and
remove it when needed.
• Automation is the way of the future, thus even users
of the manual system must consider when it can be
justified.
• Provide automation to include production, handling
and storage functions.
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11. Equipment selection principle
• Before selecting materials handling equipment, consider
all aspects of materials handling e.g. materials to be
handled, moves to be made, methods to be utilized.
12. Standardization Principle
• Materials handling methods and equipment should
be standardized to the extent possible.
• Use standardized containers.
• Purchase standard types and sizes of equipment.
• Use standard sizes of pallets to fit products, bay
sizes,
equipment and transport trucks
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13. FLEXIBILITY PRINCIPLE or Adaptability Principle
• Use methods and equipment, which can perform different
tasks and applications.
14. Dead Weight Principle
– Do not buy equipment that is bigger than necessary.
– Reduce the dead-weight movement
– Movable materials handling equipment should be made
of lightweight materials like aluminum, magnesium etc.
– Use lightweight, pallets, skids, containers etc.
– Consider expendable pallets, containers etc.
– Select lightweight equipment for light load.
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15. Utilization Principle
• Material handling equipment and operators should be
used fully.
• Identifying the work required, the number of times per
day and the time required per move will help manage
the workload of both labour and equipment.
• Plan for optimum utilization of handling
equipment and manpower.
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16. Maintenance Principle
• Material handling equipment must be maintained.
• Preventive maintenance (periodic and planned) is
cheaper than emergency maintenance.
• Hence, a preventive maintenance program including
schedules must be developed for each piece of
material handling equipment.
• Do schedule maintenance and repair work of all
materials handling equipment to minimize outage
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17. Obsolescence Principle
• As equipment wears out, good maintenance records will
help identify worn-out equipment's.
• Replace obsolete handling methods and equipment by
more
efficient methods or equipment to improve operations.
18. CONTROL PRINCIPLE
• Use materials handling equipment to improve production &
inventory control and order handling.
19. Capacity Principle
• Use Materials Handling so that full production capacity
can be achieved.
• Use handling equipment to help achieve desired
production capacity.
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20. Performance Principle
• Select materials handling systems with higher efficiency,
measured in terms of expenses per unit load handled
• It is to determine effectiveness of handling performance in
terms of expense per unit handled Performance of material
handling can also be calculated by ratios:
M aterial handling
Total labour hours
Percent of Material Handling
= hours
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Selection of proper equipment
• Various material handling equipment (MHE) can perform
the same operation.
• The success of an individual handling equipment or of
a complete system depends largely upon its suitability for
the material it must handle.
• The proper choice of MHE requires
Knowledge of the operational characteristics of various
MHE and a thorough process and understanding of the
production
. organizational setup of the enterprise
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The process of MH equipment selection can be decomposed into two
stages
1. Determine Technical Feasibility
• Select MH equipment types that can satisfy the material
flow requirements from a technological perspective.
• The principal technical factors for the choice of types of MHE
are the following:
I. Kinds and properties of loads to be handled
a) Unit loads: for these types of loads their form, weight,
convenient bearing surface or parts by which they can be
suspended, brittleness, temperature etc. are to be noted.
b) Bulk loads: for these types of loads lump size, tendency
to cake, volume, specific weight, temperature, chemical
properties etc. are to be known.
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II. Required hourly capacity
– The knowledge of hourly capacity is essential for the
determination of the type of the operation.
– The operation can be either continuous or intermittent.
III. Direction and length of travel
– The direction can be horizontal , inclined or vertical.
– The distance that the load moves may range from few
millimeters to thousands of meters.
IV. Methods of stacking loads at the initial, intermediate
and final points
– Mostly unit loads are stored in stacks and shelves
while bulk loads are stored in piles and bins.
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IV. Characteristics of production process involved in
moving loads
– This is the most important factors to affect the
choice of MHE for the movement of materials is
closely linked with the manufacturing process.
VI. Consideration of specific local conditions
– This may include the shape and the size of area, the
type and design of the building, the possible
arrangements of processing units and ambient
conditions, dust, humidity, temperature, pressure
etc.
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2. Determine Economic Feasibility
– From among the technically feasible equipment
types, select the equipment type that is most
cost effective given the material handling
requirements.
– This may include capital outlay, operational
cost, considerations for further expansion, period of
existence, kind of energy available and
safety operational convenience.
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Example
A punch press can cycle every 0.03
minute, but our time standard for
manually loading and unloading
this press is only 300 pieces per
hour.
Press capacity = 60 min / 0.03 = 2000
pieces/hr
Utilization = 300 / 2000 = 15%
• Should we buy a new press?
• If we can purchase a coil-feeding
material handling
system, we could approach 100%
press utilization.
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