INTRODUCTION Handling materials is a key part of the manufacturing process of everything from bread to rocket ships. Materials handling relates to the movement, protection, storage and control of raw materials, products and goods. This applies during preparation, cleaning, assembling and consumption, as well as during refuse operations of spent materials. Examples of equipment used in this aspect of making things include storage, engineering and transport. Involved in transport are conveyors, on-rails transfer carts, cantilevered crane loading platforms and the ubiquitous forklift.
HANDLING AND STORAGE EQUIPMENT This includes carts, shelving, metal cages, racking and pallets. This category of equipment is called "catalog" items because they have internationally recognized standards and can be ordered right out of the catalog. Pallets and wire cages are pretty much the size and shape and made from the same material all the world over.
PALLETIZATION The interesting thing is that nearly any type of product you could mention is palletized at some point in its history. This applies to bread, casks of beer, wide-screen television sets and toilet paper. The type of pallet that most people think of is made of wood, although steel and other materials have their applications.
ENGINEERED SYSTEMS Unlike catalog products, engineered systems are custom-designed and built. This category of manufacturing equipment includes conveyors, robots and automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS). Care must be taken when designing and handling engineered systems that are destined to handle edible products in order to avoid contamination.
INDUSTRIAL TRUCKS The most common type of industrial truck is the powered industrial truck, or forklift. There are dozens of different kinds of forklifts. Tow tractors and stock chasers are other types of industrial truck. Each of these conveyances may be equipped with a wide variety of different attachments, making them extremely versatile.
ON-RAILS TRANSFER CARTS These are used to transport bulk materials in heavy industries. They are widely employed in the fields of coal mining, heavy manufacturing and metallurgy. They are able to handle weights in the region of one ton or heavier.
SAFETY Safety is everything in manufacturing. One of the blackest areas in manufacturing in terms of safety is the forklift. Hundreds of lives are needlessly lost each year and tens of thousands of injuries are suffered in accidents that could mostly be eradicated by proper training. OSHA comes down hard on employers who allow untrained and uncertified forklift operators to work in their premises.
HANDLING AND STORAGE EQUIPMENT This includes carts, shelving, metal cages, racking and pallets. This category of equipment is called "catalog" items because they have internationally recognized standards and can be ordered right out of the catalog. Pallets and wire cages are pretty much the size and shape and made from the same material all the world over.
PALLETIZATION The interesting thing is that nearly any type of product you could mention is palletized at some point in its history. This applies to bread, casks of beer, wide-screen television sets and toilet paper. The type of pallet that most people think of is made of wood, although steel and other materials have their applications.
ENGINEERED SYSTEMS Unlike catalog products, engineered systems are custom-designed and built. This category of manufacturing equipment includes conveyors, robots and automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS). Care must be taken when designing and handling engineered systems that are destined to handle edible products in order to avoid contamination.
INDUSTRIAL TRUCKS The most common type of industrial truck is the powered industrial truck, or forklift. There are dozens of different kinds of forklifts. Tow tractors and stock chasers are other types of industrial truck. Each of these conveyances may be equipped with a wide variety of different attachments, making them extremely versatile.
ON-RAILS TRANSFER CARTS These are used to transport bulk materials in heavy industries. They are widely employed in the fields of coal mining, heavy manufacturing and metallurgy. They are able to handle weights in the region of one ton or heavier.
SAFETY Safety is everything in manufacturing. One of the blackest areas in manufacturing in terms of safety is the forklift. Hundreds of lives are needlessly lost each year and tens of thousands of injuries are suffered in accidents that could mostly be eradicated by proper training. OSHA comes down hard on employers who allow untrained and uncertified forklift operators to work in their premises.
About the Author:
Henry A. Parker has taught plastics molding techniques for over 15 years. He specializes in injection molding and thermoforming. If you are interested in learning more plastic solutions then he recommends you visit his friends at PTM: Custom Plastics Injection Molding Company.