INTRODUCTION Material handling is the term applied to that aspect of manufacturing that involves storing, protecting, controlling and moving materials destined to be turned into marketable goods and merchandise. Materials handling applies to all stages of the manufacturing process, including cleaning, preparation, the actual putting together and the consumption of raw materials along the way. It also includes waste disposal. A variety of equipment types are used in the handling of materials, including storage systems, engineering systems and industrial trucks. Included under the umbrella of industrial trucks are things like cantilevered crane loading platforms, carts on rails and conveyor belts.
HANDLING AND STORAGE EQUIPMENT The apparatus covered under this description are non-automated. It covers racking, shelving, carts, cages and pallets. Collectively, handling and storage apparatus are called catalog items, because they are all made to a universal standard and may be ordered straight out of the catalog. Everybody knows what a pallet looks like, right?
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 These include tow tractors, stock chasers and the ubiquitous forklift, or powered industrial truck. Under the heading of forklifts are dozens of different types of machines, depending on how they are powered, where they are used, what type of tires they are fitted with, etc. All industrial trucks may be fitted with special attachments that makes them infinitely 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 Emphasis is placed on occupational health and safety in this aspect of manufacturing. Forklifts, in particular, and have an abominable safety record. For this reason, OSHA regulations particularly stringent, especially with regard to training. Any employer found to have untrained operators on his site is subject to fines that may run into the tends of thousands of dollars. Forklift training procedures have been streamlined so that most of the education may be conducted online. There is still an element of hands-on training and operators must be fully certified on the workplace environment and on the specific type of truck they will be operating.
HANDLING AND STORAGE EQUIPMENT The apparatus covered under this description are non-automated. It covers racking, shelving, carts, cages and pallets. Collectively, handling and storage apparatus are called catalog items, because they are all made to a universal standard and may be ordered straight out of the catalog. Everybody knows what a pallet looks like, right?
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 These include tow tractors, stock chasers and the ubiquitous forklift, or powered industrial truck. Under the heading of forklifts are dozens of different types of machines, depending on how they are powered, where they are used, what type of tires they are fitted with, etc. All industrial trucks may be fitted with special attachments that makes them infinitely 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 Emphasis is placed on occupational health and safety in this aspect of manufacturing. Forklifts, in particular, and have an abominable safety record. For this reason, OSHA regulations particularly stringent, especially with regard to training. Any employer found to have untrained operators on his site is subject to fines that may run into the tends of thousands of dollars. Forklift training procedures have been streamlined so that most of the education may be conducted online. There is still an element of hands-on training and operators must be fully certified on the workplace environment and on the specific type of truck they will be operating.
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 about injection molding services then he recommends you visit his friends at PTM: Custom Plastics Injection Molding Company.
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