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INTRODUCTION Material handling is a manufacturing term relating to moving, storing, protecting and controlling of raw materials, goods and products. Material is handled as it is cleaned, prepared, manufactured and consumed while refuse is disposed. The types of equipment used in the materials handling process includes systems for storage and engineering. It also includes industrial trucks, conveyors, on-rails transfer carts and cantilevered crane loading platforms.
STORAGE AND HANDLING EQUIPMENT This topic generally refers to non-automated apparatus and includes things like pallets, racking, shelving, carts, cages, etc. Interestingly, these items are collectively referred to as catalog items because they have universally accepted standards and are sold as stock materials out of catalogs. For example, pallets are a widely used commodity with basically the same size and shape all over the world.
PALLETS Practically any manufactured item you could mention, from cupcakes to casks of beer, from telephones to toilet paper, spends at least part of its life cycle strapped to a pallet. Mostly, these are made of wood, although there are also requirements for pallets made of steel or other materials.
ENGINEERED SYSTEMS These are exactly the opposite of catalog systems, in that they have to be designed and engineered to a particular specification depending on the characteristics of the material to be handled. This includes robots, automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) and conveyors. When designing this type of apparatus, the designer has to bear in mind whether it is ultimately to come into contact with products that are going to be ingested by humans. This includes things like food, drink and medications, whether taken internally or applied topically. Care must be taken to ensure that nothing that goes into the final product becomes contaminated.
INDUSTRIAL TRUCKS This includes vehicles like stock chasers, tow tractors and the ever-familiar forklift. There are dozens and dozens of different types of forklift, also referred to as powered industrial trucks. They differ in how they are powered (gas vs electricity), in the type of wheels they have (solid or inflatable), whether they are used indoors or outdoors, and the types of terrain and environment in which they are used. All industrial trucks may be fitted with a variety of different attachments, making them incredibly versatile pieces of equipment.
ON-RAIL TRANSFER CARTS These are used to carry bulk materials in the heavier industries. They are used in the mining industry, in heavy manufacturing and in metallurgy.
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.
STORAGE AND HANDLING EQUIPMENT This topic generally refers to non-automated apparatus and includes things like pallets, racking, shelving, carts, cages, etc. Interestingly, these items are collectively referred to as catalog items because they have universally accepted standards and are sold as stock materials out of catalogs. For example, pallets are a widely used commodity with basically the same size and shape all over the world.
PALLETS Practically any manufactured item you could mention, from cupcakes to casks of beer, from telephones to toilet paper, spends at least part of its life cycle strapped to a pallet. Mostly, these are made of wood, although there are also requirements for pallets made of steel or other materials.
ENGINEERED SYSTEMS These are exactly the opposite of catalog systems, in that they have to be designed and engineered to a particular specification depending on the characteristics of the material to be handled. This includes robots, automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) and conveyors. When designing this type of apparatus, the designer has to bear in mind whether it is ultimately to come into contact with products that are going to be ingested by humans. This includes things like food, drink and medications, whether taken internally or applied topically. Care must be taken to ensure that nothing that goes into the final product becomes contaminated.
INDUSTRIAL TRUCKS This includes vehicles like stock chasers, tow tractors and the ever-familiar forklift. There are dozens and dozens of different types of forklift, also referred to as powered industrial trucks. They differ in how they are powered (gas vs electricity), in the type of wheels they have (solid or inflatable), whether they are used indoors or outdoors, and the types of terrain and environment in which they are used. All industrial trucks may be fitted with a variety of different attachments, making them incredibly versatile pieces of equipment.
ON-RAIL TRANSFER CARTS These are used to carry bulk materials in the heavier industries. They are used in the mining industry, in heavy manufacturing and in metallurgy.
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 custom plastic pallets then he recommends you visit his friends at PTM: Custom Plastics Injection Molding Company.
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