Material handling equipment (MHE) is mechanical equipment used for the movement, storage, control, and protection of materials, goods and products throughout the process of manufacturing, distribution, consumption, and disposal. The different types of equipment can be classified into four major categories: transport equipment, positioning equipment, unit load formation equipment, and storage equipment.
Transport equipment
Transport equipment is used to move material from one location to another (e.g., between workplaces, between a loading dock and a storage area, etc.), while positioning equipment is used to manipulate material at a single location. The major subcategories of transport equipment are conveyors, cranes, and industrial trucks. Material can also be transported manually using no equipment.
Conveyors
Conveyors
A conveyor belt is the carrying medium of a belt conveyor system (often shortened to belt conveyor). A belt conveyor system is one of many types of conveyor systems. A belt conveyor system consists of two or more pulleys (sometimes referred to ...
are used when material is to be moved frequently between specific points over a fixed path and when there is a sufficient flow volume to justify the fixed conveyor investment. Different types of conveyors can be characterized by the type of product being handled: ''unit load'' or ''bulk load''; the conveyor's location: ''in-floor'', ''on-floor'', or ''overhead'', and whether or not loads can ''accumulate ''on the conveyor. Accumulation allows intermittent movement of each unit of material transported along the conveyor, while all units move simultaneously on conveyors without accumulation capability. For example, while both the roller and
flat-belt are unit-load on-floor conveyors, the roller provides accumulation capability while the flat-belt does not; similarly, both the power-and-free and trolley are unit-load overhead conveyors, with the power-and-free designed to include an extra track in order to provide the accumulation capability lacking in the trolley conveyor. Examples of
bulk-handling conveyors include the magnetic-belt, troughed-belt, bucket, and screw conveyors. A
sortation
In logistics, a sorter is a system which performs sortation of products (goods, luggage, mail, etc.) according to their destinations. Patrick M McGuire, ''Conveyors: Application, Selection, and Integration''6.3. Sorters/ref>
A common type of s ...
conveyor system is used for merging, identifying, inducting, and separating products to be conveyed to specific destinations, and typically consists of flat-belt, roller, and chute conveyor segments together with various moveable arms and/or pop-up wheels and chains that deflect, push, or pull products to different destinations.
Cranes
Cranes are used to transport loads over variable (horizontal and vertical) paths within a restricted area and when there is insufficient (or intermittent) flow volume such that the use of a conveyor cannot be justified. Cranes provide more flexibility in movement than conveyors because the loads handled can be more varied with respect to their shape and weight. Cranes provide less flexibility in movement than industrial trucks because they only can operate within a restricted area, though some can operate on a portable base. Most cranes utilize trolley-and-tracks for horizontal movement and hoists for vertical movement, although manipulators can be used if precise positioning of the load is required. The most common cranes include the jib, bridge, gantry, and stacker cranes.
Industrial trucks
![Hubwagen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Hubwagen.jpg)
Industrial trucks are trucks that are not licensed to travel on public roads (''commercial trucks'' are licensed to travel on public roads). Industrial trucks are used to move materials over variable paths and when there is insufficient (or intermittent) flow volume such that the use of a conveyor cannot be justified. They provide more flexibility in movement than conveyors and cranes because there are no restrictions on the area covered, and they provide vertical movement if the truck has lifting capabilities. Different types of industrial trucks can be characterized by whether or not they have forks for ''handling pallets'', provide ''powered ''or require ''manual ''lifting and travel capabilities, allow the operator to ''ride ''on the truck or require that the operator ''walk ''with the truck during travel, provide load ''stacking'' capability, and whether or not they can operate in ''narrow aisles''.
![FTF Montarail1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/FTF_Montarail1.jpg)
Hand trucks (including carts and dollies), the simplest type of industrial truck, cannot transport or stack pallets, is non-powered, and requires the operator to walk. A pallet jack, which cannot stack a pallet, uses front wheels mounted inside the end of forks that extend to the floor as the pallet is only lifted enough to clear the floor for subsequent travel. A counterbalanced lift truck (sometimes referred to as a
forklift truck
A forklift (also called lift truck, jitney, hi-lo, fork truck, fork hoist, and forklift truck) is a powered industrial truck used to lift and move materials over short distances. The forklift was developed in the early 20th century by various c ...
, but other attachments besides forks can be used) can transport and stack pallets and allows the operator to ride on the truck. The weight of the vehicle (and operator) behind the front wheels of truck counterbalances weight of the load (and weight of vehicle beyond front wheels); the front wheels act as a fulcrum or pivot point. Narrow-aisle trucks usually require that the operator stand-up while riding in order to reduce the truck's turning radius. Reach mechanisms and outrigger arms that straddle and support a load can be used in addition to the just the counterbalance of the truck. On a turret truck, the forks rotate during stacking, eliminating the need for the truck itself to turn in narrow aisles. An order picker allows the operator to be lifted with the load to allow for less-than-pallet-load picking.
Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are industrial trucks that can transport loads without requiring a human operator.
An
electric tug
An electric tug is a battery-powered and pedestrian-operated machine used to move heavy loads on wheels.
The machines form part of the material-handling equipment field that, amongst others, also covers forklift trucks, overhead cranes and palle ...
is a small battery powered and pedestrian operated machine capable of either ''pushing'' or ''pulling'' a significantly heavier load than itself.
Manual Handling Equipment
Commonly used to assist in moving smaller loads where larger equipment would struggle, manual handling equipment such as pallet trucks,
trolleys, and
sack trucks can be an essential part of any material handling.
Yard ramp
A yard ramp, sometimes called a mobile yard ramp, is a movable metal
ramp
An inclined plane, also known as a ramp, is a flat supporting surface tilted at an angle from the vertical direction, with one end higher than the other, used as an aid for raising or lowering a load. The inclined plane is one of the six clas ...
for loading and unloading of vehicles. A yard ramp is placed at the back of a vehicle to provide access for
forklift
A forklift (also called lift truck, jitney, hi-lo, fork truck, fork hoist, and forklift truck) is a powered industrial truck used to lift and move materials over short distances. The forklift was developed in the early 20th century by various c ...
s to ascend the ramp. Using a yard ramp for vehicle loading or unloading allows the work to be carried out by a forklift.
Positioning equipment
Positioning equipment is used to handle material at a single location. It can be used at a workplace to feed, orient, load/unload, or otherwise manipulate materials so that are in the correct position for subsequent handling, machining, transport, or storage. As compared to manual handling, the use of positioning equipment can raise the productivity of each worker when the frequency of handling is high, improve product quality and limit damage to materials and equipment when the item handled is heavy or awkward to hold and damage is likely through
human error
Human error refers to something having been done that was " not intended by the actor; not desired by a set of rules or an external observer; or that led the task or system outside its acceptable limits".Senders, J.W. and Moray, N.P. (1991) Human ...
or inattention, and can reduce fatigue and injuries when the environment is hazardous or inaccessible. In many cases, positioning equipment is required for and can be justified by the ergonomic requirements of a task. Examples of positioning equipment include lift/tilt/turn tables, hoists, balancers, manipulators, and
industrial robot
An industrial robot is a robot system used for manufacturing. Industrial robots are automated, programmable and capable of movement on three or more axes.
Typical applications of robots include welding, painting, assembly, disassembly, pick a ...
s. Manipulators act as “muscle multipliers” by counterbalancing the weight of a load so that an operator lifts only a small portion (1%) of the load's weight, and they fill the gap between hoists and industrial robots: they can be used for a wider range of positioning tasks than hoists and are more flexible than industrial robots due to their use of manual control. They can be powered manually, electrically, or pneumatically, and a manipulator's end-effector can be equipped with mechanical grippers, vacuum grippers, electromechanical grippers, or other tooling.
Unit load formation equipment
![A1210](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/A1210.jpg)
Unit load formation equipment is 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. Examples of unit load formation equipment include pallets, skids, slipsheets, tote pans, bins/baskets, cartons, bags, and crates. A
pallet
A pallet (also called a skid) is a flat transport structure, which supports goods in a stable fashion while being lifted by a forklift, a pallet jack, a front loader, a jacking device, or an erect crane. A pallet is the structural foundat ...
is a platform made of wood (the most common), paper, plastic, rubber, or metal with enough clearance beneath its top surface (or face) to enable the insertion of forks for subsequent lifting purposes. A
slipsheet
Slip sheets are thin, pallet-sized sheets made of plastic, heavy laminated kraft paperboard, or corrugated fiberboard and are used in commercial shipping, replacing traditional wooden pallets. The unit load is usually stretch wrapped or shrink ...
is a thick piece of paper, corrugated fiber, or plastic upon which a load is placed and has tabs that can be grabbed by special push/pull lift truck attachments. They are used in place of a pallet to reduce weight and volume, but loading/unloading is slower.
Storage equipment
![USMC-110408-M-0151S-001](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/USMC-110408-M-0151S-001.jpg)
Storage equipment is used for holding or buffering materials over a period of time. The design of each type of storage equipment, along with its use in
warehouse
A warehouse is a building for storing goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial parks on the outskirts of cities ...
design, represents a trade-off between minimizing handling costs, by making material easily accessible, and maximizing the utilization of space (or cube). If materials are stacked directly on the floor, then no storage equipment is required, but, on average, each different item in storage will have a stack only half full; to increase cube utilization, storage racks can be used to allow multiple stacks of different items to occupy the same floor space at different levels. The use of racks becomes preferable to floor storage as the number of units per item requiring storage decreases. Similarly, the depth at which units of an item are stored affects cube utilization in proportion to the number of units per item requiring storage.
Pallets can be stored using single- and double-deep
racks
Rack or racks may refer to:
Storage and installation
* Amp rack, short for amplifier rack, a piece of furniture in which amplifiers are mounted
* Bicycle rack, a frame for storing bicycles when not in use
* Bustle rack, a type of storage bin m ...
when the number of units per item is small, while pallet-flow and push-back racks are used when the units per item are mid-range, and floor-storage or drive-in racks are used when the number of units per item is large, with drive-in providing support for pallet loads that cannot be stacked on top of each other. Individual cartons can either be picked from pallet loads or can be stored in carton-flow racks, which are designed to allow first-in, first-out (FIFO) carton access. For individual piece storage, bin shelving, storage drawers, carousels, and A-frames can be used. An
automatic storage/retrieval system (AS/RS) is an integrated computer-controlled storage system that combines storage medium, transport mechanism, and controls with various levels of automation for fast and accurate random storage of products and materials.
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.
Material Handling Equipment
ncsu.edu
See also
*Material handling
Material handling involves short-distance movement within the confines of a building or between a building and a transportation vehicle. It uses a wide range of manual, semi-automated, and automated equipment and includes consideration of the pro ...
*Caster
A caster (or castor) is an undriven wheel that is designed to be attached to the bottom of a larger object (the "vehicle") to enable that object to be moved.
Casters are used in numerous applications, including shopping carts, office chairs, t ...
* Drum handler
A Drum handler is a piece of mechanical equipment that is used to securely grip, lift and transport cylindrical modules such as steel drums, barrels, plastic drums and fiber drums. It has spring-loaded metal arms to create a tight and secure grip ...
*Electric tug
An electric tug is a battery-powered and pedestrian-operated machine used to move heavy loads on wheels.
The machines form part of the material-handling equipment field that, amongst others, also covers forklift trucks, overhead cranes and palle ...
*Forklift truck
A forklift (also called lift truck, jitney, hi-lo, fork truck, fork hoist, and forklift truck) is a powered industrial truck used to lift and move materials over short distances. The forklift was developed in the early 20th century by various c ...
* Automated guided vehicle
*Pallet
A pallet (also called a skid) is a flat transport structure, which supports goods in a stable fashion while being lifted by a forklift, a pallet jack, a front loader, a jacking device, or an erect crane. A pallet is the structural foundat ...
*Slip sheet
Slip sheets are thin, pallet-sized sheets made of plastic, heavy laminated kraft paperboard, or corrugated fiberboard and are used in commercial shipping, replacing traditional wooden pallets. The unit load is usually stretch wrapped or shrink ...
*Industrial robot
An industrial robot is a robot system used for manufacturing. Industrial robots are automated, programmable and capable of movement on three or more axes.
Typical applications of robots include welding, painting, assembly, disassembly, pick a ...
*Electric track vehicle system
ETV system at University library Regensburg, Germany
An electric track vehicle system (ETV) is a conveyor system for light goods transport. The system uses independently driven vehicles traveling on a monorail track network, consisting of straig ...
* Packaging machinery
Packaging machinery is used throughout all packaging operations, involving primary packages to distribution packs. This includes many packaging processes: fabrication, cleaning, filling, sealing, combining, labeling, overwrapping, palletizing.
O ...
*Pallet racking
Pallet rack is a material handling storage aid system designed to store materials on pallets (or “skids”). Although there are many varieties of pallet racking, all types allow for the storage of palletized materials in horizontal rows with mul ...
* Pallet inverter A pallet inverter or pile turner is a machine that is used to turn over full pallet loads of packages or products. The term pallet inverter is also used to cover machines that turn the palletised load through 90 degrees only.
Use
The reasons for n ...
*Automated storage and retrieval system
An automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS or AS/RS) consists of a variety of computer-controlled systems for automatically placing and retrieving loads from defined storage locations. Automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) are ty ...
*Bulk material handling
Bulk material handling is an engineering field that is centered on the design of equipment used for the handling of dry materials. Bulk materials are those dry materials which are powdery, granular or lumpy in nature, and are stored in heaps.http: ...
*Warehouse
A warehouse is a building for storing goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial parks on the outskirts of cities ...
*Telescopic handler
A telescopic handler, also called a lull, telehandler, teleporter, reach forklift, or zoom boom, is a machine widely used in agriculture and industry. It is somewhat like a forklift but has a boom (telescopic cylinder), making it more a cra ...
Notes
References
* Chu, H.K., Egbelu, P.J., and Wu, C.T., 1995, "ADVISOR: A computer-aided material handling equipment selection system", ''Int. J. Prod. Res.'', 33(12):3311−3329.
* Kay, M.G., 2012
Material Handling Equipment
Retrieved 2014-10-02.
* Kulwiec, R.A., Ed., 1985, ''Materials Handling Handbook'', 2nd Ed., New York: Wiley.
* Mulcahy, D.E., 1999, ''Materials Handling Handbook'', New York: McGraw-Hill.
* Tompkins, J.A., White, J.A., Bozer, Y.A., and Tanchoco, J.M.A., 2003, ''Facilities Planning'', 3rd Ed., Wiley, Appendix 5.B.
External links
{{Commonscat, Material-handling equipment
College Industry Council on Material Handling Education (CICMHE)
European Federation of Materials Handling
Industrial Truck Association
Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association
Material Handling Equipment Taxonomy
Material Handling Industry
Equipment
Equipment most commonly refers to a set of tools or other objects commonly used to achieve a particular objective. Different job
Work or labor (or labour in British English) is intentional activity people perform to support the needs and ...
Industrial equipment