Pascual, Jefferson C.

20131149296

MATERIAL HANDLING EQUIPMENT

For an effective materials handling and storage program, managers must take an
active role in its development. First-line supervisors must be convinced of the importance of
controlling hazards associated with materials handling and storing and must be held
accountable for employee material handling safety training. Safe lifting is only one aspect of
material handling; transporting the load safely is the other. How you move or carry and put
down the load is just as important as how you pick it up.

Moving, Handling, and Storing Materials

When manually moving materials, employees should seek help when a load is so bulky
it cannot be properly grasped or lifted, when they cannot see around or over it, or when they
cannot safely handle the load.

Handles or holders should be attached to loads to reduce the chances of getting

fingers pinched or smashed. Workers also should use appropriate protective equipment. For
loads with sharp or rough edges, wear gloves or other hand and forearm protection. In
addition, to avoid injuries to the eyes, use eye protection. When the loads are heavy or bulky,
the mover also should wear steel-toed safety shoes or boots to prevent foot injuries if he or
she slips or accidentally drops a load.

All stacked loads must be correctly piled and cross-tiered, where possible. Precautions
also should be taken when stacking and storing material. Stored materials must not create a
hazard. Storage areas must be kept free from accumulated materials that cause tripping, fires,
or explosions, or that may contribute to the harboring of rats and other pests.

When stacking and piling materials, it is important to be aware of such factors as the
materials’ height and weight, how accessible the stored materials are to the user, and the
condition of the containers where the materials are being stored. Non-compatible material
must be separated in storage. Employees who work on stored materials in silos, hoppers, or
tanks, must be equipped with lifelines and safety belts. All bound material should be stacked,
placed on racks, blocked, interlocked, or otherwise secured to prevent it from sliding, falling,
or collapsing. A load greater than that approved by a building official may not be placed on
any floor of a building or other structure. Where applicable, load limits approved by the
building inspector should be conspicuously posted in all storage areas.

When stacking materials, height limitations should be observed. For example, lumber
must be stacked no more than 16 feet high if it is handled manually; 20 feet is the
 maximum stacking height if a forklift is used. For quick reference, walls or posts may
be painted with stripes to indicate maximum stacking heights.

Used lumber must have all nails removed before stacking. Lumber must be stacked
and leveled on solidly supported bracing. The stacks must be stable and self-supporting.
Stacks of loose bricks should not be more than 7 feet in height. When these stacks reach a
height of 4 feet, they should be tapered back 2 inches for every foot of height above the 4-
foot level. When masonry blocks are stacked higher than 6 feet, the stacks should be tapered
back one-half block for each tier above the 6-foot level. Bags and bundles must be stacked in
interlocking rows to remain secure. Bagged material must be stacked by stepping back the
layers and cross-keying the bags at least every ten layers. To remove bags from the stack,
start from the top row first. Baled paper and rags stored inside a building must not be closer
than 18 inches to the walls, partitions, or sprinkler heads.

Boxed materials must be banded or held in place using cross-ties or shrink plastic fiber.

Drums, barrels, and kegs must be stacked symmetrically. If stored on their sides, the
bottom tiers must be blocked to keep them from rolling. When stacked on end, put planks,
sheets of plywood dunnage, or pallets between each tier to make a firm, flat, stacking surface.
When stacking materials two or more tiers high, the bottom tier must be chocked on each
side to prevent shifting in either direction. When stacking, consider the need for availability
of the material. Material that cannot be stacked due to size, shape, or fragility can be safely
stored on shelves or in bins.

Structural steel, bar stock, poles, and other cylindrical materials, unless in racks, must
be stacked and blocked to prevent spreading or tilting. Pipes and bars should not be stored in
racks that face main aisles; this could create a hazard to passers-by when removing supplies.

Principles of material handling

Material handling principles are as follows:

▪ Orientation Principle: It encourages study of all available system relationships before

moving towards preliminary planning. The study includes looking at existing methods,
problems, etc.
▪ Planning Principle: It establishes a plan which includes basic requirements, desirable
alternates and planning for contingency.
▪ Systems Principle: It integrates handling and storage activities, which is cost effective
into integrated system design.
▪ Unit Load Principle: Handle product in a unit load as large as possible
▪ Space Utilization Principle: Encourage effective utilization of all the space available
▪ Standardization Principle: It encourages standardization of handling methods and
equipment.
 ▪ Ergonomic Principle: It recognizes human capabilities and limitation by design
effective handling equipment.
▪ Energy Principle: It considers consumption of energy during material handling.
▪ Ecology Principle: It encourages minimum impact upon the environment during
material handling.
▪ Mechanization Principle: It encourages mechanization of handling process wherever
possible as to encourage efficiency.
▪ Flexibility Principle: Encourages of methods and equipment which are possible to
utilize in all types of condition.
▪ Simplification Principle: Encourage simplification of methods and process by
removing unnecessary movements
▪ Gravity Principle: Encourages usage of gravity principle in movement of goods.
▪ Safety Principle: Encourages provision for safe handling equipment according to
safety rules and regulation
▪ Computerization Principle: Encourages of computerization of material handling and
storage systems
▪ System Flow Principle: Encourages integration of data flow with physical material
flow
▪ Layout Principle: Encourages preparation of operational sequence of all systems
available
▪ Cost Principle: Encourages cost benefit analysis of all solutions available
▪ Maintenance Principle: Encourages preparation of plan for preventive maintenance
and scheduled repairs
▪ Obsolescence Principle: Encourage preparation of equipment policy as to enjoy
appropriate economic advantage.

Factors to consider for plant layout

• segregation of different risks,
• minimization of vulnerable piping,
• containment of accidents,
• limitation of exposure,
• efficient and safe construction,
• efficient and safe operation,
• efficient and safe maintenance,
• safe control room design,
• emergency control facilities
• fire fighting facilities
• access for emergency services,
• Security
Criteria for unit load design:
• Mechanical strength.
• Low cost.
• Disposable
• Optimum size.
• Universal in application.
• Stackable
• Easy to store.
• Versatility
• Ease of unitising or de-unitising.
• Low maintenance

Bulk load
Bulk material equipment and systems are manufactured according to the task that
each unit is supposed to accomplish, but most systems incorporate the same general
components and features. A full system generally features:

An unloading station. The system must have an access point where materials can be
discharged into the system. This portion of the system can take many forms, ranging from
railcar unloading stations to a simple bag dumping station.

A conveying system. Most often bulk material handling systems utilize pneumatic conveyors,
but other systems use screw conveyors, bucket elevators, or drag chain conveyors. Many
systems use a combination of two or more of these different conveyors.

Material storage equipment. From huge storage silos to small bins or hoppers, a bulk
material handling system should have a location where materials are stored until they are
needed for processing.

Batching equipment. In order to utilize bulk materials efficiently, batching equipment is used
to accurately dispense bulk materials for processing and for packaging.

A filling or packaging station. Once the bulk materials have been processed, the system needs
a method for offloading the final product for packaging, shipment, or sale.
While practically all bulk material systems incorporate these main kinds of equipment, each
system may use slightly different variations of the equipment and incorporate additional
components to fit the specific needs of the application at hand.

Concept of unit load

Principle of Unit Load states that, “it is quicker and economical to move a lot of items
at a time rather to move each one of them individually”. In other words this principle
suggested that, the larger the load handled, the lower the cost per unit handled.

For small parts, or parts where machines are engaged for handling, movements are made in
containers. When machines are used for materials handling, units can be made machine size
rather man size. Unit load principle implies that materials should be handled in most
efficient, maximum size unit, mechanical means to reduce the number of moves needed for
a given amount of material.

A number of items, or bulk material, so arranged or restrained that the mass can be picked
up and moved as a single object too large for manual handing, and which upon being
released will retain its initial arrangement for subsequent movement.

Unit load design

For designing (planning) the unit load system following factors should be considered:

• Material and its characteristics.

• Quantity to be handled and duration.
• Starting point and destination.
• Loading and unloading techniques.
• Objective of space utilisation.
• Environment, storage requirements in route.
• Limitations of aisles, doors, height, column, machine arrangement, and storage
space dimensions, etc.
• Weight limitations.
• Volume limitations.
• Cost of handling equipment and other handling aids.
• Cost of consumable (expendable) unitizing materials.
• Labour cost.
• Time consumed in preparing the unit load.
• Cost of entire handling system.

Industrial vehicles/truck
carrier designed to transport materials within a factory area with maximum flexibility
in making moves. Most industrial trucks permit mechanized pickup and deposit of the loads,
eliminating manual work in lifting as well as transporting. Depending on their means of
locomotion, industrial trucks may be classified as hand trucks or power trucks.

Hand trucks
Hand trucks with two wheels permit most of the load to be carried on the wheels,
but some of the load must be assumed by the operator to balance the truck during
movement. Common two-wheel hand trucks include the barrel, box, drum, hopper,
refrigerator, paper-roll, and tote-box trucks. Four-wheel hand trucks are found in many
more varieties, including dollies, high- and low-bed flat trucks, carts, rack carriers, wagons,
and various hand-lift trucks having mechanical or hydraulic lifting mechanisms for raising
and lowering a load.

Powered trucks
Power trucks are propelled by batteries and an electric-motor drive or by
an internal-combustion engine with either a mechanical drive or a generator and electric-
motor drive. Propane and diesel engines are used in place of gasoline engines on some
types. The non-lift platform truck is used simply for hauling, but other power trucks are
provided with mechanisms, usually hydraulic, for lifting the loads. Forklift trucks are
equipped with a forklike mechanism on the front end designed to pick up loads on specially
designed platforms, called pallets, elevate the load to the desired height, transport it, and
deposit it at the desired location and height. Ram trucks have a single protruding ram for
handling coiled material. The crane truck is a portable boom crane mounted on an industrial
truck; it may be used with hooks, grabs, and slings for bundled or coiled material.
The straddle truck resembles a gantry crane on four pneumatic-tired wheels; the operator
rides above the inverted U-frame, within which the load—lumber, bar steel, or pipe—is
carried on elevating bolsters. Other common types include high- and low-lift platform
trucks, motorized pedestrian-led, side-clamp, tractor, and side-loading trucks.

Straddle carrier
Time management plays a major role in the functioning of ports and their auxiliary
facilities. Bottlenecks and high turnaround times are major reasons for
certain ports gradually losing their relevance and their market to competition from
neighboring ports. Thus, their entire fortune hinges on the amount of time that they take to
handle cargo, whether it be containers or other bulk items such as oil and natural gas. The
time taken by a ship to berth, be unloaded, refueled and reloaded is known as the
turnaround time. Long turnaround times contribute to bottlenecks in ports that can choke
the influx of trade. This can have a major impact on commerce for the country. Thus,
technological advancements that can aid in reducing turnaround times are important.
Generally, to lift containers off ships, spreader cranes are used. These are large cranes that
lift containers by latching on to supports at the top edges.
Forklift trucks
Forklift is a small industrial vehicle, having a power operated forked platform attached
at the front that can be raised and lowered for insertion under a cargo to lift or move it.
Forklifts serve the needs of various industries including warehouses and other large storage
facilities.

Forklifts are powered by electric battery or combustion engines. Some Forklifts allow the
operators to sit while driving and operating the machine while others require the operator to
stand. It is being extensively used throughout the industry for transporting materials and
goods.

Tractor
is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive
effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as
that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most commonly, the term is used to
describe a farm vehicle that provides the power and traction to mechanize agricultural
tasks, especially (and originally) tillage, and since many more. Agricultural implements may
be towed behind or mounted on the tractor, and the tractor may also provide a source of
power if the implement is mechanized

Automatic guided vehicles

also called autonomous mobile robot (AMR), is a portable robot that follows along
marked long lines or wires on the floor, or uses radio waves, vision cameras, magnets, or
lasers for navigation. They are most often used in industrial applications to transport heavy
materials around a large industrial building, such as a factory or warehouse. Application of
the automatic guided vehicle broadened during the late 20th century.
 Conveyor
Any of various devices that provide mechanized movement of material, as in a
factory; they are used principally in industrial applications but also on large farms, in
warehousing and freight-handling, and in movement of raw materials. Conveyors may be
only a few inches in length, or they may be integrated systems several miles long.

Types of conveyor

• Aero-mechanical conveyors
• Automotive conveyors
• Belt conveyor
• Belt-driven live roller conveyors
• Bucket conveyor
• Chain conveyor
• Chain-driven live roller conveyor
• Drag conveyor
• Dust-proof conveyors
• Electric track vehicle systems
• Flexible conveyors
• Gravity conveyor
• Gravity skate wheel conveyor
• Lineshaft roller conveyor
• Motorised-drive roller conveyor
• Overhead I-beam conveyors
• Overland conveyor
• Pharmaceutical conveyors
• Plastic belt conveyors
• Pneumatic conveyors
• Screw or auger conveyor
• Spiral conveyors
• Vertical conveyors
• Vibrating conveyors