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.
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.
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 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 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.
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 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:
Genevive B. Mata has taught plastics molding techniques for over 15 years. He specializes in injection molding and thermoforming. If you are interested in learning more about plastic pallets for sale then he recommends you visit his friends at PTM: Custom Plastics Injection Molding Company.
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