Positioning Equipment

Positioning Equipment

They are used to handle material at a single location so that the material is in the correct position for subsequent handling, machining, transport, or storage. They are also usually used for handling at a single workplace. Materials can also be positioned manually using no equipment.


The major types of positioning equipment are:

1. Manual


2. Lift/ tilt/ turn turntable
   
3. Dock leveler


4. Ball transfer table
   
5. Rotary index table
   
6. Parts feeder


7. Air film device


8. Hoist


9. Balancer


10. Manipulator
    - Rigid-link manipulator
    - Articulated jib crane manipulator
    - Vacuum manipulator


11. Industrial robot
    
    

The use of positioning equipment can;

• Provide better productivity then manual labour when handling is high
  



• Improve product quality and limit damage to materials and equipment when item handled is heavy, etc
  



• Reduce fatigue and injuries when the environment is hazardous and inaccessible
  

Though there are many stated, there are only some very common ones when related to Singapore:

1. Manual

Materials can be positioned without the use of equipment, however, goods should not be heavy as it could cause injury to the person.


2. Dock Leveler















A picture of the control box for the dock leveler.

Used at loading and unloading docks to compensate the difference in height between a truck bed; container bed when it comes to a dock.

3. Hoist

Used for vertical movement of goods, it is usually attached to cranes and monorails which provide vertical movement and it can be operated manually or electronically.

Storage Equipment

Storage Equipment

Here’s a formal definition of what storage equipment is. It is equipment used for holding or buffering materials over a period of time. If materials are stacked on the floor, then no storage equipment is required.
There are many different types of storage equipment like racks bins and shelves. But for our blog, we’ll be focusing on three types of racks.

This is the most popular type of storage rack. Pallets are supported between load-supporting beams. Below are pictures of Selective Pallet Racks taken by our group member, Julian.

Mobile Pallet Racks
Mobile pallet racks are racks that can be mounted onto mobile bases to further increase storage capacity. As only one access aisle is required, storage capacity can be increased by up to 60%. This is ideal for use in cold storage, to keep the storage cube to a minimum.

Cantilever Racks
Cantilever racks present no vertical obstructions. Therefore, cantilever storage racks are useful for storing long objects. Typical loads are metal extrusions, steel bars, tubes, pipes, carpet rolls, furniture and other long items.

Identification and Control Equipment

Identification and Control Equipment

Barcodes

What is a barcode sys te m?

The barcode system consists of three basic items, the Barcode Label, Barcode Printer and also Barcode Scanner.

Every barcode have their own unique bar/space patterns which represents various alphanumeric characters.

Types of barcode scanners

There are two types of barcode scanners, the Contact Barcode scanners
the Non-Contact Barcode scanners. Scanners that uses pen or wand to read labels \are usually known as the Contact Barcode Scanners while scanners that uses fixed
or moving beam and omni-directional are known as non-contact barcode scanners.













Contact scanner














Non-contact scanner



What are 2-D barcodes?

They are two type of 2-D barcodes known as Data Matrix and PDF417. The characteristics of these 2-D barcodes are. they have a higher density as compared to the rest of the barcodes. They can help increase data capacity and improve the data density.

Data Matrix is usually used for small item identification and conveyor sorting. Commonly used in pharmaceutical, electronic and automotive industries for registration document purposes.







Data Matrix code









Pdf 417







Radio Frequency (RF) tag

What is RF tag?

RF tags are where data are stored in the micro chip embedded in each tag. The tags comes in various shapes n sizes. In order to be able to read Radio Frequency (RF) tag , we will need the RFID system which consists of the antenna, reader and transponder (the RF tag itself).


Types of RF tags

There are two main types of tags, Passive and Active tag. The passive tag is mainly used in the warehouse while the active tag is usually used for wider in the Supply Chain. The passive tag has the Multi-tag Capability that allows up to 1000 tags to be read with a single reader while the active tag has got a limited capability that allows to reads up to 50 tags per reader.
Forms of RF tags

RF tags come in various forms. Some examples are the Smart Pet, Smart Label and Smart Dome.

A smart label is usually used to track the product and its transportation. Ac more common mode used is the Smart label. It has an adhesive label that can be pasted onto the outer pack /case of the goods.

Purpose of using RF tags?

RF tags can be used for the tracking of products movement. By using the RF tags, the RFID can show all the information of all items in specific racks or locations. This will help them in the stock takes

Besides that, it can also be used to track vehicles and containers. With the use of RF tags, the company is able to track the location of vehicles and space in the yards for storing of containers.

RF tags can also be used as a mean of cargo security and location tracking by the following process:

(i) the RFID decoded data is downloaded into the host computer
(ii) the host computer sends the data via satellite technology to the headquarters or shippers


EDI

What is EDI?

EDI stands for Electronic Data Interchange. EDI is a process of exchanging information bet the suppliers such a their Purchase Orders, Sales Orders and most importantly inventory and demand visibility. The exchange of data information is done through Internet or Extranet

Advantages of EDI

Passwords used for transmission via extranet protects company propriety information
It allows more supplier or partners to participate
Inventory and demand visibility promotes or enables the Just In Time (JIT) manufacturing
Faster transaction of real time information

Unit Load Formation

Unit Load Formation

PALLETS
Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pallet

What is it????

- Pallet is a flat transport structure designed to support a variety of goods in a stable fashion while being lifted by any mobile forklift or other jacking device. (for explanation on foklift and jacking devices pls refer to our posting on transport equipment).
- It also known as skid.

How is it use????

- Goods are placed on top of the pallet, and can be secured to it by straps or stretch-wrapped plastic film.

What is it made of ?

- Majority of pallets are made of wood, however pallets manufactured from plastic, metal and even paper can also be found.
- Pallets come in all manner of sizes and configurations.
- All pallets fall into two very broad categories: "stringer" pallets and "block" pallets.

Facts you might want to know about pallet…..

Cheapest pallets are made of softwood which are to be discarded as trash along with other wrapping elements upon reaching destination
Pallets are of a very simple construction which permits lifting from ONE OF TWO opposite positions only.
Slightly more complex hardwood pallets and most plastic pallets and metals can be lifted from all four sides.

Additional facts abut plastic pallets

- Plastic pallets are usually made of a plastic resin which is more durable and lighter weight than most plastics.
- Plastic pallets can not easily be repaired when broken which is why they are mostly used by logistics service providers who can easily replenish stock for its customers.
- Plastic pallets offer several benefits over traditional materials like wood, such as they are resistant to oder and can easily be sanitized for international shipping.
- Plastic pallets also work better with toxic materials for purposes of sanitation and plastics are impervious to most acids



SHRINK WRAP
Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrink_wrap

What is this???
- Shrinkwrap is a material made up of polymer plastic, usually with a mix of polyesters.
- When heat is applied to this material it decreases in size so that it forms a seal over whatever it was covering.
How does it look like and what is it for??
- Commercial shrinkwrap usually takes the form of a clear film applied to products to protect them from dust, pests, surface contamination and moisture.
- The shrinkwrap provides a tamper-evident seal that helps ensure freshness and discourage pilfering



CRATES
Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crate

What is crate?
-Crate is a large container, often made of wood, often used for the transportation of large, heavy or awkward items.
- A container that has a self supporting structure.

What is it made of??
- Crates can be made of wood, plastic, metal or other materials. The term 'crate' often implies a large and/or strong container.
- Most plastic crates are smaller and are more commonly called a case or container
- Metal is rarely used because of its weight. When metal is used, a crate is often constructed as an 'open crate' and may be termed a 'cage'.Although a crate may be made of any material,the term ‘crate’ used often implies one constructed of wood.

Transport Equipment

Transport Equipment

Over the past weeks, we did some research on Materials Handling Equipment (MHE). There are various categories in MHE. Today, I would like to share with you the Transport Equipment Category.

So what is Transport Equipment??
Here’s a simple explanation. It is something that is used to move material from one location to another within a facility or site. We also found out that Transport Equipment can be classified as Conveyors, Cranes, Industrial Trucks & No Equipment.

Let me zoom in on Industrial Trucks. As the word truck imply, it is basically equipment used to move materials over variable paths, with no restrictions on the area covered by the movement.
I’m sure many of you have seen the following equipment before but are not sure of its name and function. Okay, let me bring you down the memory lane.


I’m sure you saw this before….

Karung Guni!!! Hahaha!!!

Okay, maybe not exactly what you thought it was. The picture you saw is a Hand Truck. To be more precise, a Two-Wheeled Hand Truck

How it works?
Load is tilted during travel

What is a Hand Truck?
Just remember this simple formula
Hand Truck = Non-pallet + manual + no stack







Okay, lets try the next one….
It sounds like someone’s name

Pallet Jack!!



Here’s another formulaPallet Jack = Pallet + walk + no stack
Description:Front wheels are mounted inside the end of the forks and extend to the floor as the pallet is only lifted enough to clear the floor for subsequent travel

Here’s a sample of pallet jack.


Manual Pallet Jack




As clearly shown here, this pallet jack has a carrying capacity of 4500 LBS

Side View

Back View













Here’s another. By the way, that’s not Jack. hehehe!!! That’s our group member, Julian.







Pallet Jacks are useful equipment, especially in the warehouse. However, there are some disadvantages. The following pallets cannot be used.
· Reversible pallets
· Double-faced non-reversible pallets cannot have deckboards(The forks cannot be inserted into the notches)

The next equipment I would like to touch on is,

Counterbalanced (CB) Lift Truck aka Fork Truck

Here’s how an equipment is categorised as Counterbalanced (CB) Lift Truck aka Fork Truck
Pallet + Ride + Stack

They are also referred to as the work horses of material handling. This is due to their flexibility for indoor/outdoor operation over a variety of different surfaces; variety of load capacities available

The pictures you are about to see is Sit-Down Counterbalanced Lift Truck aka Fork Lift. It can run on diesel or electricity(Batteries) The one you are about to see, runs on batteries.


Word of caution, Fork Lifts come in different size & capability.


Here’s the big brother…














The one seen here is a 4 tonner. The 4 tons refer to the carrying capacity.



Here’s the little brother











Here’s a 2 tonner. I was referring to the carrying capacity of the fork lift & not the weight of the two girls there. Hahaha!!

Notice the two forks at the front of the trucks. This is where a cargo load is placed. A variety of attachments are also available. The forks can be replace with other attachments. the forks (e.g., carton clamps) or enhance the capabilities of the forks (e.g., blades for slipsheets).



Finally, the equipment equivalent to a giraffe…
“Drumrolls” It’s the Very Narrow Aisle (VNA)

The VNA falls under the Turret Truck family.


What’s so great about Turret Truck??
· Greater stacking height
· Forks rotate to allow for side loading
· Truck itself does not rotate during stacking, the body of the truck can be longer to increase its counterbalance capability and to allow the operator to sit
· Can function like a sideloader for transporting greater-than-pallet-size load

Click on the picture below to see a VNA in action

More pictures of VNA

Don’t you think it look strong & steady? Was referring to the VNA of course. Not the three guys there… :D






Facts about VNA:
· Has a carrying capacity approx 2 tons/ 2000 kg
· Able to reach up to 20m
· Forks rotate to allow for side loading

Safety Feature....

As you can see here, this is one of the safety features of a VNA.

This tracks guide the VNA when it is moving in aisle. The safety tracks prevent the VNA from getting into contact with the racks.

Apart from that, it also acts as a safety check for the equipment.

The tracks, work together with the sensors on the VNA. As part of the safety feature, the tracks will work with the onboard sensor to prevent accidents.

One of this feature is that the VNA will automatically slow down when it approach the end of the racls. (Entrance/Exit)

What is MHE???

This is the latest update on our blog!!! We've managed to do some research and have spotted definations regarding MHEs:

Material handling equipment (MHE) is used for the movement and storage of material within a facility or at a site. MHE can be classified into the following five major categories:

1. Transport Equipment. Equipment used to move material from one location to another (e.g., between workplaces, between a loading dock and a storage area, etc.). The major subcategories of transport equipment are conveyors, cranes, and industrial trucks. Material can also be transported manually using no equipment.
   
2. Positioning Equipment. Equipment used to handle material at a single location so that it is in the correct position for subsequent handling, machining, transport, or storage. Unlike transport equipment, positioning equipment is usually used for handling at a single workplace. Material can also be positioned manually using no equipment.
   
3. Unit Load Formation Equipment. Equipment 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.
   
4. Storage Equipment. Equipment used for holding or buffering materials over a period of time. Some storage equipment may include the transport of materials (e.g., the S/R machines of an AS/RS, or storage carousels). If materials are block stacked directly on the floor, then no storage equipment is required.
   
5. 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.

Source: http://www.ise.ncsu.edu/kay/mhetax/index.htm

Wow, never knew that there were so many different types of MHEs. Will update again real soon, keep a look out!

Introduction

Our team has decided to do research on Materials Handling Equipment (MHE), stay tuned for more postings!!!!