MATERIAL HANDLING &

IDENTIFICATION TECHNOLOGIES

VIGIL J VIJAYAN
Department of Mechanical Engineering
NIT Calicut
Material Handling
The movement, storage, protection and control of materials throughout
the manufacturing and distribution process including their
consumption and disposal
- MHIA

Cost of material handling is a significant portion of total production

cost (around 25% of total manufacturing labour cost)
Material Handling
Handling of materials must be performed
Safely
Efficiently
At low cost
In a timely manner
Accurately (right materials in the right quantities to the right locations)
Without damage to the materials
Material handling in the production
system
 Categories of
Material Handling Equipment
Material transport equipment - to move materials inside a factory,
warehouse, or other facility
Storage systems - to store materials and provide access to those
materials when required
Unitizing equipment - refers to
(1) containers to hold materials,
(2) equipment used to load and package the containers
Identification and tracking systems - to identify and keep track of the
materials being moved and stored
Material Transport Equipment

Industrial Trucks
Two types : Powered
& Non powered.

Powered trucks are steered by human

workers. They provide mechanized
movement of materials.

Powered Trucks: Walkie Truck

Wheeled forks insert into pallet openings
No provision for riding; truck is steered by worker
using control handle at front of vehicle
Powered Trucks:
Forklift Truck
Widely used in factories
and warehouses because
pallet loads are so
common
Capacities from 450 kg up
to 4500 kg
Power sources include on-
board batteries and
internal combustion
motors
Powered Trucks:
Towing Tractor

Designed to pull one or more trailing carts in factories and

warehouses, as well as for airport baggage handling
Powered by on-board batteries or IC engines
Non-powered trucks are platforms or containers with
wheels that are pushed or pulled by human workers to
move materials.

(a) Two-wheel hand truck, (b) four-wheel dolly, (c) hand-operated low-lift
pallet truck
Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV)
Battery powered, automatically steered
vehicles that follow defined pathways in the floor.
Pathways are un-obstructive.
AGVs are used to move unit loads between load and
unload station in the facility. Routing variations are
possible. AGVs : Driverless Automated
Guided Train

First type of AGVS to be

introduced around 1954
Common application is
moving heavy payloads
over long distances in
warehouses and factories
without intermediate stops
along the route
AGV : Pallet Truck

Used to move palletized

loads along
predetermined routes
Vehicle is backed into
loaded pallet by worker;
pallet is then elevated
from floor
Worker drives pallet
truck to AGV guide path
and programs
destination
AGV: Unit Load Carrier
Used to move unit loads from station to station
Often equipped for automatic loading/unloading of pallets and
tote pans using roller conveyors, moving belts, or mechanized lift
platforms
AGVs Applications
1. Driverless train operations - movement of large quantities of material
over long distances
2. Storage and distribution - movement of pallet loads between
shipping/receiving docks and storage racks
3. Assembly line operations - movement of car bodies and major
subassemblies (motors) through the assembly stations
4. Flexible manufacturing systems - movement of work parts between
machine tools
5. Miscellaneous - mail delivery and hospital supplies
Monorail and other Rail Guided Vehicles
Self propelled vehicles that ride on a fixed rail system (either on floor or
suspended in ceiling).
Vehicle operates independently and are driven by electric motors. Routing
variations are possible.
Fixed rail system
1. Overhead monorail - suspended overhead from the ceiling
2. On-floor - parallel fixed rails, tracks generally protrude up from the floor
Overhead Rail
Conveyers
Designed to move materials over a fixed path,
Roller
Skate Wheel
Belt
In-Floor Toe-line conveyors
Overhead Trolley Conveyor
Cart-On-Track Conveyor

2 types : Powered or NonPowered

Powered - a mechanical drive built system is built into the fixed path.
NonPowered - activated either by human workers or gravity
Roller Conveyor
Pathway consists of a series of
rollers that are perpendicular to
direction of travel
Loads must possess a flat
bottom to span several rollers
Powered rollers rotate to drive
the loads forward
Un-powered roller conveyors
also available
Skate-Wheel Conveyor
Similar in operation to roller
conveyor but use skate wheels
instead of rollers
Lighter weight and
unpowered
Sometimes built as portable
units that can be used for
loading and unloading truck
trailers in shipping and
receiving
Belt Conveyor
Continuous loop with
forward path to move loads
Belt is made of reinforced
elastomer
Support slider or rollers
used to support forward
loop
Two common forms:
Flat belt (shown)
V-shaped for bulk materials (Support frame not shown)
In-Floor Tow-Line Conveyor

Four-wheel carts powered by

moving chains or cables in
trenches in the floor
Carts use steel pins (or grippers)
to project below floor level and
engage the chain (or pulley) for
towing
This allows the carts to be
disengaged from towline for
loading and unloading
Overhead Trolley Conveyor

A trolley is a wheeled carriage

running on an overhead track
from which loads can be
suspended
Trolleys are connected and moved
by a chain or cable that forms a
complete loop
Often used to move parts and
assemblies between major
production areas
Cart-On-Track Conveyor
Carts ride on a track above
floor level
Carts are driven by a spinning
tube
Forward motion of cart is
controlled by a drive wheel
whose angle can be changed
from zero (idle) to 45 degrees
(forward)
In Robotic spot welding,
automobile body plants
Cranes & Hoists
Cranes
Used for horizontal movement of materials
Hoists
Used for vertical lifting of materials
Cranes usually include hoists so that the crane-and-hoist combination
provides
Horizontal transport
Vertical lifting and lowering
Hoist
Bridge Crane
Gantry Crane
Jib Crane
Storage System
Bulk Storage
Simply storing materials in an open floor area in pallet
loads or other containers. It requires little or no storage equipment.
Rack Systems
Structural frames designed to stack unit loads vertically,
thus increasing vertical storage efficiency compared to bulk storage.
Shelving & Bins
Shelves comes in standard width, depth & height to store
variety of storage requirements. Bins are containers for loose items.
Drawer Storage
More costly than shelves, but convenient.
Finding items in shelves can be difficult. Drawers compensate for
this by pulling out to reveal their entire contents. Used for tools
hardwares & other small items.
Automated Storage Systems
To deposit & withdraw items into and from storage
compartments.
2 types :
Automated storage/retrieval systems, consisting of rack & shelf system that
are accessed by an automated or mechanized crane.
Carousel System that rotate storage bins past a stationary load/unload
station.
Unitizing Equipment
Containers used to hold individual items during handling.
Include pallets, boxes, baskets, barrels, pails and drums.
Very important for moving materials efficiently as a unit load rather
than as individual items

(a) Wooden pallet, (b) pallet box, (c) tote box

Equipment used to load & package containers.
Palletizers: designed to automatically load cartons onto pallets and
shrink-wrap plastic film around them for shipping.
Depalletizers are used to unload cartons from pallets
Design Considerations
in Material Handling
Material characteristics
Flow rate, routing, and scheduling
Plant layout
Unit load principle
Material Characteristics
Material characteristics affect type of transport and storage equipment
required
Physical State - Solid, liquid or gas
Size Volume, length, width, height
Weight Weight/piece, weight/unit volume
Shape - long, flat, bulky
Condition - hot, cold, wet, dirty
Risk of damage - fragile, brittle, sturdy
Safety risk - explosive, flammable, toxic, corrosive
Flow Rate, Routing, and Scheduling
Flow rate & Quantities : amount of material moved per unit time
Examples: pieces/hr, pallet loads/hr, tons/hr
Whether the material must be moved in individual units, as batches, or
continuously (pipe line)
Routing factors : include pick-up and drop-off locations, move
distances, routing variations, conditions along the route (surface, traffic,
elevation)
Scheduling of move : timing of each delivery
Prompt delivery when required
Use of buffer stocks to mitigate against late deliveries
Plant Layout
Material handling equipment considerations must be
included in the plant layout design problem.
Plant layout design should provide
Total area of facility & areas within specific departments in
plant
Arrangement of equipment in layout
Locations where materials must be picked (Load stations) &
delivered (unload stations)
Possible routes between these locations & distances travelled
Correlation between layout type and material handling equipment

Plant layout type Characteristics Material handling

equipment
Fixed-position Large product size, low production rate Cranes, hoists, industrial
trucks
Process Variations in product & processing, low Hand trucks, forklift trucks,
& medium product rates AGVs

Product Limited product variety, high Conveyors for product flow,

production rate (final assembly plant for trucks to deliver parts to
cars, trucks, etc.) stations
10 Principles of Material
Handling
Implementing the principles result in safer operating conditions, lower costs
and better utilization and performance of these material handling equipments.
1. Unit Load Principle
Unit load simply mass that is to be moved or handled at a time,
such as a pallet, container, etc.
Should be designed to be as large as is practical.
2. Planning Principle
Plan is developed in consultation between planers & who all will
use & benefit from equipment.
3. Standardization Principle
Less variety & customization in methods & equipment involved
4. Work Principle
Work minimized without sacrificing productivity or level of
servicer required in operation.
Material handling work is flow rate multiplied by distance moved.
5. Ergonomic Principle
Science that seeks to adapt work or working conditions to suit
abilities of workers.
Eliminate repetitive and strenuous manual labour
6. Space Utilization Principle
Space in material handling is 3D and is counted as a cubic
space.
7. System Principle
Material movement & storage should be integrated to form
coordinated, operational system that spans receiving, storage,
production, assembly, packaging, unitizing, order selection, shipping,
transportation & handling of returns
8. Automation Principle
Computerized material handling should be
considered wherever feasible for effective integration of
material flow and information management
9. Environmental principle
10. Life Cycle Cost Principle
Includes all cash flow that occur between first
amount is spent to plan a new material handling
method or piece of equipment until that method
equipment is totally replaced.
Logistics
Concerned with the acquisition, movement, storage, and
distribution of materials and products as well as the
planning and control of these operations to satisfy
customer demand

Two categories of logistics:

External logistics - transportation and related activities that occur outside
of a facility (between different geographical locations)
Five traditional modes of transportation: rail, truck, air, ship, and

pipeline
Internal logistics - material handling and storage within a facility
External Logistics
Internal Logistics
Identification & Tracking System
Tracking is usually done by affixing some kind of label to item, carton
or unit load that uniquely identifies it.
Bar Codes are common that read quickly and automatically by bar code
readers.
Other labels include magnetic stipes & radio frequency tags
Identification Technologies
Automatic Data Capture (ADC) / Automatic Identification & Data
Capture (AIDC)
Technology that provides direct entry into a computer or other
microprocessor control system without using a keyboard.
No human involvement.

Alternative of ADC is manual collection & entry of data.

Drawbacks are: Errors, Time factor, Labour cost.
Principal Components of ADC
Encoded Data
Code is a set of symbols or signals representing alphanumeric
characters. When data are encoded, characters are translated to machine
readable code.
Label or tag containing encoded data is attached to item that is to be later
identified
Machine reader / Scanner
Reads encoded data, converting them to alternative form Electrical
analog signal
Decoder
Transforms electrical signal into digital data & finally back into original
alphanumeric characters
ADC Technologies can be divided into
Optical:
Optical Scanner Linear & 2D bar code, optical character recognition
Magnetic:
Magnetic stripes used in plastic credit cards & bank access cards
Magnetic ink character recognition used in bank for check
processing
Electromagnetic:
Radio Frequency Identification
Smart Card:
Small plastic card with microchip with large amount of data
Chip card / IC card
Touch Techniques
Biometric
Bar Code Technology
2 Types :
1. Linear : encoded data read using linear sweep
2. 2D : encoded data read in both directions

Linear Bar Codes :

.Width Modulated :
Symbol consist of bars & spaces of varying width
.Height Modulated :
Symbol consist of evenly spaced bars of varying
heights
(ZIP code US Postal Service)
Wide & narrow color bars separated by wide & narrow spaces

Contains numeric or alpha numeric characters

Scanners emits a beam of light sensed by photodetector and decodes it.
Stationary moving beam bar code scanner located along
a moving conveyor
2 D Bar Codes
Capacity to store much greater amounts of data at higher
area densities
Disadvantage : specially high cost scanning equipment
2 Types : Stacked , Matrix symbologies

Stacked Bar Codes

Contains great amount of data
Consists of conventional linear bar code stacked on top of
each other
 Matrix Symbologies
Consists of 2D patterns of data cells that are square
and are coloured dark or white.
Advantage - More data than stacked bar codes
Disadvantage More complicated hence sophisticated
printing and scanning
Optical Character Recognition:
It is the mechanical or electronic conversion of images of typewritten or printed
text into machine-encoded text.
Used as a form of data entry from printed paper data records, passport documents,
invoices, bank statement, receipts, business cards etc.
Identification of printed characters using photoelectric devices and computer
software.
Optical Character Recognition
Magnetic Identification Method
A short strip of magnetic tape attached to a box or container.
It contains data that will tell a reading device what is the name of the part or
equipment and their dimensions.
Magnetic Stripe
Radio Frequency Identification System
Radio-frequency identification is the wireless non-contact use of radio-
frequency electromagnetic fields to transfer data, for the purposes of
automatically identifying and tracking tags attached to objects.
The tags contain electronically stored information.
Radio Frequency Identification System
Machine Vision
Machine vision is the technology and methods used to
provide imaging-based automatic inspection and analysis for
such applications as automatic inspection, process control,
and robot guidance in industry.
Machine Vision
Machine Vision
Kanban Systems
SAP
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