Material Handling

ð  Material handling is specialised activity for a modern manufacturing concern.

ð  A major part of the cost of production is spent in materials handling.

ð  This cost can be reduced by proper selection, operation and maintenance and also layout of materials handling devices but cannot be totally eliminated.

ð  Materials handling refers to the moving of materials from the store room to the machine and from one machine to the next during the process of manufacture.

ð  It may also be defined as the “art and science of moving, packing and storing of products in any form.”

ð  Materials handling is a prime consideration in designing new plants and several existing plants can be modified by the application of modern devices.

ð  These devices (1) Increase output

(2) Improve quality

(3) Speed up the deliveries

(4) Decrease the cost of production

Objects of Material Handling

ð  Until some years ago the common hand shovel and the baskets were the only materials handling tools but now due to increasing demand for sophisticated handling equipments, material handling system has been revolutionised all over the world.

ð  The main objective of efficient materials handling is to save costs.

ð  A material handling equipment is not a production machinery, but is an auxiliary equipment that improves the flow of materials which in turn reduces stoppages in production machines and thus increases their production capacity.

   

(A) Functions of Materials Handling

ð  The most important functions are:-

(1)   The movement and positioning of purchased materials for the purpose of storage.

(2)   The internal transportation of materials between the place of storage and the place of use.

(3)   The movement of materials within departments for the purpose of temporary or positioning for use at the machine or work place.

(4)   The movement and positioning of finished stock for the purpose of stocking or sale.

(5)   Unloading raw materials from motor trucks or other transport.

(6)   Loading packed materials on motor trucks or other transport.

(B) Advantages of Materials Handling System

ð  A good materials handling system has the following advantages:-

a)      These reduce higher labour costs in handling and hence total cost of product.

b)      These improve layout by connecting widely located different machines of parts in the building.

c)      These improve technique of processes.

d)     These make possible manufacturing of larger size and heavy products.

e)      The handling of incoming or outgoing materials shortens the floor area required to house the plant.

f)       These allow the materials to be stored to a greater height and speed.

g)      These can change the processes from an intermittent to a continuous one and provide for constant utilisation of equipment and labour.

h)      These greatly increase the efficiency of the plant by reducing the ideal machine and man time by quick supply of materials.

i)        These reduce physical strain on the workers in manual lifting and carrying and allow them to work more efficient.

j)        These increase the safety of materials to be handled and reduce accidents.

Guiding Principles of Materials Handling

ð  Following are some of the important guiding principles of economical handling:-

a)      Try to minimise handling as much as possible.

b)      Make accurate and complete analysis for installation, operation and maintenance cost of proposed devices.

c)      Estimate the initial cost of handling equipment.

d)     Remove handling work from among the duties of direct labour force, i.e., ordinary labour should be engaged for handling work and skilled labour for production.

e)      Transport materials at higher speeds as well as in large quantities at a time.

f)       Transport materials at constant speed.

g)      Run conveyers overhead and stack load on top of each other or in racks as high as safety permits.

h)      Try to avoid back-tracking.

i)        Arrange device for the minimization of transport distances.

j)        Avoid rehandling of materials.

k)      There should not be congested layout.

l)        Other thing being equal, select the flexible devices.

m)    To reduce spares, standardise the equipment used through-out the industry.

n)      Standardise materials and methods.

o)      Try to combine movement, storage and processing of material.

p)      Provide right equipment and at a right time.

q)      Operators must be well trained to handle equipment.

r)       It should always be borne in mind that efficient handling is only safe handling.

s)       To reduce damages and injuries, keep passage way lighted and unobstructed.

t)       Unnecessary mixing of materials must be avoided.

u)      Use handling devices for scrap materials.

v)      To make arrangement for repairs and maintenance of equipment.

w)    An individual may be made responsible for promoting good handling.

x)      Always keep distance over which materials are to move as short as possible.

y)      Always use gravity flow advantages and if it is not possible then select mechanical handling devices.

z)      Reduce terminal time of power units.

(A) Material Handling Devices

Material Handling Devices
Manual Handling	Mechanical Handling
Done by using boxes, trays either in single or in bundles Use of trolleys, wheel barrows, handcarts etc. can also be done Sometimes gravity also assists the operations.	·   Lifting and Lowering devices (Vertical Motion)          Transporting devices (Horizontal motion)      Combination devices (lifting and lowering plus transportation)

Mechanical Handling
Lifting and Lowering devices	Transporting devices	Combination devices
·         Block & tackle ·         Winches ·         Hoists ·         Elevators ·         Pillar crane ·         Overhead crane	·         Hand truck ·         Wheeler or box truck ·         Narrow gauge mine rail road ·         Car puller	·         Portable conveyor ·         Crane truck ·         Spiral chute ·         Lift truck ·         Auto truck ·         Positioning equipment ·         Air transport ·         Marine vehicle ·         Steel pallet

(B) Flow Patterns

ð  When the operations involved are few, the planning of the flow pattern is simplified.

ð  The simplest flow pattern is a straight line pattern.

ð  But where the flow area is limited, it will be better to locate the flow pattern as in fig.1.

ð  As far as possible, the manufacturing area should not be bisected by traffic as in fig. 2, but a practice is still prevailing in many mills.

ð  The aisle should be located as one side, as shown in fig. 3, thereby permitting full utilisation of the manufacturing area.

ð  Another possibilities is where a large number of operations have to be performed continuously on a line within a limited area, the ‘U’ arrangement is more advisable.

ð  On the other hand in fig. 4 and 5 indicate a few of the flow patterns permutations possible where partly processed work has to be fed into a final processing line, as in feeding of the bleach-croft processed goods to the finishing and folding sections.

ð  Although in the overall arrangement of both, caters to the shortening of the line, the flow pattern shown in fig. 5 may be found more useful for many types of layout.

ð  A typical example of the forgoing is the feeding of bleach-croft goods to various individual sections of dyeing and printing and ultimately to the finishing department.

Where processing operations are limited, a large quantities of materials may be moved in duplicate or more lines may be set up, as shown in fig. 5.

Relation between Plant Layout and Material Handling

ð  There exists a very close relation between plant layout and materials handling.

ð  The method of handling materials definitely influences the plant layout and the plant building.

ð  If all the devices required for a particular set of operations are determined but failed to arrange them properly then it is said that layout is not a good one.

ð  In the part

(1)   If materials are to be moved by hand operated or power trucks, passages provided for their operations.

(2)   If materials are to be moved by overhead cranes, passages are almost missing but the overhead space is unobstructed.

(3)   If materials are to be moved by pipe lines, ducts such as paint in automobile body plants and saw dust as in wood working plants, arrangement should be made for their methods of handling.

(4)   If the building is multi-storeyed, elevators, like conveyors of different types may be utilized. Gravity conveyor may be utilized in moving material in multi-storeyed building or one built on sloping grade.

ð  Modern materials handling technique makes possible a continuous flow of materials and work in process between building and from one floor to another, thus removing restriction of space and building construction; which was handicapped in the past.

Today in advance countries to connect machines each other, handling devices operated by electronics control are used in automatic plants.