1. What is Systems Principle of Materials Handling? Please suggest few examples of MHS?

Integrate as many handling activities as possible encompassing full scope of operations like
receiving, storage, production, inspection, packaging, warehousing, shipping/transportation.
Suggestions:
• Consider the entire scope of the handling activities, beyond the scope of immediate concern.
• Integrate operations into handling systems like processing, inspection, packaging etc.
• Avoid/ minimize intermediate storage.
• While designing a materials handling system, the practices/requirements of the suppliers,
clients
and transporters are to be considered.
• Allow necessary flexibility considering future requirements/emergencies.

2. What are the advantages of unitization and handling of unit loads?

(i) It permits handling of larger loads at a time and thereby reduces handling and
transportation
costs.
(ii) Loading and unloading time of unit load is substantially less than when handled as
loose/
individual material.
(iii) Unitized loads are less susceptible to damage and loss during movement from one
place to
another.
(iv) It offers safer handling and transportation compared to those of loose materials.
(v) Unitized load, even made of irregular shaped items, generally become stable and
well
shaped. This offers a number of advantages like stable storage, uniform stacking to
greater
heights and increased storage space utilization.
(vi) For unitized load, individual item labeling may be avoided.
(vii) The process of unitization often protects loads from foreign elements.
(viii) Unitization generally provides a basis for standardization of handling system and
equipment
within the plant as well as at the receiving and shipping points for transportation.

3. What are general characteristics of belt conveyors?

(i) Belt conveyors operate in one vertical plane, horizontally or with an inclination (up or
down) depending on the frictional property of the load conveyed.
(ii) For changing direction of the materials being conveyed, in the horizontal plane, more than
one belt conveyors are needed.
(iii) Conveying capacity of a conveyor can be controlled by changing belt speed.
(iv) Belt conveyors are generally employed for continuous flow of materials.
(v) Metal/special belts can carry hot, abrasive or reactive materials.

Question 1
A 350 m long recirculating conveyor operates at a velocity 65 m/min. The task time required to
load two parts into each carrier is 7.2 sec. and the unload time is 7.0 sec., the spacing of carriers
along its length is 10 m. Each carrier can hold two parts. The required loading and unloading
rates are both defined by the specified flow rate, which is 7 parts/min. Evaluate the conveyor
system design with respect to Kwo,s three principles (Speed Rule and Capacity Constraint).

Speed Rule:
[(2 parts/carrier)(65m/min)] / (10m/carrier) = 13 parts/min > 7 parts/min
Checking the lower limit:
6.5 carriers/min =< Min { (1/ 7.2/60) , (1/ 7.0/60)} = 8.33
The speed rule is satisfied.

Question 2
Consider the AGVs layout in figure. Vehicles travel counterclockwise around the loop to deliver
loads from the load station to the unload station. Loading time = 0.70 min and unloading time =
0.65 min. The following performance parameters are given: Vehicle velocity: 50m/min.
Availability: 0.95. Traffic factor: 0.90. Worker efficiency: 0.97. The total of 50 deliveries/hour
must be completed by the AGVs.
Determine:
a) Ideal delivery cycle time
b) Number of vehicles required to satisfy the delivery demand.
c) Number of vehicles required if Vehicles travel clockwise around the loop.

Tc = 8.35 min.
Number of vehicles is 9

Question 3
 A roller conveyor moves tote pans in one direction at 320 ft/min between a load station and an
unload station, a distance of 460 ft. With one worker, the time to load parts into a tote pan at the
load station is 6 sec per part. Each tote pan holds 14 parts. In addition, it takes 12 sec to load a
tote pan of parts onto the conveyor. Determine
a) Spacing between tote pan centers flowing in the conveyor system and
b) Flow rate of parts on the conveyor system.

The spacing will be: Sc = 448 ft

Question 4
A recirculating conveyor has a total length of 300 m. Its speed is 65 m/min, the spacing of part
and carriers along its length is 10 m. Each carrier can hold two parts. The task time required to
load two parts into each carrier is 0.12 min and the unload time is the same. The required loading
and unloading rates are both defined by the specified flow rate, which is 7 parts/min. Evaluate
the conveyor system design with respect to Kwo,s three principles (Speed Rule and Capacity
Constraint).

Question 5
Consider the AGVs layout in figure. Vehicles travel counterclockwise around the loop to deliver
loads from the load station to the unload station. Loading time = 0.75 min and unloading time =
0.65 min. The following performance parameters are given: Vehicle velocity: 45m/min.
Availability: 0.95. Traffic factor: 0.90. Worker efficiency: 0.98. The total of 50 deliveries/hour
must be completed by the AGVs.
Determine:
a) Ideal delivery cycle time
b) Number of vehicles required to satisfy the delivery demand?

Question 6
An AGVS has an average loaded travel distance per delivery = 400 ft. The average empty travel
distance is not known. Required number of deliveries per hour = 60. Load and unload times are
each 0.6 min and the AGV speed = 125 ft/min. Anticipated traffic factor = 0.80. Availability =
0.95. Develop an equation that relates the number of vehicles required to operate the system as a
function of the average empty travel distance Le.

nc = WL / AT = Rf Tc/AT
Tc = nc AT /Rf
Tl + (Ld/Vc) + Tu + (Le/Vc) = nc AT / Rf
Rf : total delivery requirements in the system (del/hr),
and Rd= delivery rate per vehicle (del/hr per vehicle ).