Basics of Material Handling Systems

Learning objectives

At the end of this lecture student will be able to :

• Define conveying

• Explain the importance of material handling systems

• Discuss the various material handling systems

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 Material Handling systems/ Conveying

• It is applied to transportation of
materials- in different forms

• This unit operation is important in the

storage and handling of raw materials,
finished products and packed goods

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 Efficient and effective conveying

1. Increased manufacturing capacity

2. Decreased processing time and on time production schedules

3. High degree of uniformity and reproducibility of the process

4. Minimum contamination and dust formation

5. Increased employee safety and reduced labour costs

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 Conveyors classification

BELT CONVEYORS SCREW CONVEYORS

PNEUMATIC CONVEYORS

CHAIN CONVEYORS BUCKET CONVEYORS

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 Belt Conveyors

Principle

Horizontally or inclined placed motor driven rotating belt on

pulleys convey the material from feeding point to the
discharge point

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 Belt Conveyor

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 Belt Conveyors

Basic elements are

1. Power supply

2. Belt

3. Belt tightening systems- to maintain even tension / tightness on belt under all
conditions

4. Belt drive (for movement)

5. Roller supports for belt (Idlers)

6. Feeding arrangements (Hopper)

7. Discharge arrangements (For collection)

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 Idlers

Troughing idlers - keeps the belt depressed at

the centre to carry more material without
spillage

Non-troughing / flat idlers- present at the

bottom so does not come in contact with
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 Idlers

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Coding Conveyors

Coding conveyor systems are an

innovative labeling machine that
applies barcodes to cases, verifies
the barcode presence and
readability, verifies the barcode
value, and prints human-readable
dot matrix text on the case.
 Cleated Belt Conveyors

Cleated belt conveyors transport items from one destination to the next using belts
adorned with regularly spaced rows of raised material, or cleats. These cleats help
separate pieces or keep them from falling to the foot of the conveyor during inclined
or declined movement
 Belt Conveyors

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 Belt Conveyors- Applications

1. Transporting containers for filling , capping , sealing, labelling, visual inspection in the
production of pharmaceutical formulations

2. Strip and blister packing of tablets and capsules

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 Long belt conveyors
The longest belt conveyor system in the world is in Western Sahara. It was built in 1972 by
Friedrich Krupp GmbH (now thyssenkrupp) and is 98 km (61 miles) long, from the
phosphate mines of Bu Craa to the coast south of El-Aaiun
The longest conveyor system in an airport is the Dubai International Airport baggage
handling system at 63 km (39 miles). It was installed by Siemens and commissioned in
2008, and has a combination of traditional belt conveyors and tray conveyors
Boddington Bauxite Mine in Western Australia is officially recognized as having the world's
longest single flight conveyor
The longest single-belt international conveyor runs from Meghalaya in India to a cement
factory at Chhatak Bangladesh.
 Screw Conveyors

Principle

Horizontally or inclined or vertically

placed motor driven screw like flight
conveys the material in the trough from
the feed point to discharge point

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 Screw Conveyor

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 Screw Conveyors

Basic elements are

1. Trough system

2. Flights and power supply

3. Feeding arrangements

4. Discharge arrangements

Screw Conveyors- Applications

1. Transporting finely divided solids or pasty solids

2. For materials which are light - medium weight, abrasive or non abrasive and of
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Inclined Screw Conveyor Twin Screw Conveyor
 Pneumatic Conveyors

Principle

• When a high velocity air is passed through a bed of solid particles, the individual
particles are dragged by air

• Finally they are suspended in the air

• IN this condition, the suspension behaves like a dense fluid and can be transported
from point to another

• At the discharge end, the gas is separated and the solids are recovered

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 Pneumatic Conveyor

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 Pneumatic Conveyors

Elements

• Air supply or vacuum system

• Air slide and pipeline

• Feed arrangements

• Discharge arrangements

Applications

• Handling of powders- insufflations, dusting powders

• Handling of unpleasant and toxic materials

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 Bucket Conveyors

Principle

The material is loaded in

buckets

The buckets are attached

to belts or chains

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 Buckets

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 Chain Conveyor

Principle

• Chains are endless and move continuously. The material is loaded into a
suitable container and placed on the chains.

Elements

• Chain elements

• Chain attachments

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 Scraper/Flight Conveyor Apron Conveyor

Figure 2: A drag chain conveyor - notice the material in

and around the chains.

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Chain Conveyor