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Automated Material Handling Systems

1) Conveyor systems are used to move material in large quantities over fixed paths and are divided into powered and non-powered types. Powered conveyors use mechanisms like belts to propel loads while non-powered rely on manual movement. 2) Common powered conveyor types include roller conveyors, which use rotating tubes to move flat pallets, and belt conveyors which use continuous looping belts. 3) For single direction conveyors, the flow rate is determined by the loading and unloading times, with the unload time needing to be less than or equal to the load time to prevent backups. Continuous conveyors divide the full loop into loading and return sections.

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282 views19 pages

Automated Material Handling Systems

1) Conveyor systems are used to move material in large quantities over fixed paths and are divided into powered and non-powered types. Powered conveyors use mechanisms like belts to propel loads while non-powered rely on manual movement. 2) Common powered conveyor types include roller conveyors, which use rotating tubes to move flat pallets, and belt conveyors which use continuous looping belts. 3) For single direction conveyors, the flow rate is determined by the loading and unloading times, with the unload time needing to be less than or equal to the load time to prevent backups. Continuous conveyors divide the full loop into loading and return sections.

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elkhawad
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Computer Integrated Manufacturing

CIM

Manufacturing Engineering Department

Lecture 12 – Automated Material Handling Systems


Conveyor Systems

• Conveyors are used when material must be moved in relatively


large quantities between specific locations over a fixed path.
• Conveyors divided into two basic categories:
1. Powered conveyors
2. Non-powered conveyors.

• In powered conveyors, the power mechanism is contained in


the fixed path, using belts, rotating rolls, or other devices to
propel loads along the path. They are commonly used in
automated material transfer systems.
• In non-powered conveyors, materials are moved either
manually or by human workers who push the loads along the
fixed path.
Types of Conveyors
• A variety of conveyor equipment is commercially available. The
following are the major types of powered conveyors:
• In roller conveyor, the pathway consists of a series of tubes (rollers)
that are perpendicular to the direction of travel.
• The rollers are contained in a fixed frame that elevates the
pathway above floor level from several inches to several feet.
• Flat pallets carrying unit loads are moved forward as the roller
rotate.
• Roller conveyors are used in a wide variety of applications,
including manufacturing, assembly, and packaging.
Types of Conveyors

2. Belt Conveyors consist of a continuous loop: Half its length is


used for delivering materials , and other half is the return run.
Conveyor Analysis
• Two types of conveyor operation are discussed in this course:
1. Single direction conveyors.
2. Continuous loop conveyors.

Single Direction Conveyors


• Consider the case of a single direction powered conveyor with
one load station at the upstream end and one unload station at
the downstream end
Single Direction Conveyors
• Assuming the conveyor operates at a constant speed, the time
required to move materials from load station to unload station
is given by:

Ld
Td 
vc

• Where
Td = delivery time (min),
Ld = length of conveyor between load and unload stations (m),
vc = conveyor velocity (m/min)
Single Direction Conveyors
• The flow rate of materials on the conveyor is determined by the
rate of loading at the load station. The loading rate is limited by
the reciprocal of the time required to load the materials

vc 1
R f  RL  
sc TL
• Rf = material flow rate (parts/min).
• RL = loading rate (parts/min).
• sc = center-to-center spacing of materials on the conveyor
(m/part).
• TL = loading time (min/part).
Single Direction Conveyors
• An additional requirement for loading and unloading is that the
time required to unload the conveyor must be equal or less
than the loading time> That is,

TU  TL
Where TU = Unloading time (min/part).
• If unloading requires more time than loading, then unremoved
loads may accumulate at the downstream end of the conveyor

• For transporting several parts in a carrier rather than a single


part.
n p vc 1
Rf  
sc TL
Where np = number of parts per carrier
sc = center-to-center spacing of carriers on the conveyor (m/carrier)
Continuous Conveyors
• In continuous conveyor, the parts are moved in the carries
between a load station and unload station.
• The complete loop is divided into two sections:
• A delivery (forward) loop in which the carriers are loaded, and
• A return loop in which the carriers travel empty.

• The length of the delivery loop is Ld, and the length of the
return loop is Le. Total length of the conveyor is therefore
L=Ld+Le.
Continuous Conveyors
• The total time required to travel the complete loop is

• The time a load spends in the forward loop is


Continuous Conveyors

• Where Rf = parts per minute. Again, this rate must be consistent with
limitations on the time it takes to load and unload the conveyor.
Automated Storage/Retrieval Systems

• An automated storage/retrieval system (AS/RS) can be defined


as a storage system that performs storage and retrieval
operations with speed and accuracy under a defined degree of
automation.
• A wide range of automation is found in commercially available
AS/RS systems. At the most sophisticated level, the operations
are totally automated, computer controlled, and fully
integrated with a factory.
• Automated storage/retrieval systems are custom designed for
each application, although the designs are based on standard
modular components available from each respective AS/RS
supplier.
Automated Storage/Retrieval Systems
• An AS/RS consists of one or more storage aisles that are each
serviced by a storage/retrieval (S/R) machine.
• The aisles have storage racks for holding the stored materials.
• The S/R machines are used to deliver material to the storage
racks and to retrieve materials from the racks
Automated Storage/Retrieval Systems

• Each AS/RS aisle has one or more input/output stations where


materials are delivered into the storage system or moved out of
the system.
• The input/output stations are called pickup-and-deposit (P&D)
stations in AS/RS terminology.
• P&D stations can be manually operated or interfaced to some
form of automated system.
Analysis of Automated Storage/Retrieval Systems
• The total storage capacity of one storage aisle depends on how
many storage compartments are arranged horizontally and
vertically in the aisle. This can be expressed as follows:

capacity per aisle  2n y nz

• Where ny = number of load compartments along the length of


the aisle, and nz = number of load compartments that make up
the height of the aisle. The constant 2 accounts for the fact that
loads are contained on both sides of the aisle
Analysis of Automated Storage/Retrieval Systems
• If we assume a standard size compartment (to accept a
standard size unit load), then the compartment dimensions
facing the aisle must be larger than the unit load dimensions.
• Let x and y = the depth and width dimensions of a unit load,
and z = the height of the unit load.
• The width, length, and height of the rack structure of the
AS/RS aisle are related to the unit load dimensions and number
of compartments as follows:

Where
W, L, and H are the width, length and
W  3( x  a )
height of one aisle of the AS/RS rack
structure (mm).
x, y, and z are the dimensions of the unit
L  n y ( y  b)
load (mm).
a, b, and c are allowances designed into
each storage compartment to provide
H n z ( z  c)
clearance for the unit load (mm)

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