MATERIALS HANDLING MOVES A H E A D Aciuances in equipment and layout open new avemes for reduchg product damage, labor costs, and inventories A. W.
RHODES
E . D. A Y E R S
ore companies are recognizing integrated materialshandling systrms can increase profits by reducing labor cost, inventories, and product loss and damage. Also, such systems can lead to selection of more economical modes of transportation. However, to improve materials handling, new and ixtter equipment is needed-new methods developed in one industry are frequently applicable to others. Already, some developments occurring during 1962 have been found useful in a variety of industries.
M that
I
Push-pull Actuator. moved horizontally petitive operatic
In-Planl Handling
Vacuum handling has received new impetus. At the request of the Canadian Pulpwood Association, equipment manufacturen solved the problem of moving heavy newsprint rolls without damage. Pads and a vacuum source is provided, either as an attachment or as an integral unit for fork-truck operation. The attachment in various forms is offered by eight manufacturen (2). This development, used by other industries to move containen and cartons, can be applied to any surface impervious to air leakage. Transporting and dumping of containen are facilitated by three new devices: Sterling-Fleishman Co. has a portable one-man drum l i t which elevates drums weighing 750 pounds to 7 feet and dumps in 30 seconds; Automatic Transportation Co. offers an hydraulic drumdumper attachment which can be slipped on
(Continued mr page 46)
Ihe Carra-trough. Belt with rubber sides forms a moving trough for comey-
. ,.
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Whatever y o u r filteraid requirements, you can call your Dicalite district office for careful, courteous attention ...and it's so convenient. Only Dical i t e offers you Diatomite, Perlite, Diabestosa, a n d Solka-Floc@for complete choice of filteraids from a single source. ALL 4 MAJOR FILTERAIDS.
For a n y size order, f r o m bug to carload, phone the Diculite district ofice nearest you. LOS ANGELES (Area)Spring 2-1301 & 02 SAN FRANCISCO (Area)Clifford 4-4800 HOUSTON - Capital 5.6501 NEW ORLEANS- Magnolia 3772
Circle No. 80
46
the clamp-type forks to provide a 120' swivel action; Roura LVorks has developed a self-dumping hopper with slip-on skids to permit fork truck operators to dump the container without leaving the truck. Flexibility of fork trucks has been increased by several devices. One, offered by the Raymond Corp. is a remote control for the hoisting mechanism, whereby the operator can ride with the load up to the upper levels of storage racks. Another device is an hydraulic-powered chain-driven winch attachment which can handle loads up to 8000 pounds. The special high-lift vehicle which can raise 2000-pound loads to 22l,l2 feet, offered by the Lull Engineering Co., has been improved in stability. The vehicle is suited for many outdoor lifting jobs. HeavS- loads can be moved horizontally up to 60 feet for repetitive operations. The device used, called Push-puli Actuator and made by the Autodynamic Co., converts rotary motion into linear push or pull by unrolling or winding a hinged steel-link chain. Typical applications include moving 15-ton dies in and out of presses. moving batteries in and out of lift trucks, and loading or or unloading ovens with carts of products, When not in use, the actuator retracts into an area less than 67, of its extended length. Heavy bundles and pallet loads can be de-stacked mechanically with two new units. The Gifford-IYood unit, designed originally to handle 500-pound bales of pulp, incorporates a turnover device. The pallet detierer-tierer, offered by the Alvey Conveyor Mfg. Co., takes pallets stacked two high, holds the upper pallet, moves the bottom pallet to a conveyor, and then lowers the upper pallet load for transfer to the conveyor. Both units can be integrated with other mechanical handling equipment. Vacuum is used to speed automatic palletizing operations. Engineered Handling Systems has developed a suction-lift pallet loader which can stack corrugated cartons or multiwalled bags on pallets or pull-rack sheets a t speeds up to 50 units per minute. Each unit is custom-built.
on Readers' Service Card
INDUSTRIAL A N D ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
Xew cantilevered extension conveyors with power on both belt and telescoping action are desiqned for one-man operation in loading or unloading of packages into trucks or trailers. The powered truckloading conveyor made by Engineered Handling Systems can be equipped with a powered tilting motor to adjust the height from 6 to 48 inches. The Project-0-Veyor made by Standard Conveyor C o . projects from 231,'2 to 5 6 l l 2 feet with boom height adjustable between 7 and 68 inches. A novel conveyor for bulk products, the Corra-trough, made by the Bucket Elevator Co., has corrugated rubber sides 2 or 3 inches high; capacity is claimed to be up to fil-e times that of troughed or flat belts. Long life and low maintenance are predicted because the sides are in compression rather than tension. A new powered scoop unloads bulk products from box cars to receiving hoppers placed in front of the car door. Made by StephensAdamson Mfg. Co., the scoop is mounted on an accordian-like estension arm and is controlled by one man in the cab of the unit. Bulk transfer of materials from trucks or rail cars to the customer's storage bins is being used increasingly-. Prices of products purchased in bulk are cheaper and labor is saved in unloading ( 2 ) . Both unloading and plant transfer can be done with portable pneumatic units made by the Fuller Co. and Sprout'il'aldron hlfg. Co. Robins and hleyers is promoting a Moyno pump which forces solids through pipelines at solids to air ratios of 200 to 1 and conveying velocities of 300 to 900 feet per minute. Before the system is recommended: each material must be tested in pilot runs. In general, limitations are a pipe diameter of 3 inches, lifting height of 60 feet, and run lengths of 400 feet. Packaging Equipment
Equipment has been designed which could contribute significantly to improved packaging system. However, before selecting equipment certain precautions should be
.
You can find out for sure if you are using t h e r i g h t filteraid with t h e Dicalite “in-plant’’ test. Uses your own process liquor.. .takes only a few hours. Only Dicalite offers you Diatomite, Perlite, Diabestoso, a n d S o l k a - F l o c @for complete choice of filteraids from a single source. ALL 4 MAJOR FILTERAIDS.
L e t a Dicalite sales engineer test your process liquor. Find out the best filteraid f o r your plant. BOSTON - Hillcrest 4-1950 PHILADELPHIA (Area)Flanders 2-1444 & 45 NEW YORK- Eldorado 5-6200 NIAGARA FALLS-Butler 5-1238
observed. For example, a proved approach should be examined and the object of considering a change should be clearly defined. Then the question should be asked, “Can the desired improvement be achieved by better management of the present system?” Many companies have found that by analyzing operation time of existing equipment, changes could be made which required no investment but which lowered cost and increased capacity or flexibility, or both. I n charting machine downtime, the Productolog made by the Meylan Stopwatch Co. and recorders made by the Service Recorder Co. can be used. Packaging dusty products, even with the best management, is always difficult. A device worth considering is a new automatic drum packer developed by Corona Chemical Div., Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co. The packer is especially designed for packing highly aerated low-bulk density materials into fiber and steel drums,: pails, and multiwalled bags. T h e range of operation includes 5gallon pails, 74-gallon drums, and 12to 100-pound bags. Weight-volume accuracy is &3% and with a n automatic dribbler attachment, weights of i 1 / 2 ounce are obtainable. Also for low density products, both freight and packaging costs can be reduced by compacting just prior to packaging. Thus the product has no opportunity to expand through rehandling. For this purpose, special rolls have been developed by the S. Howes Co. and a vibrator which settles the product while the container is on the scales is offered by W. Richard Witte Co. Explosive or foam-producing materials can be drummed by subsurface liquid filling. Fillers offered by T. R . Mantes Co. and the Toledo Scale Corp. operate at high speed with close weight accuracy and can be integrated into a manual or completely automatic drum-filling line. T o prevent increasing costs by overweight filling or customer dissatisfaction or legal complications by underfilling, a number of devices are offered : weighers, check weighers,
T h e local D i c a l i t e d i s t r i c t office makes it’ possible for you to simply phone in your filteraid order and get delivery fast.. .sometimes even the same day. N E W B U L L E T I N A V A I L A B L E . A new, comprehensive filtration manual has been completed that may be of assistance t o you. Write today for your copy. Dicalite Bulletin B-15.
For a n y size order, f r o m bag to carload, phone the Dicalite district ofice nearest you. CHICAGO (Area)-Franklln 2-5445 ClNClNNATi -Redwood 1-9752 CLEVELAND - Edison 1-4500 ST. LOUIS-Parkview 1-4944 ATLANTA - Jackson 5-1277
(Continued on Fage 48) Circle No. 81 on Readers’ Service Card
Circle
VOL. 5 5
No. 62 on Readers’ Servlce Card
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MARCH 1963
47
automatic control devices, and computers. Illumitronic Systems Corp. offers a range of systems for checking, classifying, or controlling filling equipment used on any type of small package. For large containers, the Toledo Scale Co. has developed computers to record and analyze weights. These computers can be used to monitor the consistency of the filling equipment. For packing bottles, Atkron, Inc., makes the Universal divider which mechanizes packaging of the bottles, regardless of shape, by converting from a single line to multilines. The divider utilizes rubber-faced grip fingers to grasp each bottle by the neck or cap and carry the bottle to the proper position on the divider. Binks Mfg. Go. and Ransburg Electro-Coating Corp. have collaborated to offer a new high speed electrostatic-air spray gun. For finishing, the device has the flexibility of a n air gun, plus the paint-saving advantages of electrostatic painting. Packaging Material
This filter thinks for itself After pre-setting the controls on this filter, you can for-
get it! Automatically, the controls “read” the gauges that measure pressure, flow and cake thickness. Then, when
’
the pressure becomes excessive, the flow is insufficient or the cake has reached its maximum thickness; the filter stops; cleans and pre-coats itself and starts the filtering cycle all over again. Control is positive. Human judgment errors are eliminated. Filtration quality is precisioncontrolled; yet, quality control is flexible and efficient. Send data today for an analysis of your filtration problem. Details of other
NIAGARA
filters are in Bulletin NC-457
and in the Chemical Engineering Catalog,
N I A G A R A FILTERS AMETEK
A D I V I S I O N OF A M E T E K , INC. (Niagara Filters Europe:
E A S T MOLINE, ILLINOIS
Kwakelpad 28, Alkmaar, Holland)
Circle No. 17 an Readers’ Service Card 48
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
Existing packages continue to be improved and new materials are being developed. For the open mouth bag, a new pinch-bottom design is offered by the St. Regis Paper Go., which eliminates the troublesome sewing operation. The sewing machine is replaced by a base-supported bag-top conveyor which incorporates all components needed to close the top of the bag. This includes a bag guide which helps the operator in feeding the bag to the unit. The new package reduces bag size-less free board is required and stacking is easier because the bag is square-ended. Through the combined efforts of Arkell Safety Bag Co. and U. S. Steel Corp., multiwall bags now can have the strength of steel. The material, consisting of two sheets of paper bonded to a mesh of fine steel wires, has the lightness and workability
‘4. W . Rhodes and E. D . Ayers are Industrial Engineering Consultants to the Union Carbide Corfi. for physical distribution problems including materials handling and packaging. AUTHORS
of paper, but holds its shape; also, it it has the magnetic properties of steel which suggest the possibility of using magnetic handling heads on automatic machines to open and fill at high speed with free-flowing materials. This product was developed by combined efforts of Arkell Safety Bag Co. and U. S. Steel. Wire-bound boxes are now cheaper to assemble by using a machine developed by Stapling Machine Co. The operator takes blanks and ends from a magazine and feeds the machine which automatically assembles the boxes. T h e machine is said to operate at a rate of 1050 units per hour. Polyethylene wrap has found a new application. Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corp. is shipping ingot products in color-coded polyethylene wrap. Thus, not only is the ingot kept clean during transit and storage, but the color speeds shipment and simplifies warehouse inventorying. Designing a self-emptying 1-ton container for shipping free-flowing solids which makes maximum use of capacity has been a challenge for the last decade. A new sound film strip, “Unit Load Containerization,” (Materials Handling Institute) describes many of these containers in action. The five vital segments of containerization are analyzed : demountable freight containers (van and cargo) ; pallet-types; railroad and highway units; containers for marine service; and containers for air transport service. Also, a publication ( 3 ) discusses economics, capacities, and some limitations of intermediate bulk containers. A bottom-discharge metal (Tote bin) bin, which eliminates the need for tilting to unload through the side door, has been developed by Tote Systems, Inc. Another container, a triple-walled corrugated-board shipping unit with a discharge chute folded into the bottom is mounted on a wooden pallet (Corrugated Container Co.). This eliminates handling, opening, and emptying many small packages and gives added protection during storage. This container and the bin, both atypical (Contimed on page 50)
P H O T O C O U R T E S Y H O F F M A N N - L AR O C H E , I N C . .
N U T L E Y , N E W JERSEY
This automatic batch centrifugal offers plus - features -
TOLHURST Batch-0-Matic@ Centrifugals are completely automatic. They repeat sequences exactly and provide cycle flexibility plus . . .
Basket speed is steplessly variable. 0
Crystal breakage and glazing are minimized by low speed unloading.
. . . assured .. .
Handles unbalanced loads without vibration CENTERSLUNG@ suspension finds natural center of gravity, Extremely low head room requirements. Requires no special foundation. Write today for complete details of TOLHURSTnBatch0-Matico units designed t o increase production and assure uniformity of quality. Address Dept. IECT-363.
TOLHURST CENTRIFUGALS AMETEK
A DIVISION OF AMETEK, Circle NO. 18
INC.
EAST MOLINE, ILLINOIS
on Readers’ Service Card VOL.
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NO. 3
MARCH 1963
49
of this size, can be handled easily by fork trucks. For plant-to-farm transportation of fertilizer, the Transtan bin, with two folding legs attached to each side, forms the key to an integrated handling system. With legs folded, the containers are transported by flat-bed truck to the customer. Then the legs are unfolded to support the bin so that the truck can drive away. T h e bin itself has a 62-inch clearance from the ground ; thus, its contents can be discharged by gravity. The basic bin frame, supports, and hinge mechanism, knocked down (Transtan C o . ) , are supplied. The customer can add sida panels of plywood or metal to suit his needs.
Transportation Equipment
General American Transportation Co.'s latest covered hopper car, DiaFlow, unloads automatically, using a piping manifold system with valves which serve a dual purpose; they prevent flow of product into the manifold during loading and close each section of the car as it becomes empty. T h e Koppers Co., Inc., uses a bulk truck trailer consisting of two pressure chambers and claims that the truck can be emptied at the rate of a ton per minute. A tank car, designed for shipping products at 300" to 400" F., is a cooperative development of U. S. Steel, General American Transportation Corp., and Vapor Corp. In addition to being equipped \vith coils and insulated, it has a propaneburning chamber to heat the circulating oil in transit. Turning corners to get into the far ends of a box car is no longer a problem. Pullman Standard has designed a full-door car with roll-up aluminum side doors to provide an opening 501/2 by 9]/4 feet.
engineers must examine alternative systems before achieving a satisfactory solution. A desirable economic balance seems to have been achieved by the new REA Express Terminal at Savannah, Ga., where mechanical handling equipment is combined with a novel, but functional layout. T h e scheme minimizes delays and reduces rehandling and product damage by using a circular design where incoming freight is conveyed to the center of the circle. Thvre it is sorted and distributed by a network of 15 radial conveyors to rail and truck loading stations. A \-aluable guide for developing an integrated system in any industry has been published ( 7 ) . Other quite similar work has applied the unit-load concept to warehousin9 and materials handling in the food industry (Independent Grocer's Alliance Distributing Co. with the help of Irving M. Footlik, Skokie, Ill.). This work demonstrated a basic premise that the entire system must be integrated if the potential economics are to be realized. Buildings are planned around mechanical handling and the unit load. The customer's buying habits are modified through the pricing system. That is, prices are quoted for unit loads which are the number of cases that comprise one or more lavers of a pallet load. Future warehouse designs are envisioned as circular buildings with storage in the center and loading docks around the perimeter. TZ'ithout question, equipment can facilitate materials handling considerably. However, care must be taken that advantages of such equipment is not canceled by poor layout. The new "Simplified Systematic Layout Planning Manual," by Richard Muther and Associates, Kansas City, Mo., is helpful to la)-out planners, especially those who hake not perfected a system of their own.
Warehousing L I T E R A T U R E CITED
Many company surveys have bren devoted to warehouse design and handling systems. A fully automated warehouse usually requires high investment, and therefore design 50
(1) Chem. Process. (Chicago), 34-8 (August 13, 1962). (2) M a t e r . Handling Erzg., 50-7 (December 1962). (3) Mod. Mater. Handling, 71-3 (July 1962) ; Ibid., pp. 58-63 (December 1962).
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING C H E M I S T R Y
J-M CHROMOSORB DEALERS Ace Scientific Supply Co., Linden, N. J. A. S. Aloe Co., St. Louis, Mo. Aloe Scientific Co., Kansas City, Mo. Amend D r u g & Chemical Co., Inc., New York, N.Y. Analytical Engineering Laboratories, Inc., Hamden, Conn. Applied Science Laboratories, State College, Pa. Beckman Instruments Co., Fullerton, Calif. Braun Chemical Co., Los Angeles, Calif. Braun-Knecht-Heimann, San Francisco, Calif. Burrell Corp., Pittsburgh, Pa. Central Scientific Co., Chicago, Illinois Chemical Research Services Inc., Addison, 111. Chron-Line Laboratories, Kansas City, Mo. Consolidated Electrodynamics, Pasadena, Calif. W. H. Curtin Co., Houston, Texas Curtis & French, Inc., Indianapolis, Ind. Distanal, Inc., Baton Rouge, La. Eberbach & Sons, Co., Ann Arbor, Michigan F& M Scientific Corp., Avondale, Pa. Fisher Scientific Co., All offices General Laboratory Supply Co., Paterson, N. J. Green Briar Instrument Co., Ronceverte, W. Va. Emil Greiner, New York, N. Y. Harshaw Chemical Co., All offices Jarrell-Ash Co,, Newtonville, Mass. Lachat Chemicals, Inc., Chicago, 111. LaPine Scientific Co., Berkeley, Calif. LaPine Scientific Co., Chicago, 111. LaPine Scientific Co. of N.Y., Irvington-on-Hudson Loe Engineering Co., Altadena, Calif. Mann Research Laboratories, Inc., New York 6, N . Y. Metro Industries, Long Island City, N. Y. Nester & Faust, Newar, Deiaware Perkin-Elmer Corp., Norwalk, Conn. Phipps & Bird, Inc., Richmond, Va. Pinder Instrument, Hammond, Indiana Podbleiniak, Inc., Chicago, 111. Precision Scientific Co., Chicago 47, 111. 6. Preiser Co. Inc., Charleston, W. Va. Research Specialties Co., Richmond, California E. H. Sargent Co., All offices Scientific Glass Apparatus Co., Bloomfield, N. J. Scientific Products, South San Francisco, Calif. Scientific Supplies Co., Seattle, Wash. Shamrock Specialties Co., Texas City, Texas Arthur H. Thomas Go., Philadelphia, Pa. George T. Walker Go., Minneapolis, Minn. Wilkins Inst. & Res. Co., Berkeley, Calif., Walnut Creek, Calif. IN CANADA
Canadian Johns-Manville Co., Ltd., Montreal, P.Q. Port Credit (Toronto), Ontario Harrison and Crosfield (Canada) Ltd., Winnipeg, Manitoba, Other Principal Cities AVAILABLE IN EUROPE FROM THESE J-M REPRESENTATIVES
Johns-Manville Co., Ltd., London S.E. 1, England Johns-Manville de France, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France Johns-Manville (Overseas) Ltd., Milano, Italy Vulcasot Geutner & Co., Vienna, Austria Lehman & Voss & Co., Hamburg, Germany Profiltra N. V., Amsterdam, Holland Schneider & Co., Winterthur, Switzerland Productos Auxilliares de la Industria, Valencia, Spain Max Sievert AB,Stockholm-Bromma, Sweden Prothermac S.A., Brussels, Belgium A, Tossebro & Co., Aalsund, Norway Cable: Johnmanvil
JOHNS-MANVILLE b?!
