ABSTRACT

Material handling involves short-distance movement within the confines of a building or between a building and a transportation vehicle. Material handling can be used to create time and place utility through the handling, storage, and control of material, as distinct from manufacturing, which creates form utility by changing the shape, form, and makeup of material.

The main advantage of material handling system is that material is transferred in close loop thereby preventing the environmental effect on the material and vice versa. In this project different parameters like pressure, distance to be conveyed and shape which governs the design of system are described.

INTRODUCTION

A Pneumatic material handling system is a process by which bulk materials of almost any type are transferred or injected using a gas flow as a conveying medium from one or more sources to one or more destinations. Air is the most commonly used gas but may not be selected for heavy loads.

A well designed pneumatic material handling system is often a more practical and economical method of transporting materials from one point to another due to the following reasons :

1. Pneumatic systems are relatively more economical to install and operate.2. Pneumatic systems are totally enclosed and if required can operate

entirely without moving parts into contact transported material.3. They are flexible in terms of rerouting and expansion. A pneumatic

system can convey a product at any place a pipeline can run.

Material handling system is divided into the following categories :

1. Manual Handling system –Manual handling refers to the use of a worker’s hands to move individual containers by lifting, lowering, filling, emptying, or carrying them. It can expose workers to physical conditions that can lead to injuries.

2. Automated Handling system –Whenever technically and economically feasible, equipment can be used to reduce and sometimes replace the need to manually handle material. Most existing material handling equipment is only semi-automated because a human operator is needed for tasks like loading/unloading and driving that are difficult and/or too costly to fully automate, although on going advances in sensing, machine intelligence, and robotics have made it possible to fully automate an increasing number of handling tasks.

Literature Survey

1. Base papers :1.1 Author Name – Anthony Esposito

Book title – Fluid Power with ApplicationsPublication – Pearson

1.2 Author Name – Kai HuangPaper title – Model of the Equipment selection of Material

Handling systemPublication – ATLANTIC PRESS

2. Reference Websites :nptel.ac.inwww.ijirset.com

SYSTEM DESIGN AND CIRCUIT

The following components have been used in the construction of our Material Handling system prototype :

1. Double acting cyclinders (3.5cm bore , 4cm stroke) – 2nos2. 5/2 DCV lever operated – 2 nos3. FRL unit4. Flow control valve – 1 nos5. T-joint – 1nos6. Hose (2m length)7. Wooden ply mount – (54×16cm sq.)8. M seal9. Container10. Wooden test piece – (2.5×2.5×2 cm cube)11.Nails(1in.)

CONSTRUCTION DETAILS :

1. The mount for the system was designed by cutting the wooden ply into two pieces with the cross section of 24×16cm sq. and 30×16 cm sq.

2. The two wooden bases were clamped at an angle of 90 deg.3. Each DA cylinder was then attached to the respective wooden base using

M seal at the co-incident axis at proper locations.4. The M seal was left to dry for 30min.

CIRCUIT DESIGN :

1. The DA cylinders were connected to the each of the 5/2 DCVs using hose connectors.

2. The DCVs were then connected to the FRL unit using a T-joint to provide equal air pressure to both the DCVs .

3 The FRL unit is connected to the DCVs via a Flow control valve where we adjusted the optimum pressure for the cylinders to lift and push the weight.

CIRCUIT DIAGRAM

Fig. 1.1 Circuit design for Material handling system (sorting)

WORKING OF DESIGNED CIRCUIT1. Firstly we operate the vertical DA cylinder which is used to lift the load

kept on the platform.

Fig 1.2 Extension of vertical load carrying DA cylinder

2. Then the horizontal cylinder is extended which pushes the load into the container.

Fig 1.3 Extension of horizontal cylinder to push the test load off the platform.

3. After that the process repeats continuously as we operate the DCVs.

FUTURE ENHANCEMENTS

While carrying out the testing , we found some discrepancies in the working of the system. Due to stipulated budget , we could not fabricate a better prototype but we can try to troubleshoot the following arising problems :

1. The system we designed has to be controlled manually by the lever operated DCVs. Using a system with roller operated valves (2 nos) and one pilot operated DCV can make the continuous sequencing of the circuit possible.

2. Due to shortage of funds , we could not use a DA cylinder with cushioning mechanism in order to protect the test piece from impact damage

3. Better cylinders can be used to increase the load capacity of the system.

OBJECTIVES OF MATERIAL HANDLING

The primary objective of a material handling system is to reduce the unit cost of production. The other subordinate objectives are:

1. Reduce manufacturing cycle time2. Reduce delays, and damage3. Promote safety and improve working conditions

4. Maintain or improve product quality5. Promote productivity

i. Material should flow in a straight lineii. Material should move as short a distance as possible

iii. Use gravityiv. Move more material at one timev. Automate material handling

6. Promote increased use of facilities

i. Promote the use of building cubeii. Purchase versatile equipment

iii. Develop a preventive maintenance programiv. Maximize the equipment utilization etc.

LIMITATIONS OF AUTOMATED MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEMS:

A good management practice is to weigh benefits against the limitations or disadvantages before contemplating any change. Material handling systems also have consequences that may be distinctly negative. These are:

1. Additional investment2. Lack of flexibility3. Vulnerability to downtime whenever there is breakdown4. Additional maintenance staff and cost5. Cost of auxiliary equipment.6. Space and other requirements: