Material Handling Equipment - Industrial and Systems Engineering

MATERIAL HANDLING EQUIPMENT9 - 11 ft 7 - 8 ft 8 - 10 ftStand-Up CB NA Straddle NA ReachFigure 7. Narrow-aisle lift truck comparison.Automatic (or Automated) Guided Vehicle (AGV) SystemsAGVs good for low-to-medium volume medium-to-long distance random material flowoperations (e.g., transport between work cells in a flexible manufacturing system (FMS)environment).In a FMS, AGVs usually have automatic docking and loading capabilities at each pickup anddelivery (P/D) station.First AGVs appeared in the 1950s.GuidanceFixed-Path• A physical guidepath (e.g., wire, tape, paint) on the floor used for guidance• Changing the guidepath can be expensive• Can have congestion problems because vehicles cannot pass each other on a path (typicallyuse one-way paths to reduce congestion)• Can be considered “on-the-floor” version of an AEM (automated electrified monorail)Free-Ranging• No physical guidepath used ⇒ easier to change vehicle path (in software)• Can maneuver to avoid congestion54