Material handling

The conveyor technology ( FT) (English material handling ) is a sub-discipline of engineering that deals with the conception, design, planning and execution of facilities for the transportation of cargo ( pallets, crates, packages, etc.) or bulk material ( sand, ore, grain, etc. ). The transport of liquids and gases with pipes is not part of the conveyor system in the control.

In conveying technology is first understood the actual technique ( conveyor systems in a broader sense, including the storage technology ), but also the design process in the operation of the facilities. Subject to funding art thus includes the total of all transportation, handling and storage tasks or processes both in technical and economic terms. Often this area is summarized under the term logistics.

In contrast to traffic engineering, which deals with the long-range transport, handling technology handles the moving of goods in confined operating areas such as ports, airports, mining or in industrial plants.

Conveyor components are ropes and pulleys, pulleys, drums and drive pulleys. Round steel link chains, link chains sprockets and chain drums are required for chain drives. Conveyor belts are the main component of conveyor belts. Chassis elements are wheels and rails. As the load handling is called load hook, hook tackles, shackles, pliers and clamps, buckets and grapple. Further components of the conveyor system are engines and brakes.

Further, the internal transport systems are expected to the conveyor system. These include continuous conveyor as roller conveyors, feeders, belt bucket elevators and belt conveyors and intermittent conveyor as man -operated industrial trucks (forklifts, platform trucks, etc.), cranes, automatic truck loading systems, automated guided vehicles (AGV ), workpiece conveyors and vertical conveyors such as lifting tables or Gurtheber.

In factory automation play pneumatic actuators, for example, for transporting semi-finished and finished products, a significant role. The pneumatic conveying system of the pneumatic tube is now used only rarely.