Material-Handling Equipment

The material-handling equipment utilized in flexible manufacturing systems include robots, automated guided vehicle systems, conveyers, monorails and other rail guided vehicles, and other specially designed vehicles. Their significant features are:

• They are integrated along the machine centres and the storage and retrieval systems.
• For prismatic part, material handling systems are accompanied with modular pallet fixtures. For rotational parts, industrial robots are utilized to load/unload the turning machine and to move parts among stations.
• The handling system should be capable of being controlled directly by the computer system to direct it to several work station, load/unload stations and storage area.