In any parcel or distribution facility, there are several pieces of equipment that are critical to operations. Tilt-tray sorters, diverter arms, actuators, and conveyance components all keep business operations running smoothly. Packing and shipping tools, such as palletizers, trailers, and trucks, play an integral role in the efficient movement of parcels. Unfortunately, each of these critical tools can experience issues that disrupt performance.

Downtime can be costly and disrupt the flow of your whole enterprise. There is nothing more frustrating than watching an essential piece of equipment sit idle. Are these frustrations just a part of the job, or is there something you can do to minimize unscheduled downtime?

As we explored in our recent blog, the industry standard for radiation shielding in X-Ray and C/T scanners is lead-based materials. Any individual responsible for producing, using, maintaining, handling or disposing of lead-based materials and products is at risk. With a better understanding of the debilitating (and potentially fatal) effects of lead exposure, many industries have moved towards lead-free or RoHS compliant materials.

For decades, lead has been considered the paradigm in radiation shielding. The material is cheap, easy to process, and provides durable shielding. Yet, there has been an overwhelming increase in health, safety, and environmental concerns over the mining, processing, handling, and disposal of lead. In fact, lead has already banned from use in many applications, such as motor fuels, paint, and water pipes. If this is any indication, the cessation of lead will continue to spread across industries.

According to the Center for Disease Control & Prevention, over two million individuals are injured and 32,000 are killed each year in motor vehicle accidents. As an employee of or contractor for the Department of Transportation, you have a critical responsibility to guide the flow of traffic, reduce congestion, and ultimately create a safer transportation environment for drivers. Even if you’re an owner of a large parking area at an airport, shopping mall or entertainment venue, managing and controlling traffic is essential.

When it comes to material handling, the conveyor that the materials are transported on is just as important as the materials themselves. While the primary goal of most conveyor systems is to provide an opportunity to inspect products and transport them throughout your facility, this is not possible without the implementation of a proper handling system. 

Engineers are tasked with selecting the perfect material for your gasket application. Each part must be able to withstand the task at hand, including operating temperature and being flexible enough to maintain a proper seal throughout the process. 

As we discussed in our last blog, engineers historically chose asbestos because it served a myriad of important functions; it was durable, able to handle high temperatures and parts-handling, and relatively affordable. Unfortunately, it was also linked to mesothelioma, an invasive and often fatal type of lung cancer. Once it was pulled off the market, workers had to find an alternative for their gasket solutions.

Despite the declining popularity of lead-based products, RoHS compliant products are still not universal in the workplace. According to OSHA.gov, “approximately 804,000 workers in general industry and an additional 838,000 workers in construction are potentially exposed to lead.”

As the engineer responsible for ensuring the performance and safety of sealing components, there can be quite a lot of pressure riding on making the proper material selection for a specific application. Before you even begin to think about installing and testing a new gasket, you are tasked with the critical responsibility of selecting a material that is compatible with the surrounding environment, can withstand the operating temperature and pressure, and is flexible enough to achieve a proper seal.

When your company is handling a massive amount of packages each day, employees risk injury due to inadequate equipment—and oftentimes the tools that they use suffer from the heavy wear & tear of daily use. With packages of all sizes, shapes, and weights moving along the conveyor system daily, jams are bound to occur. Unfortunately, workers sometimes have to resort to makeshift jam break poles or whatever is within arm's reach to alleviate the problem.