Extremely Fragile: The Must-Have Material Handling Tools for Glass Manufacturing

Posted by Magliner on February 6th, 2020

Every material handling task is accompanied by challenges, but when the material you’re handling is glass, the stakes can be much higher than usual. Glass is both fragile and dangerous, meaning that any handling mistakes will be costly and create safety hazards. Manufactured glass is very often heavy, including windshields, large windows, sliding glass doors, and the like. It’s smooth and slick, often precluding a solid grip, and when it’s dropped, glass tends to shatter into hundreds or thousands of dangerous shards. All of which makes ensuring that glass is moved safely and carefully of the utmost importance, and that relies on having the right equipment.

Safely Securing Loads

The details of how glass is secured for transport vary on the size of the load and the size of the pieces included in the load. For instance, a single glass panel may be moveable by skilled personnel with a pair of vacuum suction cups. For larger loads, however, glass will need to be secured to material handling equipment. When moving larger loads of manufactured glass with an electric hand cart or hand truck, for instance, ensure that the load is securely strapped down. Check the straps for fraying or breakage and pad the portion of the glass over which the strap will be tightened to avoid damaging the strap and the glass.

Safely Moving Loads with the Right Equipment

Once the load is secured safely to the material handling equipment, moving it safely becomes the priority. The first step in safe moving is, again, ensuring that the right equipment is being used. That applies whether it’s one person moving a glass panel with cups, a medium load on a convertible hand truck, or a larger one on an electric hand cart or forklift. For example, if the load is a collection of smaller to medium glass pieces, consider using a convertible hand truck rather than a traditional one. Convertible hand trucks can be used in both the upright configuration and horizontally for greater platform area.

Safely Moving Loads with Planning

Once a load has been secured to the appropriate equipment, planning for the details of the actual move is necessary. Ensure that there’s nothing in the path of the move and look for any tight turns, especially if the glass overhangs the equipment. Be sure that any wires or cables across the floor are secured, out of the way, or taped over. Consider additional safety measures, including covering any exposed glass with padding, especially if there’s any risk of the glass contacting any walls or other surfaces during the move.

About Magline

Magliner hand trucks have been lynchpin tools of material handling operations for over 70 years. They are such a staple in the material handling space that the word “Magliner” is now regularly used in reference to any hand cart, regardless of the brand. There is, however, no substitute for a real Magliner. The Magline standard of dependability, ease of use, reliability, and quality is simply unmatched. Along with their traditional hand truck, Magliner equipment includes a variety of more specialized material handling solutions. Those include their stair climbing cart line, appliance hand truck collection, electric hard cart line, and a whole lot more. For delivery drivers, warehouse pickers, trucking and logistics professionals, and every other occupation or undertaking that requires moving stock, there’s a perfect Magliner for the job.

Find out exactly how Magliner equipment can help your employees at Magliner.com

Original Source: http://bit.ly/2Scco10