The Material Handling Blog

It is easy to look back and say how different technology was fifteen years ago. It’s also not a stretch to say that technological innovations like laptops, broadband Internet, and USB drives have made the workplace more efficient. But what comes next? Below are 4 emerging technologies that should, in the next 15 years, make as much of an impact as the laptop computer had on the last.

As a design engineer in the robotic material handling field, I am always looking for new and innovative ways to handle different types of products. About a year ago, I was briefly introduced to a new robotic end effector technology that I thought would be worth spending the time to research and share.

There have been many discussions regarding Americans losing jobs to overseas manufacturers and to increased use of robotic automation, and with fair wage employment on the rise in many other countries, there has also been an increase in the use of robots there. Amid these discussions and trends, recent studies show that, in fact, industrial robotics actually positively impact jobs and the economy.

Each year, roughly 25 percent of forklift-related deaths are caused by an overturned forklift, and other forklift truck accidents lead to significant injuries and damage--most completely avoidable. To reduce the risk of accidents, here are the top ten tips for increasing forklift safety... Continue Reading >>

Making the move to automate warehouse processes and operations is no small decision. Not to mention that choosing the type of automation, and how much of it you plan to install, can significantly affect the success of the project. There are many factors to consider and...

We are often asked for more information about the different types of conveyors available, the benefits a conveyor system provides, and how it affects productivity in the workplace. To answer all these questions and more, we are happy to provide our complete guide to conveyor systems...

With the recent release of the Samsung Galaxy S4, I finally reached the tipping point and tossed my antiquated Blackberry to the wayside, but when I was researching which smartphone to select, I looked online only to be overwhelmed by the number of options. This led me to visit a small kiosk in the mall before finally making my purchase online. In this instance, and in many others as the trend continues to grow, the storefront served to augment my online buying decision...

As an independent systems integrator, Bastian Robotics is able to source virtually any technology. Some technologies are strategically sourced, and some we manufacture. For the ones not manufactured on our own shop floor, we rely on an array of excellent distributors...

Enclosed track overhead conveyors have been around for many years, some dating back to 1919 when they were used in automotive assembly plants. However, this type of conveyor is not just for moving automotive parts or clean clothes. It provides a host of other benefits as well...

Computer-aided design programs have become a staple in many engineering practices, but sometimes it can feel like an uphill battle trying to get them to cooperate. They have a tendency to be buggy, crash, or unable to execute certain commands. But not to worry, there are steps you can take to reduce the risk of things going wrong and to produce better drawings...

PC-based controls were all the rage a decade or so ago. I saw many systems delivered with PC-based controls touting advantages ranging from less cost to more functionality. From my perspective, it seems as though the tide has turned in recent years back to PLCs, so let's take a minute to review the pros and cons of each... Read More >>

Redundancy in system design means duplicating or triplicating equipment so if primary equipment fails, system operation continues uninterrupted. On a recent project which implemented redundancy to achieve high system availability, or up time, I began to research whether there were alternate ways of reaching high availability without the use of redundancy. Here are some solutions I discovered...