Carousel Storage Systems in Production and Operation Management

1. CAROUSEL STORAGE SYSTEMS

A carousel storage system is series of bins or baskets fastened to carries that are connected together and revolve around a long, oval track system. The track system is similar to a trolley conveyor system. Its purpose is to position bins at a load/unload station at the end of the oval. The operation is similar to the powered overhead rack system used by dry cleaners to deliver finished garments to the front of the store. The typical operation of the storage carousel is mechanized rather than automated. The load/unload station is manned by a human worker who activates the powered carousel to deliver a desired bin to the station. One or more parts are removed from the bin, and the cycle is repeated.

Carousels come in a variety of sizes, ranging between 10 and 100 ft in length of the oval. As the length of the carousel is increased, the storage density increases, but the average transaction time (Storage or retrieval) decreases. Accordingly, the typical carousel size ranges perhaps between 30 and 50 ft to achieve a proper balance between these opposing factors.

2. CAROUSEL STORAGE APPLICATIONS

The carousel storage system provides for a relatively high throughout rate and is often an attractive to the miniload AS/RS in the following types of applications:

1. Storage and retrieval operations: In certain operations individual items must be selected from the group of item stored in the bin or basket. Sometimes called ‘pick and load’ operations, this type of procedure is common for order picking of service parts or other items in wholesale firm, tools in a toolroom, raw materials from a stockroom, and work-in-process in a factory. In small assembly operations such as electronics, carousels are used to accomplish kitting of parts that will be transported to the assembly workstations.
2. Transport and accumulation: These are applications in which the carousel is used to transport and sort materials as they are stored. One example of this is in progressive assembly operations where the workstations are located around the periphery of a continuously moving carousel and the workers have access to the individual storage bins of the carousel. They remove work from the bins to complete their own respective assembly tasks, and then place their work into another bin for the next operation at some other workstation.
3. Unique applications: These involve specialised uses of carousel storage systems. Examples include electrical testing of components, where the carousel is used to store the item during testing for a specified period of time; and drawer or cabinet storage, in which standard drawer-type cabinets are mounted on the carousel.

Storage carousels are finding an increasing number of applications in manufacturing operations, where it’s relatively low cost, versatility, and high reliability have been acknowledged. It represents a competitive to the miniload AS/RS and other AS/RS configurations for work-in-progress storage in manufacturing plant.

Source: KumarAnil, Suresh N. (2009), Production and operations management, New Age International Pvt Ltd; 2nd Ed. edition.