8 types of industrial machines and equipment to know about
Industrial machinery forms the backbone of any industry, helping reduce time and effort. Today, industries have more demand for their products than ever, whether for raw materials or finished goods. Fortunately, machinery and equipment have also advanced over the years to meet such demands easily. However, industries must consider various aspects before buying machinery, including their specific activities and requirements. So, here are some types of industrial machinery and equipment to pick from:
Industrial furnaces
Certain industrial tasks are often possible only under high-temperature conditions, so the temperature needs to be controlled and monitored when performing such tasks. Industrial furnaces are devices that provide direct heat for such processes. Traditionally, coal and wood are used to fuel furnaces, but over the years, they have become outdated because of the air pollution they tend to cause. These days, furnaces are directly powered by fuel and controlled by electricity. Electric furnaces are used for operations like drying of food, fermentation at low temperatures, heating and melting metals, etc.
Forklifts
Material handling is an essential but cumbersome process in factories. Material handling equipment helps load, unload, and transport heavy-duty goods quickly and reduces workers’ burden. Forklifts are essential material handling products used to move heavy loads within warehouses and factories. They are equipped to carry heavy pallets containing bricks, bulky factory equipment, cargo boxes, construction material, metallic items, recycling material, etc. As the most common material handling equipment in industries, forklifts are required for factories dealing with heavy goods daily.
Mining equipment
The mining industry is responsible for most products we use daily, from metals and oil to clay and gravel. Since mining requires digging the earth’s surface and subsurface to obtain these materials, cutting-edge equipment must be used. Mining equipment is used for drilling, excavation, hauling, quarrying, shoveling, and blasting. They are also used for extracting oil, coal, and gas and in construction sites for earth moving.
Welding and metalworking equipment
Welding and metalworking equipment essentially include tools and machines used to forge metals and give them a definite shape. Welding machines are among the most important tools for metal fabrication. Besides welding machines, the metallurgy industry also requires equipment like welding electrodes, welding rods, welding clamps, plasma cutters, and pliers. These tools are used in several prominent industries, such as manufacturing, automotive, and construction. While the basic welding machines are priced at approximately $200, the cost increases based on how advanced the machine is.
Agricultural machinery
It is impossible to imagine having sumptuous meals without the agriculture sector providing all the essential grains and food supplies. And with the demand for food skyrocketing at present, this industry needs the support of robust machinery to feed an entire population. Agricultural machinery consists of a wide range of tools and equipment that the agriculture industry uses for crop farming and production, as well as livestock farming. For example, plowing has been made incredibly easy by tractors, which have metallic or wooden frames and an attached blade to cut the soil. Besides tractors, seed drills, cultivators, plows, harrows, tillers, and balers are just some of the many agricultural machines used today.
Power equipment and generators
These equipment are essentially used to ensure that the power supply is not disrupted even during an outage. These are most frequently used in remote areas to power agricultural machinery because these locations are particularly prone to power cuts. They are also used in construction and mining sites in case of a power outage. The prices of generators differ based on their sizes – compact generators may cost as little as $300, whereas large ones may be priced as high as $25,000. The cost also differs based on the fuel type, with gasoline being the most affordable and solar-powered generators being the most expensive.
Food processing machines
Food processing machinery is required at different stages of food processing, including manufacturing, storage, and packaging. Food manufacturing machines make preparing food items – meats, confectioneries, ready-to-eat cereals, snacks, dairy, etc. – easy and efficient, reducing manual labor and labor costs. These equipment are also used to store foods efficiently. For example, foods like meats, dairy, eggs, and fish are perishable, so they need to be stored in cold storage solutions. Finally, machinery is used to package these food items adequately, so there is no spillage or spoilage when the products are supplied over long distances.
Frozen food machinery
The frozen food market has expanded tremendously, with instant foods becoming the norm. Freezing and packaging equipment are essential to ensure these foods are packed and stored correctly at retail stores, industries, manufacturing units, and in transit. The prices of these equipment also vary considerably, with smaller equipment being highly affordable at a few hundred dollars and the heavy-duty ones costing several thousand dollars.
When choosing industrial equipment, industries should consider various aspects, including the functions of the machines, their scalability, the industry’s overall budget, maintenance costs, and insurance coverage. Installation charges are usually separate from the total cost of the product, so this expense should also be considered.
