Pallet And Method For Manufacturing The Same

Abstract

A pallet and a method for manufacturing the same are provided. The pallet comprises a pallet body, a skid to reinforce the pallet body and means to interlock the pallet body and the skid. The pallet body and the skid are moulded from a mouldable composition comprising between about 40 to 60 wt % of a fibre mixture and between about 15 to 45 wt % of an adhesive. The method for manufacturing the pallet begins by preparing the mouldable composition. A mould cavity is loaded with the mouldable composition up to about 90% of the capacity of the mould cavity before applying a packing pressure of between about 435 to 870 psi to the mouldable composition. A predetermined clearance of between about 0.1 to 0.5 mm is maintained between a first mould part defining the mould cavity and a second mould part. A moulded product is removed from the mould cavity when the mouldable composition is substantially cured.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates generally to a pallet for handling, storing, or moving materials and packages. [0003] 2. Description of the Related Art [0004] Pallets are widely used for assembling, storing, stacking, handling and transporting goods as a unit load, and are primarily constructed from wood, metal or plastic. [0005] Wooden pallets are most commonly used. However, in recent years, wooden pallets have been continually placed in the spotlight by environmentalists and various government agencies because of deforestation issues and environmental problems resulting from the disposal of waste woods by landfill and the importation and exportation of wood-boring parasites between countries and continents. Consequently, many countries have imposed a number of restrictions such as ISPM 15 (International Standard for Phytosanitary Measure 15) from WHO (World Health Organization) on the use of solid wood packaging ma...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0024] The moulded product is preferably compressed to a desired thickness and a surface of the moulded product is preferably ironed by reducing the predetermined clearance between the first mould part and the second mould part to between about 0.05 to 0.3 mm for between about 15 to 60 s.

[0032] Preferably, the vent is provided by maintaining a predetermined clearance between respective parts of the mould adjacent the mouldable composition. The vent may be temporarily occluded by the mouldable composition in the mould to temporarily prevent release of moisture vapour for a predetermined period.

Problems solved by technology

However, in recent years, wooden pallets have been continually placed in the spotlight by environmentalists and various government agencies because of deforestation issues and environmental problems resulting from the disposal of waste woods by landfill and the importation and exportation of wood-boring parasites between countries and continents.

However, the use of such pallets is kept to a minimum, as pallets made of plastic and metal are more costly.

Apart from higher costs, plastic and metal pallets also present a disposal problem since plastic and metal are not biodegradable and cannot therefore be disposed of effectively.

Further, the use of recycled plastic in the manufacture of plastic pallets is detrimental to the environment because the breakdown of plastics releases noxious fumes into the atmosphere, contributing to land and water pollution.

Images