Returnable Shipping Cartridge with Adjustable Pin Rack
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Solution Overview
Problem
The inefficiencies in handling and storage of sheet metal in manufacturing facilities due to the use of single-use wooden skids, which lead to difficulties in accessing bottom materials, labor-intensive movement, and potential damage from improper stacking or handling.
Innovation Solution
A reusable shipping pallet system featuring a frame with adjustable pins that allow for vertical stacking and secure banding, enabling efficient storage and retrieval of sheet metal by converting between stacking and racking orientations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If loaded skids are stacked on top of each other, then vertical storage is achieved, but access to bottom materials becomes difficult and labor-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The cartridge system employs dynamic reconfigurability through removable pins that can be taken out and reinserted in opposite orientations. This allows the stacking configuration to be dynamically changed from a stable stacked state to an accessible racked state, resolving the contradiction between vertical storage and material accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the storage configuration into distinct modes: stacking mode for vertical storage and racking mode for accessibility. By dividing the functionality into separate operational states, the system can optimize for one function at a time without compromise.
2Ease of operation
If loaded skids are stored side-by-side, then material accessibility is improved, but floor space consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions the storage arrangement from a two-dimensional side-by-side layout to a three-dimensional vertical stacking configuration. By utilizing the vertical dimension through stacking, the system achieves both space efficiency and material accessibility when cartridges are racked in the storage facility.
3Stability of the object's composition
If multiple pins are used in first orientation, then stacking stability is improved, but racking space efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The pin orientation system provides dynamic adaptability: pins in the first orientation create optimal stacking stability with extended surfaces, while pins in the second orientation reduce protrusion for better racking space efficiency. The system can switch between these states as needed.
4Strength
If pins have larger cross-sectional dimensions, then stacking connection strength is improved, but racking space efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The pin design implements local quality by having different cross-sectional dimensions at different locations. The first end has a larger cross-sectional dimension for strong stacking connections, while the second end has a smaller dimension for efficient racking, optimizing both functions locally.
Data Source
AI summary
A material-supporting cartridge comprises a frame having an upper surface with an opening, and a pin removably positioned in the opening in a first orientation with a first end of the pin positioned in the frame and a second end of the pin positioned a first height above the upper surface. The pin is dimensioned to be removed and inserted into the opening in a second orientation with the second end of the pin positioned in the frame and the first end of the pin positioned a second height above the upper surface, the first height being greater than the second height. The frame further includes a support tube dimensioned to receive the pin in each of the first and second orientations. The material-supporting cartridge can be used with a rack that defines multiple stacked rows having a vertical spacing between adjacent rows, the vertical spacing being greater than the second height.