Assembled Plastic Pallet with Interchangeable Strakes

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current plastic trays are monolithic, making them prone to damage during forklift use, leading to unnecessary replacement and significant waste, especially in large-scale storage operations where only specific sides are damaged, resulting in high replacement costs.

Innovation Solution

An assembled plastic tray design featuring interchangeable strakes of different sizes, where first and second mainboard steel tubes are inserted into corresponding holes, and strakes are mounted on the mainboard through bosses and penetrating slots, with steel tube connection members and blocks for secure fixation, allowing for easy strake replacement and cost savings.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If integrated injection molding is used to form monolithic trays, then product stability is improved, but waste increases when only side surfaces are damaged

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproduct stabilityVSAvoidmaterial waste
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The tray is divided into multiple separable components: a main body and multiple strakes (side panels). The strakes can be independently removed and replaced when damaged, while the main body remains intact and reusable. This segmentation allows only the damaged portions to be discarded rather than the entire tray, significantly reducing material waste.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of manufacture

If monolithic tray design is used, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but repairability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing simplicityVSAvoidrepairability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSEase of repair

Solution Approach 1:

The tray structure is segmented into a main body and detachable strakes connected through joining mechanisms (such as insertion holes, bosses, and fastening elements). This allows the strakes to be independently replaced when damaged, improving repairability while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through standardized connection designs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The design enables discarding only the damaged strakes while recovering and reusing the main body and undamaged components. The standardized connection interfaces facilitate quick removal of damaged strakes and attachment of new ones, making the repair process efficient and cost-effective.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #34Discarding and recovering

3Adaptability or versatility

If interchangeable strakes of different sizes are designed, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveadaptabilityVSAvoidstructure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The main body is designed with universal connection interfaces (such as standardized insertion holes, bosses, and fastening positions) that can accommodate different types and sizes of strakes. This universality allows the same main body to work with multiple strake configurations, improving adaptability without significantly increasing the complexity of the core structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP3795488B1Assembled plastic pallet
Publication Date: 2023.08.09 SICHUAN LICHUAN PLASTIC PROD CO LTD
  • EP3795488B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3795488B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3795488B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

The disclosure discloses an assembled plastic tray, including a main board and strakes fixed at two sides of the mainboard, wherein, the mainboard includes two rib frames and a plurality of strip-shaped pad feel uniformly distributed between the two rib frames. The steps for assembling the plastic tray includes: firstly, respectively inserting first mainboard steel tubes and second mainboard steel tubes into first mainboard steel tube holes and second mainboard steel tube holes of the rib frames on the mainboard, subsequently, mounting the two strakes on the two side surfaces of the mainboard through a boss and penetrating slots and fixing the boss and the penetrating slots through strake connection blocks, then inserting strake steel tubes into strake steel tube holes on the two strakes, and finally, fixing the strake steel tubes and the first mainboard steel tubes through steel tube connection members and steel blocks. The tray of the disclosure has the advantages of low cost, simple installation, rapid strake change and the like.