Collapsible Frame Pallet Design for Efficient Stacking and Nesting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pallets often cannot be stacked when goods are fragile or of different sizes, as they cannot support additional weight or provide a level surface, limiting their nesting and stacking capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A pallet design featuring pivotable frames that collapse into the deck, allowing for partial nesting and enabling stacking, combined with a reusable flexible wrap for securing non-uniform goods, ensuring stability and thermal protection when necessary.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional pallets are used with fragile or differently sized goods, then the goods can be transported, but the pallets cannot be stacked or nested efficiently
Solution Approach 1:
The frame is designed to be dynamically reconfigurable, transitioning between an extended configuration that provides structural support for fragile goods and a collapsed configuration that enables efficient nesting. The pivotable connection allows the frame to adapt its shape based on whether the pallet needs to bear load or be stored compactly.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame is designed to collapse into a compact form that nests within recesses of the deck or between pallets when stacked. This nesting capability allows multiple pallets to be stored vertically or horizontally in a space-efficient manner, dramatically improving storage productivity.
2Reliability
If the frame is kept in an extended position to support fragile goods, then the goods are protected, but the pallet cannot be nested or stacked efficiently
Solution Approach 1:
The frame transitions from a static structure to a dynamic one that can pivot between extended and collapsed positions. This dynamic capability allows the same structure to provide goods protection during transport and efficient nesting during storage, resolving the contradiction between these two functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame is divided into movable segments connected by pivots, allowing independent movement of frame portions. This segmentation enables the frame to collapse into a compact configuration for nesting while maintaining the capability to extend for goods support.
3Reliability
If a reusable wrap is used to secure non-uniform goods, then the goods are secured stably, but the wrapping process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
A flexible wrap made of plastic or similar material is used to enclose and secure non-uniform goods on the pallet. The flexibility of the wrap allows it to conform to irregular cargo shapes while providing stable securing, and the simplicity of the wrap design avoids complex mechanical fastening systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A pallet includes a deck and a plurality of supports below the deck. The pallet includes at least one frame extending upward from the deck. The at least one frame is pivotably secured to the deck, such that the at least one frame is pivotable from an upright position to a collapsed position. The deck may include at least one recess for receiving the at least one frame in the collapsed position.