Folded Wooden Composite Pallet Design for Weight Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pallets face challenges in achieving a balance between mechanical stability, light weight, and low production complexity, with many being either heavy and expensive or lacking in load-bearing capacity.
Innovation Solution
A pallet design featuring parallel plates with integrally formed supporting elements made from high-density fiberboard, where the supporting elements are folded perpendicular to the plates, providing stability and stiffness while being cost-efficient and lightweight, and allowing for easy manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional Euro pallets are used, then production is simple and cost is low, but weight is high and space utilization is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The pallet is divided into separate functional components: a base plate, a top plate, and integral supporting elements (legs and ribs). This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the plates provide horizontal support while the integral legs provide vertical support, reducing overall material usage and weight compared to traditional solid wood pallets.
Solution Approach 2:
The supporting elements (legs and ribs) are integrally formed with the plates from the same piece of material, eliminating the need for separate fasteners, joints, or additional components. This merging of functions into single integral structures reduces assembly complexity while maintaining structural integrity and reducing total weight.
2Strength
If plastic pallets are used, then mechanical stability is improved, but production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from traditional solid wood or plastic to engineered wood products (plywood, particle board, OSB) with specific density and strength characteristics. By selecting appropriate wood-based materials and optimizing the thickness and geometry of plates and supporting elements, the design achieves mechanical stability comparable to plastic pallets while using more cost-effective wood-based materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The pallet utilizes composite wood materials such as plywood, particle board, or oriented strand board (OSB) that combine different wood components bonded together. These composite materials provide enhanced mechanical properties including strength, stiffness, and dimensional stability, achieving plastic-like performance while maintaining lower production costs associated with wood-based materials.
3Weight of moving object
If paper pallets are used, then weight is reduced, but mechanical stability and load-bearing capacity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent dramatically increases the material density parameter by using engineered wood products instead of paper or cardboard. The plates and supporting elements are designed with sufficient thickness and the wood materials provide inherent density and strength, enabling the pallet to bear heavy loads while maintaining a lightweight construction compared to traditional solid wood pallets.
Solution Approach 2:
By using composite wood materials with engineered structures (layered plywood, pressed particle board, or OSB), the pallet achieves high strength-to-weight ratio. These materials provide superior mechanical properties compared to paper-based solutions, including high load-bearing capacity, stiffness, and resistance to deformation, while remaining lighter than solid wood construction.
4Adaptability or versatility
If supporting elements are separately attached, then assembly flexibility is improved, but device complexity and production time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The supporting elements are integrally formed with the plates from the same piece of material, eliminating separate attachment operations. The legs and ribs are cut and folded from the same board as the plates, creating a unified structure that requires no additional fasteners, joints, or assembly steps, thereby reducing production complexity while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
While maintaining integral construction, the design segments the pallet into distinct functional zones: plates for horizontal support, legs for vertical support, and ribs for reinforcement. This functional segmentation is achieved through integral construction from single pieces of material, providing assembly simplicity while maintaining structural optimization for different load paths.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design achieves enhanced mechanical stability and load-bearing capacity while reducing weight and production complexity, enabling efficient storage and transport with improved space utilization.
Implementation Method 1
The supporting elements are formed by folding pieces of the first plate and/ or the second plate in the direction of the height
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The invention relates to a pallet (1) comprising a first plate (10) and a second plate (20), wherein said first plate (10) and said second plate (20) are parallel, and wherein said first plate (10) and said second plate (20) each extend along a length (L) and a width (W) of said pallet (1), and wherein said pallet (1) comprises a height (H) which extends transversely to said length (L) and said width (W), and wherein said pallet (1) comprises at least one supporting element (11) which is integrally formed with said first plate (10) and/ or said second plate (20), wherein said at least one supporting element (11) extends between said first plate (10) and said second plate (20) along said height (H). The invention further relates to a method for manufacturing a pallet.