Modular Plastic Pallet Design for Reduced Material and Cost
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing modular plastic pallets are expensive to manufacture and ship, formed from excessive components, not readily recyclable, and prioritized for easy disassembly rather than durability and load-carrying characteristics.
Innovation Solution
A modular pallet design featuring elongated frame members with channels for deck members, allowing for efficient coupling and integration, reducing material usage while maintaining strength and durability, and enabling easy assembly and disassembly, with the option to use plastic components that can be recycled.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of repair
If plastic pallets are constructed from separate modules or components to enable easy disassembly and replacement, then ease of repair and adaptability are improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pallet is divided into modular components including deck boards, stringers, and support legs that can be independently replaced. Each component is designed as a separate unit that interfaces with others through standardized connection mechanisms, enabling selective replacement without dismantling the entire structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple functional elements are integrated into unified components. For example, support legs incorporate both structural support and adjustment mechanisms in single elements. The connection system merges fastening, alignment, and adjustment functions into integrated joint designs, reducing the total number of separate parts.
2Adaptability or versatility
If plastic pallets are constructed from separate modules or components to enable easy disassembly and replacement, then adaptability is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The modular components are designed with standardized interfaces and dimensions that allow them to serve multiple functions and configurations. Deck boards, stringers, and support legs can be recombined in various arrangements to create different pallet types, enabling a single component set to fulfill multiple application requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables adaptability through adjustable parameters such as support leg heights, deck board spacing, and component configurations rather than requiring completely different structures. This allows the same basic component set to be adapted to various load requirements and application scenarios.
3Ease of repair
If modular plastic pallets are designed for easy disassembly rather than superior durability, then ease of repair is improved, but strength and load-carrying characteristics deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
Connection points and joining mechanisms are pre-designed and pre-positioned during manufacturing to ensure optimal structural integrity. The connection geometry and fastening locations are predetermined to maintain strength while enabling disassembly, rather than requiring field modifications that could compromise structural performance.
Solution Approach 2:
Traditional mechanical fastening systems that compromise strength are replaced with alternative connection methods such as integrated interlocking features, chemical bonding, or specialized joining mechanisms that maintain structural continuity and load-carrying capacity while preserving disassembly capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A modular pallet formed from a plurality of frame members and a plurality of deck members. The deck members extend between the frame members to define an upper deck surface and optionally a lower deck surface of the pallet. A plurality of spaced-apart channels are formed in at least an upper surface of the frame members to receive the deck members. In some embodiments the pallet may be configured as a stringer pallet and in other embodiments the pallet may be configured as a block pallet. In some embodiments the frame members are unitary stringers. In other embodiments the frame members are modular structures each comprising a block pallet subassembly and a deck support panel. The number, size, orientation and spacing of the channels formed in the frame members and the corresponding arrangement of the deck members may vary in different embodiments of the pallet. Once assembled, the frame members and deck members may be integrally connected, such as by heat welding. In some embodiments the pallet is formed from readily recyclable plastic.