Pallet Stacking Machine with Vertically Spaced Lifting Arms
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing machines for stacking and unstacking pallets often result in irregular stacks due to misalignment of pallet edges, leading to instability and potential damage during alignment attempts, and unstacked pallets are not precisely positioned for smooth further conveyance.
Innovation Solution
The use of lifting arms with vertically spaced supports that can be adjusted to align pallets laterally and vertically, allowing for precise edge alignment during stacking and ensuring precise positioning during unstacking, using a transfer device to manage pallets and a drive unit for horizontal movement of the arms to facilitate alignment without applying excessive force.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If pallets are stacked by lifting arms without vertical spacing between supports, then the structure is simpler, but the pallet edges cannot be aligned precisely resulting in irregular stacks
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is segmented into multiple supports arranged in vertical rows, with each support independently positioned. This segmentation allows precise control over pallet alignment while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure, resolving the contradiction between alignment precision and structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces vertical spacing between supports as a new dimensional parameter. By arranging supports at different vertical levels rather than at a single height, the system achieves precise pallet edge alignment without requiring complex lateral adjustment mechanisms, thus resolving the contradiction.
2Manufacturing precision
If lateral pressing forces are applied to align pallet edges, then alignment can be achieved, but considerable forces are required and damage occurs due to protruding nails or screws
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of applying lateral pressing forces horizontally, the invention uses vertically spaced supports to guide pallets into alignment through vertical positioning. This dimensional shift eliminates the need for high lateral forces, achieving alignment without damaging pallets with protruding fasteners.
Solution Approach 2:
The vertically spaced supports act as intermediaries between the lifting arms and the pallets. Rather than directly pressing pallets laterally, the supports provide a guided path for alignment, reducing direct contact forces and minimizing damage risk to pallet surfaces and fasteners.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the stack is lifted high to add pallets underneath, then pallet addition is possible, but the alignment of incoming pallets with the stack becomes difficult and imprecise
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses vertical spacing between supports to create alignment references at different heights. When the stack is lifted, the vertically arranged supports maintain their relative positions, providing continuous alignment guidance for incoming pallets regardless of stack height, thus resolving the contradiction between stacking flexibility and alignment precision.
4Productivity
If pallets are removed from the bottom of the stack, then continuous stacking at the top is possible, but the removed pallets do not assume precise positions causing jamming or requiring working chamfers
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is segmented into multiple vertically spaced supports that individually guide each pallet during removal. This segmentation ensures that each pallet maintains precise positioning as it is extracted from the stack, preventing jamming and eliminating the need for working chamfers while maintaining stacking continuity.
Data Source
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AI summary
Machine for stacking and destacking pallets, comprising a frame (1) supporting an actuating device (4) for two lifting arms (5a) parallel to each other and to the feed direction (Pa) of the pallets (P) to be stacked/destacking and the pallet stack (P1, P2, P3), and a transfer element or transfer device (2) for feeding (Pa) or removing the pallets (P) to be stacked or destacking, which operates parallel to the longitudinal extension of the lifting arms (5a), wherein the actuating device (4) is mounted vertically slidably (4v) on the frame (1) of the machine and is actuated by a shaft (4d) by winding belts (4e), by a threaded spindle with nut, by a rack and pinion, or by a linear mechanical or hydraulic actuator acting between the frame (1) of the machine and the frame (4a, 4b) of the actuating device (4).wherein the lifting arms (5a) are mounted horizontally and transversely to the feed direction (Pa) sliding (5h) on the frame of the actuating device (4) and are actuated mechanically in opposite directions by means of a gear (5n) and rack (5g) or by means of a linear mechanical or hydraulic actuator, and wherein both lifting arms (5a) have a greater height than the height of a pallet (P) and are provided with two pairs of upper (5b) and lower supports (5c) which are vertically spaced further apart than the height of a pallet (P) and horizontally spaced so that they can be inserted into the spaces between the structural elements of the pallets.