Interlocking Paper Core Pallets for Contamination-Free Recycling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional wooden pallets pose recycling challenges due to fasteners and wood fiber contamination, leading to waste and high disposal costs, while alternative materials like plastic and molded pulp are more expensive and require custom tooling.
Innovation Solution
A pallet constructed from interlocking paper cores and sections, using press-fit connections without fasteners or adhesives, providing a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative for recycling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional wooden pallets are constructed with fasteners (nails, screws), then structural strength and stability are improved, but recycling becomes difficult and material contamination occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The pallet is divided into separate modular components (deck boards, stringers, blocks) that can be independently separated and recycled. Each component is designed as a discrete unit without permanent fasteners, allowing easy disassembly and material recovery at end-of-life.
Solution Approach 2:
Traditional fasteners (nails, screws, adhesives) are completely removed from the pallet construction. The joining function is replaced by mechanical interlocking features inherent to the paper core components themselves, eliminating contaminants that prevent recycling.
2Reliability
If pressure treatment and kiln drying are applied to wooden pallets, then durability and resistance to decay are improved, but wood fiber shedding and contamination increase
Solution Approach 1:
The material composition is fundamentally changed from treated wood to paper core material. This parameter change eliminates the need for chemical pressure treatments and kiln drying processes, thereby preventing wood fiber shedding and chemical contamination while maintaining structural integrity through the engineered paper core design.
3Ease of manufacture
If plastic or molded pulp materials are used to construct pallets, then recyclability and contamination-free operation are improved, but manufacturing cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The pallet utilizes composite paper core material that combines the recyclability advantages of paper-based materials with engineered structural properties. This composite approach achieves contamination-free design suitable for recycling while avoiding the high costs associated with plastic or molded pulp alternatives.
4Ease of manufacture
If paper core components are used without fasteners or adhesives, then recyclability and absence of contamination are improved, but structural strength and stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The structural strength is achieved through segmented modular components with built-in mechanical interlocking features. The segmentation allows each component to contribute to overall strength while maintaining the ability to separate for recycling without fasteners.
Solution Approach 2:
Components are designed with nested or interlocking geometries where deck boards fit onto stringers, and blocks integrate with both. This nesting arrangement creates a stable structure through friction and geometric interlocking, eliminating the need for fasteners while maintaining strength.
Data Source
AI summary
A pallet includes a plurality of supports which define a base of a pallet and a plurality of deck rings that are interlocked with the plurality of supports and define a surface of the pallet on which goods in need of transport can be stacked, wherein each support and each deck ring of the pallet is a paper core or a section of a paper core. The supports of the pallet are spaced as to define a base of the pallet and one or more channels for receiving a fork of a lifting device. The supports of the pallet also support the deck rings of the pallet in an elevated position above a ground surface when the supports of the pallet are resting on the ground surface. A method for constructing a pallet is also disclosed.