Injection Molded Plastic Pallet Diagonal Reinforcement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Injection molded plastic pallets experience high deflection at higher temperatures, requiring enhanced stability without increasing production costs, while maintaining ease of use on forklifts and floor storage.
Innovation Solution
A reinforcing strip is inserted into a diagonal recess on the underside of the pallet, with various configurations allowing for direct molding or screw-on feet, and additional features like runners, spacers, and conical attachments to enhance stability and support, using materials like metal profiles for reinforcement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a reinforcing strip is inserted into a diagonal recess to reduce temperature-related deflection, then stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pallet is divided into modular components: an injection-molded base structure and separate screw-on feet. This segmentation allows the reinforcing strip to be integrated into the base during injection molding, while feet can be added or removed as needed, reducing overall complexity while maintaining stability enhancement options.
Solution Approach 2:
The diagonal recess for the reinforcing strip is pre-formed during the injection molding of the base, before the pallet is put into service. This preliminary action eliminates the need for post-production modifications and simplifies the overall structure by incorporating the reinforcement feature into the base manufacturing process itself.
2Ease of manufacture
If feet are molded directly during injection molding, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but adaptability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The pallet design segments the feet into two types: some molded directly onto the base during injection molding, and others designed as separate screw-on components. This segmentation provides manufacturing efficiency for standard feet while maintaining adaptability through interchangeable screw-on feet that can be added or removed based on specific application requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The base is designed with standardized mounting features that accommodate both molded-in feet and screw-on feet. This universal design allows the same base structure to serve multiple functions and adapt to different configurations, whether using molded feet for cost efficiency or screw-on feet for enhanced adaptability and reinforcement options.
3Ease of manufacture
If all four feet are molded directly, then production cost is minimized, but reinforcement capability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The pallet design segments the feet into molded-in feet for standard applications and screw-on feet for reinforcement needs. The base includes pre-formed recesses and mounting features that accommodate screw-on feet, allowing selective reinforcement of specific feet while maintaining cost-effective molded production for the base and standard feet.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making all feet identical and expensive, the design applies local quality by providing reinforcement capability only where needed. The base includes specific recesses and mounting features at strategic locations (such as diagonal corners) where screw-on feet can be added to provide localized reinforcement, rather than uniformly increasing the complexity and cost of all feet.
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 1c
Figure 2a~2b
AI summary
The injection molded plastic pallet (1) has a rectangular loading area (2). A reinforcement fillet is inserted in a diagonally running recess (5) in the rear side of the loading area. A pedestal (3) is directly formed in the injection molding, and two pedestals are diagonally opposite to each other in each case. The two pedestals are arranged at the end points of the recess for the reinforcement fillet. A retainer is provided for the both ends of the reinforcement fillet. The reinforcement fillet is a metal section.