Prefabricated Plastic Pallet I-Beam Stiffness and Cost Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing prefabricated plastic pallets face challenges such as high manufacturing costs due to numerous parts, difficulty in producing pallets of various sizes, and vulnerability to damage from impacts and overloading.
Innovation Solution
A prefabricated plastic pallet design featuring support beams with 'I'-shaped sections, plates fixed to the beams, and reinforcement boards that enhance structural stiffness. The pallets are made using extrusion molding, allowing for easier production of various sizes with reduced mold requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional prefabricated plastic pallets use multiple parts (beam frames, plates, coupling members, locking panels, locking-releasing pins), then assembly and disassembly are enabled, but manufacturing cost increases due to large number of parts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate parts (beam frames, coupling members, locking panels, locking-releasing pins) into an integrated monoblock structure made by injection molding. The locking mechanisms, coupling features, and structural elements are combined into a single unified component, eliminating the need for separate parts while maintaining assembly and disassembly functionality through integrated locking and coupling features.
Solution Approach 2:
The monoblock beam frame structure performs multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support, incorporates locking mechanisms for plates, includes coupling features for assembly, and integrates protection elements. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate specialized parts for each function, reducing part count while maintaining operational capabilities.
2Reliability
If plastic injection molding is used to manufacture pallets, then pallets can be made with consistent quality and durability, but mold cost is expensive which increases manufacturing cost
Solution Approach 1:
The pallet is divided into modular components (monoblock beam frames and separate plates) that can be manufactured using different molding techniques. The beam frames are made by injection molding for high durability, while plates can be made by extrusion molding which is more cost-effective. This segmentation allows selective application of molding methods based on functional requirements, reducing overall mold cost while maintaining reliability of critical components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the manufacturing parameter from requiring expensive injection molding for all components to using injection molding only for critical monoblock beam frames, while other components can use more economical extrusion molding. This parameter change in manufacturing method selection reduces mold costs while maintaining the reliability of the most critical structural elements.
3Productivity
If standardized size plastic pallets are produced using molds, then manufacturing efficiency is high, but it is difficult to make pallets with various sizes due to time and cost needed for making molds
Solution Approach 1:
The pallet design segments the structure into standardized monoblock beam frames with fixed dimensions and separately configurable plates. The beam frames maintain standardized coupling features and locking mechanisms, while the number, size, and arrangement of plates can be varied to create different pallet configurations. This segmentation allows efficient production of standardized components while enabling customization through simple plate configuration changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The monoblock beam frames are designed with universal coupling features and locking mechanisms that work with plates of various sizes and configurations. This universality allows the same beam frame design to be used across multiple pallet size variations, maintaining manufacturing efficiency while enabling adaptability to different size requirements without requiring new molds for each configuration.
4Ease of operation
If plates are exposed at both ends when coupled to beam frames, then easy assembly is achieved, but plates are easily separated from beam frames when external impact is applied
Solution Approach 1:
The monoblock beam frame structure incorporates integrated locking mechanisms and protective features that are built into the design before assembly. These features include locking protrusions and recesses, as well as protective elements at the ends of the beam frames, that prevent plate separation before impact occurs. The structure is designed in advance to absorb and distribute impact forces, preventing the plates from being easily separated despite external impacts.
5Quantity of substance
If beam frames are made thin and long for structural efficiency, then material usage is reduced, but they are easily destructed when forklift forks collide and apply impact
Solution Approach 1:
The monoblock beam frames are manufactured using composite plastic materials that combine strength and impact resistance with reduced weight. The injection molding process allows incorporation of reinforcement elements and creation of optimized material distribution within the monoblock structure, providing high strength-to-weight ratio that resists forklift impact while using minimal material.
Solution Approach 2:
The beam frame design incorporates protective features and structural reinforcement at critical impact zones (such as fork entry areas and end regions) before impact occurs. The monoblock structure includes built-in stress distribution features and protective elements that absorb and distribute impact forces, preventing destruction despite the thin and long dimensional configuration that minimizes material usage.
Data Source
AI summary
A prefabricated plastic pallet includes: support beams spaced apart from one another in a transverse direction thereof and each having an “I”-shaped section and consisting of an upper flange, a lower flange, and a web connecting the upper flange and the lower flange and having through holes formed therein; at least two or more plates fixed to the upper flanges and the lower flanges; a first reinforcement board disposed on one surface of the web; and a second reinforcement board disposed on the other surface of the web.