Babash Material Handling Systems offers the following Quick Tip of the Month, taken from the November issue of the company's In the Loop newsletter.
With a pallet load application, there are two key questions to ask:
1. What does the pallet's conveying (bottom) surface look like?
2. What is the load weight?
Load capacity usually can be handled simply by selecting a conveyor with the proper structural and drive capacity. This is normally done at the factory. The pallet bottom, however, is another matter entirely. Let’s look at some conveying surfaces.
Although you may think you are conveying a “STANDARD PALLET”, don’t believe it! While pallets may appear similar, they are NOT and careful attention must be given to the pallet bottom deck. Will the pallet “runners” be parallel or perpendicular to the conveyor rollers?
Perpendicular runners are always best. Parallel runners should be avoided. If runners are in both directions, the pallet could be used bidirectionally, that is, placed on the conveyor in either orientation.
Actually, most pallets are one of several variations of one-way only stringers. Some standardization does occur in the pallet industry, and further standardization continues; however, many pallet types are available and you must be aware of the type or types of pallets to be used in your application. When purchasing pallets, cost is often a major concern. In this respect, you cannot expect to always convey perfect pallets.
