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Circle #37 on Reader Action Card

Plastic Pall Options-Part I

Materials handling shows, such as Promat which is coming up again next February in Chicago, concentrate a great deal of attention on alternative unit load materials. Most alternative material ex- hibitors display plastic pallets of a vari- ety of descriptions and types. The two largest materials handling magazines carried series of articles this summer on pallet options, with a particularly strong emphasis on plastic. A study conducted by Modern Materials Handling maga- zine and cosponsored by NWPCA re- cently indicated a decrease in the num- ber of respondents using plastic pallets, when compared to a similar study just a few years ago. This result has been often quoted but even more often doubted by the pallet community. The fact is that plastic pallets are receiving strong atten- tion from the pallet using community. More and more companies are reaching farther down to seek cost savings, look- ing much harder at logistics and materi- als handling than they traditionally did. Thus, pallets often find themselves in the spotlight, sometimes even under a microscope. We have called your atten- tion to this growing trend; certainly the NWPCA preaches it on every comer in its meetings and newsletters.

Sitting back and taking an overall per- spective from our perch, we see that plastic is the material getting the most special attention. Concentration on managing pallets as assets, including such things as rental and third party managementAogistics, and reserve lo- gistics, tends to place plastics in the number one spot when it comes to com- peting against wood. Nobody doubts that most pallets manufactured are still made from wood, and few doubt that this will continue to be the case for at least the short to medium range future. It is also true that each day fewer and fewer doubt that plastics are gaining rec- ognition. At some point, the negative aspects of plastics will probably be more apparent to a larger number of people, but at this time "plastics" are enjoying some of the honeymoon period that is common before people have experi- enced the problems as well as the ben-

efits of a new idea. While plastic is not new, it has not been widely used in the pallet arena in the past. Wood people should keep in mind that plastic pallets come in a variety of types, characteris- tics, and prices. All plastic pallets do not

the strongest often do. Nonrackable plastic pallets are available on the mar- ket for $15 to $20. There are even some units available for less than that.

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cost $50 or more, even though some of -

Plastic Manufacturing This is just a brief overview of the

plastic manufacturing processes; it is not intended to be a complete course. Injec- tion molding is a common method of fabricating plastic items. Injection molded products are solid and rigid, but more brittle than many would like for a pallet or unit load container. Injection molding tooling is expensive, but the process is said to be faster than some other plastic processes. Injection molding forces a hot mixture of resin into a mold.

Structural foam molding is similar to injection molding but uses a foaming agent, often nitrogen gas. The foaming agent is injected along with the resin melt into the mold under low pressure. This results in a product with an integral skin and a cellular foam core. Structural foam pallets are strong for their weight and allow the use of post-consumer re- cycled plastics.

Vacuum thermoforming pulls a sheet of plastic onto a mold with a vacuum process. This is a lower cost process which uses less expensive tooling. Vacuum-formed pallets have less impact strength; sometimes they are reinforced with metal to provide more strength.

Twin-sheet thermoforming brings two sheets of plastic together in a pro- cess similar to vacuum thermoforming. Two sheets are pulled onto the mold at the same time. Material, such as steel, can be put between the sheets for addi- tional strength. The two sheets are bonded together with heat, which leaves a seam around the pallet. They are du- rable and very flexible, often showing little if any damage after impacts. Some of the less expensive twin-sheet

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60 PALLET ENTERPRISE

*. thermoformed pallets have grown in ac- ceptance in the last few years.

Blow molding is a process which is just starting to be used when manufac- turing pallets. Blow molding injects air into the mold to blow the plastic out to the mold sides. It looks like a twin-sheet thermoformed pallet without the seam. Blow molding is a fast, flexible process that can be adjusted to different plastic thicknesses.

Rotational molding uses a large, clamshell style mold, loaded with granular resin. The mold spins over heat; centrifugal force pushes the mol- ten resin to the mold sides. Rotational molding uses lower cost molds but is slower than some other processes.

Extrusion is used to make plastic lum- ber, which is often manufactured from post-consumer or post-industrial re- cycled plastics. Plastic lumber can be cut and nailed into pallets in much the same way as wood lumber is processed.

Plastic Pallet Options A growing number of companies are

manufacturing plastic pallets. Space here does not permit carrying informa- tion on all their products; in fact space does not permit carrying a description of all the products provided us during our research. Part I1 will provide product in- formation to complement that given here. Companies are listed in alphabetical or- der to remain as unbiased as possible. Cadillac Products, Inc.

Working closely with the grocery in- dustry, Cadillac Products developed a twin-sheet thermoformed pallet with strong durability and performance char- acteristics. Today, the Retailer’” is being used in numerous applications for food

The Retailer‘” twin-sheet thermoformed pallet

service, beverage, printing and more. Many grocery distributors have tested

Retailer pallets in the downstream gro- cery movement from distribution cen- ters to grocery stores. Information shared at pallet meetings by the grocery industry has generally been very positive about how well they have held up in the system.

In its literature, Cadillac indicates that the Retailer was rated number one for durability in the comprehensive in- dependent pallet lift cycle test commis- sioned by the U.S. Postal Service. The Retailer won the DuPont Food Process- ing and Packaging Innovation award in the environmental category and the Na- tional Institute of Packaging, Handling, and Logistics Engineering first place award for material handling devices.

The Cadillac Retailer is 48x40x5-3/4, weighs 19 pounds, is nestable, and is said to be able to handle dynamic loads up to 3,000 lbs.

The all plastic Stacker deck allows users to double stack Retailer pallets. The Stacker has a non-skid bottom and is self-locking for compact return ship- ping. Oversized openings on its top sur- face allow the Stacker to accept the Retailer’s nine pallet legs.

For more information, call 800-4-N- TAIL or 810/879-5000. EPC/Loudon

The EPC/Loudon Transport Pallet, widely used in grocery distribution, is tough, durable, lightweight, and easy to handle. The 48x40 Transport Pallet has a 4,000 lb. dynamic load capacity and weighs under 37 Ibs. Its space-saving design has 3-to-1 nestability for storage and 2-to-1 nestability for use in auto-

EPC/Loudon solid-body Transport Pallet

mated pallet dispensers. It is available rackable with either smooth or non-skid diamond pattern surface.

The EPC/Loudon Structo-Cell@ is molded from high density polyethylene. At 42 lbs., it will support dynamic loads up to 4,000 lbs., static loads up to 30,000 Ibs.

EPC/Loudon is an international pro-

ducer of structurally molded plastic fal- lets, often used for closed-loop distribu- tion. For more information, call 518/

Pallet Pallet, Inc. Pallet Pallet recently introduced its

new line of molded plastic pallets, avail- able in two basic styles, a lightweight, injection molded model and a heavier duty structural foam product. Standard colors are gray and black, but custom colors are available in quantity. Pallet Pallet recently created a new Plastics Division, managed by Marty Ackerman, to sell these products. Their pallets are

783-7776.

Pallet Pallet offers injection molded and structural foam plastic pallets.

made from virgin high density polyeth- ylene on state-of-the-art equipment.

Pallet Pallet’s lightweight series is available in 48x40 and 48x45 sizes. This four-way, nestable pallet weighs 19 Ibs. and can support a dynamic load of 1,200 lbs. The five-rail model has a dynamic load capacity of 2,500 Ibs. The snap-on runner system adapts the nestable pallet for stacking or use with roller conveyor systems. Options include a solid or ven- tilated deck, a perimeter lip, and non- slip rubber grommets.

Pallet Pallet’s heavyweight series, structural foam pallets are available in four standard sizes from 48x40 to 48x48, all with full four-way entry. They are offered in both a nestable and rackable version. Both will support a 30,000 Ib. static load and a dynamic load of 4,000 Ibs. The six-rail rackable model is designed to support 2,800 lbs. in an open rack.

For information, call 800/832-3350. Royal Ecoproducts, Ltd. (formerly Ecopal Industries, Inc.)

Royal Ecoproducts, Ltd. produces plastic pallets in a proprietary manufac- turing technique using 100% recycled plastic. The modular design incorpo-

(continued on page 66)

62 PALLET ENTERPRISE

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(continuedfrom page 62) rates such options as a non-slip surface, colored risers, full perimeter lip and food grade approval.

Royal pallets can be washed and ster- ilized, and are impervious to many ac- ids. Ecopal@ pallets are available in dy-

Ecopal plastic pallet and Ecogard top frame

namic load capacities up to 6,000 Ibs. Standard sizes are 48x40, 48x45, and 44x56. Royal Ecoproducts Ltd. also pro- duces Ecogard@ top frames. The rein- forced frames, manufactured with non- slip surfaces on both sides, are typically used in the canning and beverage bottle industries in conjunction with 44x56 or 48x40 pallets. Ecogard top frames can be produced to go with any of the plastic

pallets in Royal’s product line. For in- formation, call 8OOf465-7670.

Shuert Industries, Inc.

Shuert thermoformed Uni-Pallet

Shuert Industries is known for its twin-sheet thermoformed pallets. Shuert’s Uni-Pallet@ is lightweight, recyclable, easy-to-clean, and durable. Shuert will custom design a pallet to meet a particu- lar application. For more information, call 800/413-6660.

TriEnda Postal Pallet

The TriEnda Postal Pallet was de- signed to meet the U.S. Postal Service criteria. TriEnda indicates it was the first company to design a pallet that passed the USPS “First Article Test.” A

* # stiff deck was a high design priority re- quired by the USPS. TriEnda holds sev- eral design patents on its deck and leg. The TriEnda Postal Pallet was awarded the 1996 Thermoforming Institute Na- tional Award for Heavy Gauge Twin Sheet Thermoforming (voted on by

TriEnda Postal Pallet

peers/competitors). TriEnda plastic pallets weigh under

20 Ibs., are fully nestable, reusable, (tested to 500 round trips by Michigan State University School of Packaging), 100% recyclable and able to handle loads over 3,000 pounds per pallet stacked three high. For information, call 8OOf427-2553 . 0

66 PALLET ENTERPRISE