METHOD OF MANUFACTURING PALLETS AND PALLETS MANUFACTURED ACCORDING TO THE METHOD

Abstract: Method of manufacturing pallets by machine and a pallet manufactured according to the method, said pallets being provided with a load deck (2-6) carried by pallet feet (11) and/or battens (1, 3). The feet (11) and/or battens (1, 3) are preferably combined with fastening means (12) for joining the feet (11) to the deck (2-6), subsequent to which the deck (2-6) is joined to the feet (11) in a compression and joining station, the compression of deck (206) and feet (11) portions taking place under such a high pressure that the feet portions (11) are caused to penetrate into the deck (2-6), at least with their upper portion, to a depth such that fixation against turning is obtained for the foot parts (11) in relation to their fixing position against the deck (2-6).

Description: METHOD OF MANUFACTURING PALLETS AND PALLETS MANUFACTURED ACCORDING TO THE METHOD ' _' The present invention relates to a method of man facturing pallets consisting of a load deck and feet or battens and blocks supporting the deck, as well as pallets manufactured according to said method. Since the beginning of 1940 the importance of the pallet in materials handling has steadily increased. At present the consumption in the western world is about one pallet per capita and year. It is predicted that this will be doubled within a decade. In the USA special rapidly growing forests have therefore been planted to ensure sufficient lumber for pallets. In Western Europe the con¬ sumption is about 300.million pallets per year, or about 3 15 million m of lumber, i.e. more than the total Swedish production of sawn timber products. On an average about 20% of the world's sawn timber production is used for pallets. Factory inspection laws and the like in some countries, requiring that manual handling of goods be restricted to those weighing less than 40 kg, also in¬ crease the use of palleted goods during transport. Lumbe costs about one SEK per kg, plastics 6 SEK per kg, steel plate 2-5 SEK per kg and, although in a great steel pro¬ ducing country like Japan, a pallet can cost about 120 SEK 90% of the pallets in Japan are still made from wood, whic shows that wood is a very competitive material. It can therefore be expected that other materials will replace wood in certain parts of a pallet only. The European Palle Union, in which the railroad companies in eighteen West European countries are members, calls for a pallet struc¬ ture according to a standard which has the code SIS 842007 in Sweden. This standard has previously been one which ex¬ haustively specifies material. "BUREATT OMPI In later years, particularly at the Swedish Pack¬ ing and Wrapping Research Institution, it has been attempted to change the standard to a functional standard, where material other than wood may be allowed to build up the pallet, providing that the material adequately fulfils the functional requirements of the standard in all respects The present invention has been conceived against the background of the aforesaid conditions, and the know¬ ledge that there is a need for an efficient production method for a pallet, which in all respects meets the standardizing demands according to applicable standards, but has a greater life, and preferably a lower manufactur¬ ing cost as well, than the standard pallets used today. What distinguishes the invention, inter alia, is the new method of manufacturing, in principle signifying that time and cost—consuming nailing methods used so far for con¬ ventional wooden pallets are eliminated, and also the new implementation of the pallet feet or spacers required in utilizing the manufacturing method. The inventive pallet foot or spacer is characterized in that it comprises a metal sleeve, the end of which engaging the load deck of the pallet can be pressed into the deck material for sub¬ stantially the whole of the periphery- of the sleeve. By thus producing a pallet which is mainly manufactured from wood in an embodiment which agrees in all essentials with internationally used pallet types and meets the applicable standards but has a foot or spacer of metal, a pallet is obtained which is substantially stronger and somewhat surprisingly also lighter and cheaper. The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings on which: Figures 1-4 illustrate a standard pallet of the type called "EUR pallet" which is the European type of exchangeable pallet. Figure 5 illustrates a pallet foot or spacer formed in accordance with the invention. Figure 6 illustrates a partial perspective view of the serration formation for the item illustrated in Figure 5, Figure 7 illustrates the conical implementation of the item illustrated in Figure 5, this Figure also illustrating that the items may be stacked one inside the other, Figures 8-10 are partial sections, from which it will be . seen how the set teeth or serrations on the foot or spacer penetrate into the deck materia Figure 11 illustrates the placing of the fastening means formed as nail elements, in an assembled palle foot or spacer in accordance with the inventio Figure 12 is a side view of the foot or spacer illustrat in Figure 11, with the wooden portions indicat by chain-dotted lines. The pallet illustrated in Figures 1-4 is a presen ly generally available standard pallet of the European ex¬ change pallet type, the so-called EUR pallet. This standar pallet is manufactured from wood, i.e. skids or battens 1, 3, deck boards 2, 4, 5, 6 as well as pallet feet or spacer 7 , 8 are manufactured from solid wood. These parts are joined together by manual or automatic nailing 9, 10 using known nailing techniques. To understand the value of the present invention it may be mentioned that the amount of timber used for the spacers in this type of pallet is con¬ siderable, i.e. about one quarter of the entire timber re- quirement for the pallet. From the strength aspect, the timber spacers are also the "weakest link" in the traditio al pallet structure. By manufacturing the spacers according to the embodiment illustrated in Figure 5 instead, there is achieved a final result which is better in many respects. In this case the spacer comprises a metal sleeve 11 manu¬ factured from a metal strip folded and jointed to the desired shape. To obtain an attachment of the spacer 11 in the pallet deck 2 , , 5, 6 and battens 1, 3 that is as stable as possible, it is advantageous to form the sleeve edges with, a serrated configuration. This implementation of the sleeve edges facilitates its primary penetration into the wood material 2, 4, 5, 6 of the deck and also into the wood material of the possible associated battens 1, 3. When the penetration of the serrations has continue to a depth where the serrations have penetrated _to the wh of their depth, penetration will cease unless a much larg force is used. The effect of using a serrated edge to the sleeve 11 is very advantageous from several aspects. For example, the desired penetration of the sleeve edge into the wood material is facilitated, and a well defined poin where penetration ceases is obtained, which would otherwi destroy the pallet if it were to become heavily loaded in conjunction with its use as a load carrier. A further improvement of the aforementioned effe is obtained by providing the serrations with a given set, so that the individual teeth slope alternatingly away fro either side of the vertical plane of the sleeve. The resu of the set is to cause the teeth, when they are pressed into the wood material, to penetrate it at an angle, or rather in a somewhat curved path in relation to the plane of the deck. There is thus obtained two technical effects which are of importance in this conjunction, the spacer 1 is locked directly in the wood material, and also the stopping effect when the serrations bottom is increased, i.e. the risk of further undesirable penetration into the wood material for large load stresses is made a minimum. OiWP V.'IΪ- In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 4, the shape of the sleeve has been selected such that an in¬ creased stability is obtained in the side walls thereof. The fastening means 12 formed as nail elements, are arranged inside the sleeve 11, as will be seen from Figure 11, to provide protection in respect of outside mechanical damage, e.g. knocks from fork truck tines etc. In this example, the sleeve wall 13 has been made as a corrugated metal strip to distribute the stresses from the load on the deck over as large a zone of wood material thereof as possible. As will be seen from Figures 11 and 12, after all nine spacers in the pallet have been joined with the aid of fastening means 12 to the other pallet parts, the result will be a unitary assembly wherein the parts are kept together with great stability. This stabili ty is obtained inter alia with the clinching method used, the ends 15 of the fastening means being bent down and buried in the respective outer surfaces. A further sta¬ bilizing effect is obtained, particularly with regard to diagonal stability of the pallet, by the sleeve edge 16 itself being pressed into the sides of the boards facing towards the sleeve 11 during pressing together of the deck and skid boards. It has been found that the increased twisting stiffness obtained in the respective spacer joint drastically increases the pallet stability and strength an thereby its life as well. The embodiment illustrated in the Figures of the pallet feet or spacers is only an example of implementation suitable in this connection. This embodiment may of course be varied in many different ways in respect of the shape of the sleeve and the type of fastening means used. The sleeve can also be manufactured by cutting off metal pipes, tubes or profiles to obtain a configuration of the spacer. The return bending and driving-in of the tip of the nail-like BURHT fastening means in the respective boa.rd, as illustrated i Figure 12, can of course be replaced by clinching or by some form of riveting, possibly in combination with a suitable washer. The clinching or like operation can of course be completely dispensed with, although such a fastening technique undoubtedly substantially increases the ability of the joint to remain rigid and tight. The serrations on the metal sleeve 11 will be se from Figure 6, including the result of setting the teeth, and in Figures 8-10 is illustrated how these teeth are pressed into the deck 2, 4, 5, 6 in alternate directions during the compression operation. In Figure 7 there is shown a side view of two metal sleeves 11, when these are stacked one inside the other. This is enabled by making the sleeves 11 slightly conical, and enables them to take up much less room, whic • is advantageous for transport and storage. The inventive pallet is manufactured to advantag in a continuous manufacturing line including a pressure- applying and jointing station for unitary assembly of the respective pallet parts with the aid of fastening means 1 -. which are possibly deformed, e.g. by bending, riveting or clinching- Distinguishing for the manufacturing method in accordance with the invention is that pressing together t deck 2—6 and the foot or spacer 11 takes place in a roll nip, in which the respective parts are "mangled" together and whereby an exact dimension resulting from the com¬ pression may be obtained. This dimension can be easily regulated in the roll nip, so that it corresponds to the momentary stop against further penetration of the ser¬ rations of the sleeve 11 into the wood material which occurs when the serrations have penetrated to their entir depth.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Method of manufacturing pallets consisting of a load deck and feet (7, 8, 11) carrying the deck and/or battens (1, 3) , the feet (11) and/or battens (1, 3) pre¬ ferably being combined with fastening means (12) for joining the feet (11) to the deck (2-6) , subsequent to which the deck (2-6) in its entirety or part by part is joined to the feet (11) and/or the battens (1, 3) in a continuous manufacturing line with a compression and joining station for fixing respective pallet parts by joining them together and possible deformation, e.g. bend¬ ing, clinching or riveting of the fixing means, c h a r a t e r i z e d in that the pressing together of deck (2-6) and feet elements (11) is done under such high pressure that the feet elements (11) are caused to penetrate into • the deck (2-6) at least in their upper portion to such a depth that fixation against turning of the feet elements (11) in relation to their fixed position against the deck (2-6) is obtained. 2. Method as claimed in claim 1, c h a r a c t e r¬ i z e d i n that the compression of feet (11) and batten (1, 3) elements is performed in a similar manner and in the same operation as pressing deck (2-6) and feet elements (11) together, the lower portion of the feet elements (11) being caused partially to penetrate into the underlying batten element (1, 3) for being fixed thereto with stiff¬ ness against turning. 3. Method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c- t e r i z e d i n that the upper and/or lower portion of the feet element (11) are formed before compression with " a continuous saw-tooth form, whereby the saw teeth "-I i i .. ' ; (16) formed are pressed into the deck material to the whole of their depth during the compression operation itself. 4. Method as claimed in claim 3, c h a r a c t e r¬ i z e d i that the saw teeth (16) are set before the compression operation, whereby the teeth are pressed into the deck (2-6) in alternating directions during the com¬ pression operation. 5. Method as claimed in any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the fastening means (12) of the feet element (11) " are caused wholly or partial ly to penetrate into the depth (2-6) and battens (1, 3) , respectively, in conjunction with the compression operatio 6. Method as claimed in claim 5, c h a r a c t e r¬ i z e d i n that the deformation of the fastening means (12) is achieved in conjunction with the compression opera tion or in an immediately subsequent bending, riveting or clinching operation. 7. Method as claimed in any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the fastening means (12) consist of nails which in conjunction with, or after clamping of the feet elements (11) are driven "through deck and/or the battens with the aid of riveting or clinching. 8. Pallet manufactured according to the method and according to any of the preceding claims, consisting of load deck (2, 4, 5, 6) preferably of a wood material and at least four feet or spacer elements (7, 8, 11) carrying the deck, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the foot elements consist of metal, sleeves (11) the edge of which engaging against the deck is pressable into the deck material substantially along the whole of the periphery of said sleeve. 9. Pallet as claimed in claim 8, c h a r a c t e r¬ i z e d i that the edges of the metal sleeve (11) have a saw-tooth shape for facilitating pressing the edges into the deck material. 10. Pallet as claimed in claim 9, c h a r a c t e r¬ i z e d i n that the teeth of the saw-tooth-shaped edges of the metal sleeves (11) have a given set before being pressed into the deck material, whereby they are penetrat- able'into the deck_material during the compression opera- tion in alternating directions at an angle to the plane of the deck. 11. Pallet as claimed in any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the metal sleeves (11) have a continuous upstanding corrugated profile. 12. Pallet as claimed in any of the preceding claims, " c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the metal sleeves (11) are pressable on their underside into the battens, sheets or bottom decks (1-3) of wood material supporting the pallet. 13. Pallet as claimed in claim 12, c h a r a c t e r¬ i z e d i n that the load deck (2, 4, 5, 6) and battens (1, 3) are kept together by at least two nail elements (12) extending through deck and battens inside the metal sleeves (11) and are fastened in the deck and/or battens with the aid of riveting or clinching. 14. Pallet as claimed in any of the preceding claims c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the metal sleeves (11) are conically formed seen in an axial direction or i height. (

Inventors: HAMMARBERG LARS, HAMMARBERG, LARS
Applicants: HAMMARBERG LARS, HAMMARBERG, LARS
Application year: 1982
Main classification: B65D19
IPC codes: B65D19