IE20010011A1 - An apparatus and process for the manufacture of pallets - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a process for the manufacture of pallets, the apparatus including a block processing station (100), a top deck-stringer board assembly station (200), a bottom deck assembly station (300) and a pallet finishing station (400). The top deck-stringer board assembly station attaches together top decks and stringer boards for either two way of four way pallets. The bottom deck assembly station attaches bottom boards to a top deck-stringer board assembly produced at the top deck-stringer board assembly station. The pallet finishing station completes the assembled pallet to a customers specification and makes the pallet ready for dispatch. The apparatus can be easily modified to produce pallets of different dimensions. <Figures 2A,2B & 2C>.

Description

There are two main types of pallets a two-way pallet and a four-way pallet each of which comprises a number of components, a top deck, a bottom deck and a number of stringer boards and spacing blocks between the two decks. The top deck supports the payload which is carried on the pallet. The stringer boards are attached to the top deck and hold the top deck together. The blocks are attached to the top deck-stringer board assembly and allow for access underneath the assembly so that the pallet can be lifted by a lifting fork.

A variety of production methods are known for the manufacture of pallets. As the production of pallets for transportation and storage of goods is a highly competitive business, low profit margins are common. There is accordingly an increased move toward the automation of production processes. Production methods to date have been a combination of both manual and automated steps. Manual intervention during manufacture reduces productivity thereby increasing unit cost. Additionally, automated production steps are designed to produce specific types of pallets making production inflexible. When it is required to alter the size, shape or configuration of the pallet a great deal of effort is required.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for the manufacture of pallets to overcome these problems while reducing unit pallet cost.

Accordingly, there is provided an apparatus for the manufacture of pallets, the apparatus including: a block processing station having a block saw for cutting stock material into blocks, a top deck-stringer board assembly station having top deck and stringer board magazines for retaining and dispensing top decks and stringer boards for assembly, a deck-board nailing device for nailing the dispensed decks and boards together to produce a nailed deck, a block nailing device for nailing blocks to the nailed top I IE 01 00 11 deck-boards, a bottom deck assembly station having a bottom deck board magazine for retaining and dispensing bottom decks for assembly, a bottom deck nailing device for nailing the bottom decks to the blocks attached to the top deck, and a pallet finishing station.

Preferably, a clamp is provided to retain and position the stock material in the block processing station. Conveniently, the clamp is adjustable to accept stock material of different dimensions. The size of the blocks produced can be obtained by adjusting the clamp as different pallets and different locations on the pallet require different sized blocks.

Preferably, a block conveyor is provided to collect and transport cut blocks from the block saw to a block feeding station which then distributes the cut blocks of different sizes to the required location for attachment to a top deck-stringer board.

Preferably, a set of block guides receive and retain blocks from the block feeding station. The block guides position a set of blocks in the correct orientation for nailing to the top deck-stringer board.

Conveniently, the block guides are adjustable to allow a user to manufacture different types of pallets.

In one embodiment, a secondary block processing station is provided which has the same components as a primary block processing station. The secondary block processing station can simultaneously produce different sized blocks from the primary block processing station thereby allowing for the manufacture of pallets with different sized blocks.

Preferably, the top deck and stringer board magazines feed top decks and stringer boards into the top deck-stringer board nailing device to produce a nailed top deck-stringer board assembly. The decks and boards are delivered to the nailing device by the magazines in the correct order and orientation for the type of pallet being manufactured.

IE 0 1 0 0 1 1 Preferably, a top deck-stringer board conveyor moves the nailed top deck-stringer board assembly away from the top deck-stringer board nailing device to a top deck-stringer board stacker where the top deck-stringer board assemblies are stacked for temporary storage.

Preferably, a deck loader extracts the top deck-stringer board assembly from the temporary stacked pile and inserts the top deck-stringer board assembly into the block nailing device Conveniently, the block nailing device is used to attach the set of blocks held in the block guides to the nailed decks delivered by the deck loader to produce a top deck-block assembly. The blocks are used to support the top deck and to allow access for lifting a finished pallet.

Preferably, a top deck-block turning device is provided to receive the nailed top deck-block assembly and to turn the assembly over 180° exposing the underside of the nailed top deckblock assembly.

Conveniently, the turning device has an associated conveyor which transports the upturned top decks into the bottom deck assembly station to produce a pre-finished pallet.

Preferably, the bottom deck board magazine feeds bottom decks into the bottom deck nailing device in the correct number and orientation for each top deck-block assembly.

In one embodiment a transverse bottom deck assembly area is provided which is used to attach bottom boards in a different orientation to the bottom decks already attached to the pre-finished pallet.

Ideally, the transverse bottom deck assembly area attaches a set of bottom deck boards perpendicular to the bottom deck boards already attached to the pre-finished pallet.

Preferably, the transverse bottom deck assembly area includes a rotatable deck which can rotate a pallet about its transverse axis as it moves between the bottom deck assembly area and the transverse bottom deck assembly area. The pre-finished pallet needs to be rotated IE 0 1 0 0 1 1 so that it will enter the transverse bottom deck assembly area in the correct configuration. Rotating the pallet will allow for the construction of different configurations of pallet.

Preferably, the pallet finishing station includes; a nail protrusion detector; an identification marker device for putting information onto the pallets; and a surface finishing device for operating on the nailed decks to produce a finished pallet.

Preferably, the nail protrusion detector checks each pallet as it passes through the finishing station. Conveniently, on detection of a protruding nail the detector will drive the nail into the pallet eliminating the potential safety hazard to a pallet user and any likelihood of damage to a payload on the pallet.

In another embodiment, the nail protrusion detector will extract a protruding nail. Bent or damaged nails are more easily removed from the pallet than driving the nails back into the pallet.

Preferably, the identification device includes a branding iron for burning an identification mark onto the pallet. The branding of the pallet is quick and cheap and provides a durable identification mark.

In one embodiment, the identification device is a printed label-attaching machine. The printed label can be attached by using glue, staples or other suitable label attachment means.

Preferably, the finishing station includes a chamfering means which cuts a chamfer on the bottom deck boards to allow for easier access for a hand pallet truck or forklift.

IE 0 1 0 0 1 1 In one arrangement a comer cutter is provided to mitre the four comers of the pallet to facilitate shrink wrapping of the pallet and its payload.

Preferably, a turn table is provided to turn the pallet into a desired orientation for further processing.

Preferably, a pallet stacking apparatus is provided to stack the pallets at the pallet finishing station. The pallets are stacked ready for dispatch or storage.

Conveniently, the identification device can apply information to either a single pallet or a stack of pallets.

The present invention also provides a production process for the manufacture of pallets, the process including the steps of: cutting a set of pallet blocks; arranging the set of blocks in the desired orientation; dispensing top decks and stringer boards from top deck and stringer board magazines; nailing the top decks and stringer boards together; conveying the nailed top deck-stringer boards to a block nailing station; nailing the set of blocks to the top deck-stringer boards; turning the top deck-stringer boards upside down; dispensing bottom boards from a bottom board magazine; IE 0 1 00 1 1 nailing the bottom boards to the upside down top deck-stringer board assembly; and finishing the pallets ready for dispatch.

Preferably, the process for the manufacture of the pallets includes a process for the manufacture of a full perimeter pallet having the steps of: cutting a set of pallet blocks; arranging the set of blocks in the desired orientation; dispensing top decks and stringer boards from top deck and stringer board magazines; nailing the top decks and stringer boards together; conveying the nailed top deck-stringer boards to a block nailing station; nailing the set of blocks to the top deck-stringer boards; turning the top deck-stringer boards upside down; dispensing bottom boards from a bottom board magazine; nailing the bottom boards to the upside down top deck-stringer board assembly; turning the nailed top deck-stringer board about its transverse axis; dispensing transverse bottom decks from a transverse bottom deck magazine; attaching the transverse bottom deck to the top deck-stringer board; and IE 0 1 00 1 1 conveying the pallet to a finishing station.

Preferably, the process for the manufacture of pallets includes a process for the manufacture of a block having the steps of; feeding a length of stock material into a block saw; cutting the block material into the correct lengths; and conveying the cut blocks into position for nailing to a top deck-stringer board assembly.

Preferably, the process for the manufacture of pallets including a process for finishing the pallets including the steps of :chamfering the bottom deck boards; detecting protruding nails; mitering the comers of the pallet; applying an identification mark to the pallet; and stacking the finished pallets.

The invention will hereafter be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate by way of example only, two embodiments of a pallet manufacturing apparatus according to the invention. In the drawing: Figure 1 is a plan view of a pallet manufacturing apparatus according to one embodiment of the invention; IE Ο 1 Ο Ο 1 1 Figures 2Α, 2Β and 2C are plan views of a second embodiment of the pallet manufacturing apparatus according to the invention; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a length of stock material with blocks cut off; Figure 4 is a perspective view of a set of cut blocks; Figure 5 is a perspective view of a set of blocks arranged for attachment to a top deck-stringer board assembly; Figure 6 is a perspective view of a top deck-stringer board assembly; Figure 7 is a perspective view of the top deck-stringer board assembly being positioned upon the set of blocks of Figure 4; Figure 8 is a perspective view of the top deck-stringer board assembly attached to the blocks to form a top deck-block assembly; Figure 9 is a perspective view of the upturned top deck-block assembly of figure 7; Figure 10 is a perspective view of the upturned top deck-block assembly with a set of bottom deck boards; Figure 11 is a perspective view of the upturned top deck-block assembly with the 25 set of bottom deck boards attached to the top deck-block assembly; Figure 12 is a perspective view of the top deck-block assembly with a set of transverse bottom deck boards; Figure 13 is a perspective view of the top deck-block assembly with the set of transverse bottom deck boards attached to the top deck-block assembly; IE 0 1 0 0 1 1 Figure 14 is a detailed view of a mitred comer of a pallet; Figure 15 is the pallet turned the correct way up; and Figure 16 is a stack of finished pallets.

Figure 1, shows a top deck-stringer board assembly station generally referred to by the reference numeral 1000. The top deck-stringer board assembly station 1000 has a top deck-stringer board magazine 1, for retaining and automatically dispensing the top decks and stringer boards for assembly. The decks and boards are precut to the dimensions required for the pallet being assembled. The decks and boards are released from the magazine 1 and enter a deck-board nailing area 2, where they are aligned ready for attachment to each other. At the deck-board nailing area 2, nails are inserted into the decks and boards, to attach them together. The pattern and position of the nails can be adjusted according to the type of pallet being produced. The nailing area 2 is faster and more accurate than manually nailing the parts of the pallet together and makes the nailing process more efficient and maintains a high standard of quality.

The nailed decks and boards are conveyed away from the deck-board nailing area 2 using a nailing area conveyor 3. At this stage the nailed decks and boards can be extracted from the top deck-stringer board assembly station 1000 using a buffer stacker 4, which collects and stacks the partially assembled pallets. The stacked partially assembled pallets can now be re-located to another part of the production process for assembly into four-way fully reversible pallets, which will be described later. The partially assembled pallets, which are now extracted from the production line move onto a turning deck 5 which can rotate the partially assembled pallets. Some pallets due to their dimensions require turning in order to enter a block nailing area 6. In the block nailing area 6 a set of blocks is positioned onto the partially assembled pallets and nails inserted into the blocks to attach them to the partially assembled pallets. The blocks are produced at a block processing station 2000, which will be described in more detail later. The nailing area conveyor 3 carries the assembled pallet away from the block nailing area 6 and turns the pallet the right way up ready for shipping. ΙΕ Π 1 Π 0 1 1 ίο The production process also includes a four-way fully reversible pallet station 3000. The partly assembled pallets, which were collected at the buffer stacker 4, are positioned onto a destacker 7 which selects a part assembled pallet and places it onto a four-way assembly station conveyor 8. A bottom deck board magazine 9 is provided to retain and position the bottom deck board for assembly. When a part assembled pallet is in position a bottom deck board is released from the bottom deck board magazine 9 and is positioned on the part assembled pallet. The assembly is then carried into a four-way pallet nailing area 10 where the parts are nailed together.

When the pallet is fully assembled it is passed into a finishing station 4000 which prepares the pallets for a customer. Each of the procedures in the finishing station are optional and are dependent upon a customers requirements. An identification machine 11 is provided to put information on the pallet. The information may include a customer’s logo, a quality mark or standard relating to the pallet or other information. The information can be applied in a number of ways such as bum branding or stapled on labels. If the pallets are upside down, as is the case of the four-way pallets, an automatic pallet turner 12 is provided to tum them the right way up. A chamfering machine 13 is provided to cut a chamfer onto the edge of the bottom deck boards to allow for easier access for a hand pallet truck or forklift truck. A comer cutter 14 is available to mitre the four comers of the pallet to facilitate the application of shrink-wrapping.

The pallets, which have passed through the finishing station, are now stacked using a stacker 15 and can stack the pallets to any required number. Finally a dispatch conveyor 16 carries the stacked pallets away for storage or for dispatch to a customer.

The block processing station 2000 makes the blocks which are attached to the pallet. The blocks are produced from lengths of stock material which are fed into a block material feeder 17. A block saw 18 cuts the stock material into the correct size and any waste or off cuts are removed from the block saw using a waste cut off conveyor 19. It is important to remove any waste from the block saw 18 as the accumulation of waste can cause safety problems. The cut blocks are carried away from the block saw 18 by a block conveyor 20 IE 0 1 0 0 1 1 and are fed into a block magazine 21. The blocks are retained and automatically dispensed from the block magazine 21 into the block nailing area 6 when required.

The production process is controlled and monitored using a computer 22. It is important that the process carefully monitored so that the parts of the pallet are available and ready for assembly as required Figure 2A shows a block processing station 100 and a top deck-stringer board assembly station 200. The block processing station 100 has a stock material conveyor 101 which can feed stock material SM into the block processing station 100. A lumber clamp 102 is positioned at the end of the stock material conveyor 101 and engages with the stock material SM to hold it in position in the block processing station 100. The lumber clamp 102 holds and feeds the stock material SM as it is cut into blocks B. The stock material SM is fed into a block saw 103 by the lumber clamp 102 which cuts the stock material SM into blocks B as shown in Figure 3. The lumber clamp 102 feeds the stock material SM at a preset rate so that blocks B of a certain size are produced. A set of blocks B are illustrated in Figure 4. The blocks B which are cut from the stock material SM are collected from the block saw 103 and transported along a block conveyor 104 to a block feeding station 105. For convenience and increased productivity, a second block processing station 100A is provided and includes a stock material conveyor 101 A, a lumber clamp 102A, a block saw 103 A and a block conveyor 104A. The parts of the second block processing station 100A work in the same way as the first block processing station 100. Each of the block processing stations 100 and 100A can produce different sized blocks B simultaneously which may be required for a particular type of pallet.

At the block feeding station 105, the blocks B arrive along the block conveyors 104 and 104A and are distributed into a set of block guides 106A, 106B and 106C which receive and retain the blocks B from the block feeding station 105. The block guides 106A, 106B and 106C position the different sized blocks B in the correct orientation for production of a particular pallet. A set of blocks B as they would be positioned in the block guide are shown in Figure 5.

IE 0 1 00 1 1 The top deck-stringer board assembly station 200 operates parallel to the block processing station 100 to produce top deck-stringer boards for attachment to the blocks B produced by the block processing stations 100 and 100A. Figure 6 shows an example of a top deckstringer board assembly. The top deck-stringer board assembly station 200 includes a top deck magazine 201 which retains and feeds top decks into the top deck-stringer boards assembly station 200. A stringer board magazine 202 is also provided which retains stringer boards and dispenses the stringer boards into the top deck-stringer board assembly station 200. The top deck magazine 201 and the stringer board magazine 202 are automatically controlled so that the top decks and stringer boards are dispensed in the correct order and orientation.

The top decks and stringer boards are fed into a top deck-stringer board nailing machine 203 using a top deck-stringer board conveyor 204. The top deck-stringer board nailing machine 203 nails the top decks and stringer boards together. The nailed top deck-stringer board assembly is then fed out onto a top deck-stringer board stacker 205. The stacked top deck-stringer board assemblies are then rotated about on a deflector 206 so that the assemblies are in the correct orientation for the next step in the process.

A deck loader 207 is located next to the stack of top deck-stringer board assemblies. The deck loader 207 extracts the top deck-stringer assemblies one by one and positions the assemblies onto a guide rail 208. The block guides 106A, 106B and 106C from the block feeding station 105 convey the blocks B to a block nailing machine 209 along the guide rail 208. The blocks B are moved into position next to the deck loader 207 so that the deck loader 206 lowers the top deck-stringer board assembly onto the block guides B. The block nailing machine 209 nails the top deck-stringer board assembly to the blocks B held within the guide rail 208 to produce a top deck-block assembly which is shown in Figure 8. A turn table 211 receives the nailed top deck-block assembly from the block nailing machine 208 and turn the assembly up side down to expose the underside of the assembly as illustrated in Figure 9.

Referring now to Figure 2B, there is shown a bottom deck assembly station 300 and part of a finishing station 400. A rotating platform 301 receives the upturned top deck-block IE 0 1 0 0 1 1 assembly and rotates the assembly into the correct orientation for attachment of bottom boards BB. A conveyor 302 moves the top deck-block assemblies into a bottom deck nailing machine 303. A bottom board magazine 304 is positioned next to the bottom deck nailing machine 303 and dispenses bottom boards BB into the bottom board nailing machine 303. Figure 10 illustrates the upturned top deck-block assembly with the bottom boards BB positioned ready for attachment. The dispensed bottom boards BB are nailed to the top deck-block assembly. Figure 11 shows the top deck-block assembly with the bottom boards BB nailed on. A pallet rotation table 305 turns the nailed top deck-block assembly through its transverse axis so it is in the correct orientation for the next step of processing. A chamfering machine 306 is located next to the pallet rotation table 305 which chamfers the bottom decks to allow for easier access for a hand pallet or forklift truck. A bottom deck conveyor 307 moves the nailed assembly into a transverse bottom board nailing machine 308 where a set of transverse bottom boards TBB are nailed onto top deck-block assembly. Figure 11 show a top deck assembly with a set of transverse bottom boards TBB being positioned ready for attachment to the top deck assembly. Figure 12 illustrates the transverse bottom boards TBB attached to the top deck assembly. A nail protrusion 401 device is located next to the transverse bottom board nailing machine 308 and detects nails which extend out from the finished pallet. The nail protrusion device 401 drives protruding nails into the pallet.

Referring now to Figure 2C, there is shown a plan view of the pallet manufacturing apparatus which includes a finishing station rotating platform 402 which rotates the pallet into the correct orientation for entry into the next device in the finishing station 400. A comer cutting machine 403 is provided to mitre the comer edges of the pallet to facilitate the application of shrink wrapping. Each comer is mitred simultaneously with a comer saw 403A, 403B, 403C and 403D. An example of a mitred pallet is shown in Figure 14. single pallet branding machine 404 is located next to the comer cutting machine 403. The single pallet branding machine 404 has six branding irons 404A, 404B, 404C 404D, 404E and 404F which can brand on information depending upon a customers requirements. The branding irons 406A-F are interchangeable giving the manufacturer greater flexibility in the information that can be applied to the pallets. A second rotating platform 405 is provided to rotate the pallet about its transverse axis if required. A finishing station tum IE Ο 1 Ο Ο 1 1 table 406 turns the pallet top deck up. A pallet stacker 407 stacks the finished pallets ready for storage or dispatch.

A stacked pallet conveyor 408 moves the stacked pallets away from the pallet 5 manufacturing apparatus. A multi pallet branding machine 409 is located above the stacked pallet conveyor 408 and is used to brand stacked pallets if necessary.

The production process is controlled and monitored using a computer (not shown). It is important that the process carefully monitored so that the parts of the pallet are available and ready for assembly as required The invention is not limited to the embodiment described and may be varied in both construction and detail within the scope of the invention as defined in the attached claims.

IE 0 1 0 0 1 1

Claims (14)

CLAIMS:

1. An apparatus for the manufacture of pallets comprising; a block processing station including a block saw for cutting stock material into blocks, a top deck-stringer board assembly station including top deck and stringer board magazines for retaining and dispensing top decks and stringer boards for assembly, a deck-board nailing device for nailing the dispensed decks and boards together to produce a nailed deck, a block nailing device for nailing blocks to nailed top deck-boards, a bottom deck assembly station including a bottom deck board magazine for retaining and dispensing bottom decks for assembly, a bottom deck nailing device for nailing the bottom decks to the blocks attached to the top deck, and a pallet finishing station.

2. An apparatus for the manufacture of pallets as claimed in claim 1 wherein the block processing station includes:a clamp to retain and position the stock material in the block processing station; a block conveyor to collect and transport cut blocks from the block saw to a block feeding station; and a set of block guides to receive and retain blocks from the block feeding station.

3. An apparatus for the manufacture of pallets as claimed in claims 1 and 2, in which a secondary block processing station is provided for simultaneously producing different sized blocks from a primary block processing station.

4. , An apparatus for the manufacture of pallets as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the top deck-stringer board assembly station includes:16 a top deck-stringer board conveyor for moving the nailed decks between the top deck-stringer board nailing device and a top deck-stringer board stacker where the top deck-stringer board assemblies are stacked for temporary storage; and a deck loader for extracting a top deck-stringer board assembly from the temporary stacked pile and inserting the top deck-stringer board assembly into the block nailing device.

5. An apparatus for the manufacture of pallets as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the bottom deck assembly station includes a top deck-block turning device for up turning a nailed top deck-block assembly thereby exposing the underside of the nailed top deck-block assembly.

6. An apparatus for the manufacture of pallets as claimed in claim 5 in which the bottom deck assembly station includes a transverse bottom deck assembly area to attach transverse bottom boards in a different orientation to the bottom decks already attached to the top deck-block assembly.

7. An application for the manufacturer of pallets as claimed in claim 5 including a rotatable deck which can rotate a pallet about its transverse axis for the construction of different configurations of pallets.

8. An apparatus for the manufacture of pallets as claimed in any of the preceding claims in which the pallet finishing station includes; a nail protrusion detector which eliminates protruding nails; an identification marker device for putting information onto the pallets; a surface finishing device for operating on the nailed decks to produce a finished pallet; IE 0 1 00 1 1 a turning device for turning the finished pallet into a desired orientation; a chamfering means which is adaptable to cut a chamfer on the bottom deck boards to allow for easier access for a hand pallet truck or forklift; a comer cutter which is adapted to mitre the comers of the pallet to facilitate shrink wrapping of the pallet and its payload; a pallet stacking apparatus which is adapted to stack the pallets at the pallet finishing station.

9. A process for the manufacture of pallets, the process including the steps of: cutting a set of pallet blocks; arranging the set of blocks in the desired orientation; dispensing top decks and stringer boards from top deck and stringer board magazines; nailing the top decks and stringer boards together; conveying the nailed top deck-stringer boards to a block nailing station; nailing the set of blocks to the top deck-stringer boards; turning the top deck-stringer boards upside down; dispensing bottom boards from a bottom board magazine; nailing the bottom boards to the upturned top deck-stringer board assembly; and IE 0 1 0011 finishing the pallets ready for dispatch.

10. A process for the manufacture of the pallets as claimed in claim 9, including a process for the manufacture of a full perimeter pallet having the steps of: cutting a set of pallet blocks; arranging the set of blocks in the desired orientation; dispensing top decks and stringer boards from top deck and stringer board magazines; nailing the top decks and stringer boards together; conveying the nailed top deck-stringer boards to a block nailing station; nailing the set of blocks to the top deck-stringer boards; turning the top deck-stringer boards upside down; dispensing bottom boards from a bottom board magazine; nailing the bottom boards to the upturned top deck-stringer board assembly; turning the nailed top deck-stringer board about its transverse axis; dispensing transverse bottom decks from a transverse bottom deck magazine; attaching the transverse bottom deck to the top deck-stringer board; and conveying the pallet to a finishing station. IE 0 1 0011

11. A process for the manufacture of pallets as claimed in claims 9 and 10 including a process for the manufacture of a block having the steps oftfeeding a length of stock material into a block saw; cutting the block material into the correct lengths; and conveying the cut blocks into position for nailing to a top deck-stringer board assembly.

12. A process for the manufacture of pallets as claimed in any of the preceding claims including a process for finishing the pallets including the steps of :chamfering the bottom deck boards; detecting protruding nails; mitering the comers of the pallet; applying an identification mark to the pallet; and stacking the finished pallets.

13. An apparatus for the manufacture of pallets substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

14. A process for the manufacture of pallets as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.