Automation Plus offers ergonomic solution to handle empty pallets

Automation Plus (Booth 4863), a division of CSF Inc., has invented a new way to handle pallets, called the Pallet Return Device (PRDTM). The PRDTM is designed to operate in distribution center pick modules or with pick tunnels.

The PRDTM makes handling pallets safer and more efficient than current practices, and does not use an outside energy source such as electricity or compressed air, Jordon Schultz, VP of sales for Automation Plus, said at a booth visit. Currently, stacking pallets requires expensive machinery or intense manual labor, he added. The PRDTM enables a new method, where the operator lifts the pallet over a pivot point, creating a mechanical advantage to remove the back strain associated with lifting pallets.

The PRDTM uses a “carriage” to help guide the empty pallets, said Schultz. This feature produces a perfect stack, thereby eliminating the need for the fork truck driver to reshape the stack. Additionally, pallets stacked neatly one atop the other removes the hazard associated with falling pallets.

A single pallet can weigh anywhere from 30 to 70 pounds. The PRDTM incorporates a shock-absorbing device that provides a smooth transition from the load position to the unload position. In use, the operator loads the carriage. When the carriage is full, the operator simply releases the load, and lets the shock absorbing device safely guide the stack to a vertical (unload) position. Once positioned, the pallets are rolled forward to a raised outbound location which releases the pallets from the carriage. The operator then slides the carriage back, tilts it to the load position, and it’s ready to receive more empty pallets.

Modex 2016 is scheduled to be held April 4-7, 2016 in Atlanta’s Georgia World Conference Center. The tradeshow will showcase the latest manufacturing, distribution and supply chain solutions in the material handling and logistics industry. Modern’s complete Modex coverage.