Plastic Pallet Totes Get a Consistent Ride on Split Roller Pallet Flow Rack

A manufacturer that designs extremely precise automobile parts and accessories deserves a well-thought-out and equally detailed pallet flow rack solution to quickly and efficiently move their important products… thankfully the Mallard Engineering Testing Lab never disappoints.

Mallard’s Full and Split Roller pallet flow rack design is an accommodating pallet flow system, ideal for varying pallet sizes and configurations.  In this case, we had only a single pallet type but these pallet totes had a loaded weight variance of almost 1000 lbs. and they were plastic (we know you know what we always say about plastic pallets) so we had to… test first!

Plastic pallets don’t have smooth, flat runner boards like the average wooden pallet so we test the pallet flow system before we install it to ensure proper flow.  These pallet totes were no different.  As you will see from the test video below, the bottom feet of these waffle design pallets often don’t even make regular contact with the roller lanes but the careful attention to detail to the system design works here and this is why:

2-split roller pallet flow rails are used to match the feet of the totes as best as possible.  The split roller is configured with 8” long rollers on a moderate 1.9” diameter spacing with indirect mount speed controllers placed staggered among the two rail lanes.  The indirect speed controllers are not designed to make contact with the pallets as are other style brakes but instead, these provide direct contact with the rollers themselves keeping the rollers from advancing the pallets too quickly down the lane.

Test Parameters:

• 2-rail split roller pallet flow system
• 9” roller diameter
• 8” Roller length
• #40 indirect mount speed controllers set at 36” staggered intervals in each lane
• Pallet Orientation = 45”w x 48”d
• Pallet Weights = 315 – 1200 lbs.

The split roller pallet flow system with the indirect mount speed controllers handled these plastic pallet totes consistently despite the weight variance.  While these pallet totes are nearly 3’ tall, they tracked well enough down the lane at a gentle 7/16” per foot slope that there wasn’t a perceived need for rails… the speed controllers assist with tracking as well.

So, it’s a wrap as they say….

Do you have any questions regarding this test or our engineering testing lab in general?  Well, give us a call today and we’ll be happy to review this project or any challenge that you have in your facility to come up with a workable, efficient, cost-effective solution.