Roller Pallet Flow & Ergo Cell Put to the Test with Flimsy Plastic Pallets | Mallard Manufacturing

Plastic pallets have a lot of upside vs. wood options for manufacturing and distribution centers. However, those upsides can be outweighed by pallets too flimsy to perform as required. Recently, our team tested wooden and plastic pallets for a large equipment manufacturer seeking a pallet flow rack solution. What we found may help you make the best choices for your operation. When looking for cost-effectiveness, exploring all the potential outcomes is imperative.

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Wait, Don’t Hang Up! Solutions for Plastic Pallets on Pallet Flow Rack

Plastic pallets offer several advantages over wood pallets. Most significantly, they tend to have a longer lifespan as they resist rotting, warping, and bug infestations, leading to reduced maintenance costs and fewer replacements. Plus, they’re non-absorbent and easy to clean and sterilize, making them ideal for industries with strict hygiene standards, such as food and pharmaceuticals. Additionally, plastic pallets weigh less than wood, making them easier to handle and transport. They are considered more environmentally friendly because they can be made from recycled plastics and ultimately recycled at the end of their lifespan.

Plastic Pallet Benefits vs. Wooden
--Increased durability
--Improved handling
--Enhanced hygiene
--Environmentally friendly
--Reliably sized

One other benefit of plastic pallets is that they offer consistent dimensions. As pallet flow manufacturers, we like consistent sizes to define the safest and most economical solution for our flow rack systems.

Sounds great, right? As with most things, the answer is a cautionary… it can be. Plastic pallets, like wooden pallets, can range in quality. Therefore, just because the pallets are in good condition, uniformly sized, etc., doesn’t necessarily mean smooth sailing --plastic has the potential to be flimsy. This is a concern that isn’t exclusive to pallet flow rack. Automated storage racking, drive-in racking, or any unsupported standard pallet racking all require size conformity, good pallet quality, and pallets able to pass the stiffness test.

Pallet Flow Rack Test “Action Needed” Results for Plastic & Wooden Pallets

The Mallard Engineering Lab received two sample pallets from a large equipment manufacturer seeking a pallet flow rack system. Our go-to for plastic pallets is roller pallet flow which tends to fair better against pallet deflection, particularly with speed controllers added to the lane design. However, we have two roller options --full and split roller. To ensure the best solution for the customer, we tested both.

Test Parameters:
--Option 1 - Full Roller with FIBA & Ultra-Grip speed controllers
--Option 2 - Split Roller with drop-in speed controllers and Ergo Cell separator
--Roller diameter: 1.9"
--Roller centers: 3”
--Pitch: ⅜” per foot
--Load weight: 1000 lbs.
--Plastic pallets: 43.5"w x 43.5"d, good condition, flimsy
--Wooden pallets: 48"w x 40"d, noticeable warping & nails protruding

Option #1 - Full Roller Pallet Flow
As you can see in the video, the full roller system worked well to flow the pallets at a good rate of speed and consistency. The plastic pallet will tend to conform to the rollers under the load weight, so we recommend using the plugging method when extracting the pallet to restart the flow of the rear pallets. Simply pushing back a bit with the pallet before removing it is plugging the lane.
The Ultra-Grip speed controllers mount in the lane with FIBA underneath to provide a dual approach to slowing and controlling the tracking of the pallets.

Option #2 - Split-Roller Pallet Flow with Ergo Cell

The Ergo Cell pallet separator is a pneumatically controlled device that separates the front and rear pallets. By isolating the front pallet at the pick aisle, the forklift operator has an easier time extracting the pallet because it does not bear the rear pallets' back pressure (combined weight x .06).

The rear pallets are held back by pop-ups in the lane that recede when the pneumatic controller is pressed. The pneumatic controller is mounted on a pedestal or hand-held remote. Potentially, the pallets would start to flow on their own once the pop-ups dropped; however, in this test, they did not. The plastic pallet quality is too thin and flimsy, and instead, it conformed to the rollers and pop-up devices.

Ultimately, the full roller pallet flow system will provide a good solution for this customer. If the customer can upgrade the plastic pallets, we recommend following through with that for the operational effectiveness and safety of the operation.