Any trade and industrial operations are related to the movement, transportation and storage of goods. In order not to spoil the raw materials or finished products during transportation, storage, it is important to fix them correctly. In this case, one cannot do without special pallets - auxiliary means of standard sizes and shapes designed for loading and unloading.
What are
Pallets or pallets are rigid bases, platforms for the installation, movement, storage and transportation of large units of goods. An empty pallet weighs about 20 kg, the load capacity of such a stand reaches 1000 kg and above. The goods placed on them are fastened with belts, stretch films or durable tapes. The work is carried out by mechanical loaders.
There are single and multiple use pallets. The former are made from fragile materials, such as cardboard. They withstand no more than 1-2 uses, are quickly destroyed and must be disposed of. Reusable pallets are produced according to unified standards from inexpensive wood, synthetic resins or metal.
Types of pallets
The device structure is two-way and four-way. The first loader can hook only on two sides in which there are grooves. The second can be tackled from all sides.
One-floor pallets have a single working platform. Double-decker can be turned over - both sides are suitable for the installation of goods.
Depending on the type of feedstock, pallets are:
- Wooden. These designs are inexpensive.. Their production does not take much time and labor. Before cutting, the material undergoes sanitary and protective treatment from bio-pollution. Ready-made pallets have several degrees of strength. They are environmentally friendly, wear-resistant, and if necessary, must be repaired. There are disadvantages: low moisture and biostability. Structures require frequent sanitization.
- Plastic They are made by casting from synthetic resins. Advantages: much lighter than wooden ones, more practical, serve longer, are easy to clean, have good impact resistance. The disadvantage is the high cost.
- Metal. They are made of steel and aluminum profiles. These supports can withstand high temperatures, have a large carrying capacity. Metal pallets are rarely used for long-distance transport, as they are much heavier than analogues. They are used to store and move goods, various goods inside warehouses.
- Cardboard. For production, pressed corrugated cardboard is taken. More often these supports are used for transporting goods.. Use is one-time, as the material quickly gets wet and deformed.
To work with non-standard loads, special pallets with high walls, racks or boxes are produced. For transportation by rail, there are pallets with additional fastening equipment: fisting, island superstructures, folding walls.
Standards and grades of pallets
All pallets have unified dimensions and are marked with markers indicating their origin.
Europallet
The design has mandatory dimensions of 800 × 1200 × 145 mm. On several supports, usually on the right side, the EUR and EPAL hallmarks are scorched, surrounded by an oval. On the left side put a mark with information about the manufacturer and other data. The upper part of Euro pallets consists of five levels - wide and narrow, which alternate. The lower one is of three: one wide and two narrow on the sides. There are chamfers at the corners of the structure.
Finnish pallet
Certified pallets with parameters 1000 × 1200 × 145 mm. The FIN code in the rectangle is marked on the right legs. On the central supports are the company marks and the date of issue. The upper part of such pallets is made up of 7 boards: after two narrow ones - one wide. The lower part is identical to europallets. Chamfers for such models are required.
Cargo pallet
The manufactured pallets comply with the standards. The thickness of the boards is about 22 mm. There is no branded coding on the legs.
American pallet
The dimensions of the stands are 1200 × 1200 × 145 mm. The thickness of the strips is 6 mm. The upper part is knitted from seven fragments of the same width - not more than 100 mm. The lower tier consists of three boards.
Domestic pallets
According to the requirements of GOST 9557-87, Russian pallets have the same dimensions, the number of nails, as European ones. The difference is the lack of proprietary encodings. The pallets regulated by GOST 9078-84 are stored. The only requirements to which they correspond are: parameters 1200 × 1000 mm and 1200 × 800 mm. Everything else is not regulated.
European standards provide for the mandatory phyto-processing of pallets, affixing codes on them. Applicable methods:
- fumigation: spraying with chemicals that destroy microorganisms;
- chamber drying: keeping pallets in chambers with high temperature and low humidity.
The fact that pallets have passed standard quarantine and are biologically safe is indicated by the stigma in the form of a spikelet and the code of the processing method.
Most designs are used many times, so pallets gradually wear out. In their manufacture minor defects are allowed. There are several types of pallets in quality:
- higher: completely new or used 1-3 times, strong, without darkening, splitting, cracks and other defects, corresponding to all parameters in terms of quantity, thickness and width of boards;
- the first: strong, clean, undamaged, not repaired, pallets meeting all standards;
- the second: there may be stubborn dirt on the boards, discoloration, slight damage along the edges is allowed, minor cracks are encountered that do not pose a danger to the overall integrity. Pallets of the same kind that have been repaired but suitable for use.
Application
Pallets are produced for short-term and long-term storage, transportation, transportation of completed units of goods. They save time, effort in counting and loading, help to avoid spoilage or loss of products. These supports are indispensable in industrial enterprises, in logistics, in the wholesale and retail trade, and in the construction industry.
It is convenient to use pallets at home. This is especially true of wooden structures. New or used copies can be used in garden construction, a house or an apartment. They are used for arranging verandas, home-made sidewalks, creating street or home furniture, building gazebos, swings, children's playhouses, sandboxes. If you approach the matter creatively, showing ingenuity, then with the help of an ax, a hammer, varnishes, paint, other materials and tools from pallets you can make garden parquet, tables, benches, stands, wall partitions, fences, sofas, cabinets, cabinets, shelves, clothes hangers.
How to choose a pallet
Pallets must be selected based on the purposes for which they will be intended. For transportation and movement of standard goods, wooden is often used: standardized or not containing markings. For food products, it is advisable to choose europallets that have been sanitized by chamber drying. Chemical disinfection can be dangerous since residues of toxic compounds remain on the wood surface.
For long-term storage in warehouses of extremely heavy loads, metal structures are traditionally chosen. They are less prone to deformation, do not collapse in conditions of high humidity.
For non-standard goods it is better to choose plastic pallets. They withstand sudden changes in temperature, insensitive to severe frosts, moisture. Usually they transport complex equipment, valuable, fragile or easily breakable goods.
For container transportation, the number of pallets must be calculated in advance, taking into account the volume of the vans. When storing products in several tiers, the load on the lower rows must be taken into account. So that the excess weight of the coasters does not increase the total, it is better to choose the lightest ones - from the cardboard.
For the manufacture of garden furniture, flooring and other useful things, wooden strong pallets of the highest and first grades that have passed sanitary processing are suitable.
Where can I buy?
To receive a large batch of pallets, they contact the supplier company or directly with the manufacturer. Bulk purchases are cheaper.
Several pallets for household needs can be found for free by visiting thematic forums, sections of announcements on the Internet. You need to remember that you will have to deal with already used designs, so check their suitability.
Many trading enterprises and transport companies try to get rid of this container. Turning to such a company, you can purchase pallets at a symbolic price or for free. If you're lucky, then almost new.