Norpak conveyors excel in handling wood, plastic, or steel pallets for all transport needs

Pallet conveyors are available from Norpak.

Businesses across Canada rely on material-handling solutions from Norpak Handling Ltd. This includes equipment for heavy-duty tasks involving pallets, which can be heavy and bulky. The specific type of pallet has a substantial influence on the way a conveyor is employed to optimize results for the company’s conveying process – and this is why it is vital to consider what pallet types will be handled when a customer is selecting a conveyor solution for this scenario.

Wood, containers, or racks

The four most common pallet types handled by conveyors:

• Plastic containers – containers with many different kinds of designs, which pose unique challenges. They can have smooth bottoms, distinct rail patterns, or ribbed or honeycomb patterns. Containers with more complex patterns can be more difficult to transport and may need conveyor rollers with close centres, multiple chain strands, and/or wide belted surfaces. The Norpak team offers the skills to customize a conveyor to meet these requirements.
• Plastic pallets – as easy to convey as wooden pallets are, while constructed in the same way. Because of their stumps, multi-footed plastic thermoform pallets are difficult, so they require a special model of conveyor.
• Steel racks – less uniform than wood pallets are in design and typically available with either two steel runners or “picture frame” bottoms. Roller chains or multiple lanes of narrow rollers may be required for additional support and stability, depending on the construction of the racks. Steel racks can cause more damage to conveyors, so if they are the only options, a more intensive maintenance and inspection routine should be adopted.
• Wood – arguably the most familiar pallet type in industry. Wood pallets are frequently made of GMA wood and assembled with nails, serving as platforms on which employees can stack products and arrange them stably. They typically have a few bottom boards that contact the conveyor. Since the boards are spaced far apart, the boards should be positioned perpendicularly to the conveyor rollers, to enable smooth conveyance and to space the rollers further apart. If this is not feasible, the user must outfit the conveyor with additional rollers.

To learn more, contact Norpak.

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