Different
types of pallets...
Pallets are platforms used to move
goods throughout their lifecycles; pallets accompany the cargo
they carry in factories, trucks, warehouses and stores. To be
effective, a pallet must be strong, maneuverable and perhaps most
importantly, affordable. There are all sorts of different types
of pallets; wooden, metal, plastic and cardboard pallets each
have their relative advantages and disadvantages.
Many companies are starting to realize
the importance of pallet repairability, reusability and recyclability.
A disposable pallet may be less expensive until you factor in
replacement costs; the overall expense of disposable pallets is
frequently greater than the expense of their higher quality and
reusable counterparts. The businesses that were first to invest
in more durable pallets that don't end up dumped in landfills
have revolutionized the pallet business.
Traditionally, most pallets were
made out of wood. Wood is plentiful, strong, flexible, and easy
to assemble. Wood pallets travel with goods on a single trip,
and once unloaded, they are either repaired or disposed. When
the industry realized that pallets were using more of America's
wood than any other single product by volume, excessive waste
became a concern. If a third party materials manager cannot repair
a wood pallet, fortunately, it can be recycled as wood pulp. Despite
the disadvantages of wood pallets, they are still the most common
type.
Metal pallets have strong advantages
in their durability, strength, and ability to be mended. However,
they are very expensive to manufacture and so heavy that they
dramatically increase the cost of shipping. Certain industries,
however, will always need sturdy steel pallets to transport particularly
heavy or oversized goods.
Various mold processes and materials can be used to create different
types of plastic pallets. In general, plastic falls somewhere
in the middle in terms of cost and strength compared with other
types. For instance, injection-molded pallets are rigid and light,
but they cannot withstand too much impact. Structural foam pallets
are stronger because they are both flexible and can bear a substantial
amount of weight. The raw materials in foam pallets can be partially
reused, but they are not recyclable.
Pallets can also be created using
a vacuum thermoforming process. Plastic sheets are heated and
vacuumed into a mold where they cool into the desired shape. This
process is less expensive than other methods, but unfortunately
thermoformed pallets tend to be weaker than other varieties.
A newcomer to the pallet scene of
the late 1990s is the cardboard pallet. Entirely disposable through
recycling and very inexpensive to make, these pallets almost function
as extra packaging for boxes. They are basically corrugated cardboard
with structural reinforcements. Best of all they are so light,
they hardly affect shipping costs.
