Palletization is a core step within the provide chain course of. On the floor, palletizing can appear quite simple — you simply stack containers onto an empty pallets. However there are various various kinds of palletization and varied methods to match these varieties.
With so many alternative pallet varieties and supplies, course of layouts, and ranges of automation, it is simple to change into overwhelmed when making an attempt to find out which kind of palletization is greatest suited to your particular wants.
On this information, we stroll you thru every of the various kinds of palletization. We examine every kind’s benefits and downsides that can assist you determine the most effective one for you.
What number of kinds of palletization are there?
Given their supposed simplicity, pallets could be surprisingly complicated.
It is laborious to say precisely what number of distinct kinds of palletization there are. Relying on who you’re speaking to, they might have other ways of categorizing pallets and the processes surrounding them.
For instance, a pallet producer might differentiate pallets by materials, form, or business – totally different industries typically require particular pallets for regulatory causes. A course of engineer may as an alternative take a look at how pallets can match into the packing processes in numerous methods. And an automation engineer will in all probability take a look at the totally different ranges of automation.
As a pallet person, it is useful to know these totally different categorizations so you can also make extra knowledgeable selections to your finish of line processes.
4 methods to match various kinds of palletization
There is no such thing as a definitive “commonplace” that describes various kinds of palletization.
Nevertheless, listed below are 4 helpful methods that you could differentiate between them:
1. By pallet kind
One useful option to examine pallets themselves is to have a look at the kind of pallet.
For instance, you could possibly examine them by the fabric that the pallet is comprised of, comparable to wooden, metallic, or plastic. You can even examine the design of the pallet, comparable to winged, stringer, or nested.
You could find out extra about totally different pallet varieties in our article 10 Varieties of Pallet You Ought to Undoubtedly Know About.
2. By palletizing sample
One other frequent methodology of evaluating pallets is by their palletizing sample. This implies wanting on the order and orientation by which you positioned containers on the pallet. Examples embrace interlocked, cut up, row, and pinwheel.
The pallet sample has a robust affect on the steadiness of the containers. You could find out extra about palletizing patterns in our article 7 Palletizing Patterns for Your Cobot to Scale back Product Injury
3. By course of structure
One other approach of taking a look at palletizing is to not concentrate on the pallets themselves, however to have a look at how they combine into the remainder of your operations.
By choosing the proper course of structure, you make sure that the steps main as much as your palletizing operation are essentially the most environment friendly doable. Examples of various palletizing course of varieties embrace serial palletization, parallel palletization, and hub and spoke palletization.
4. By degree of automation
Lastly, a really useful option to examine various kinds of palletization is to have a look at the extent of automation.
Stage of automation determines how a lot of the palletizing process you might have given (or might give) to automated equipment.
What’s essentially the most helpful option to examine palletization varieties?
With all these choices, what’s essentially the most helpful option to examine palletization varieties?
It depends upon why you want to examine them.
Evaluating by pallet kind is helpful when you’re buying pallets. Nevertheless, it isn’t such a helpful comparability when you already know what pallets you can be utilizing.
Evaluating by pallet sample might help you optimize your use of house on the pallets themselves. That is could be an ongoing course of and it is useful to test your pallet patterns often, particularly if you’re altering your pallet layouts typically.
Evaluating by course of structure is most useful when you’re designing or bettering your whole facility structure. After this, it is unlikely you’ll take a look at course of structure fairly often.
For many individuals seeking to enhance their palletizing course of, essentially the most related is the extent of automation. By evaluating for degree of automation, you can also make the fitting choices about what technological options would most assist your palletizing course of.
Palletization by degree of automation: benefits and downsides
When you find yourself evaluating palletizing varieties by degree of automation, there are 4 fundamental ranges you may take a look at.
Listed here are the 4 varieties together with their benefits and downsides:
1. Handbook palletization
The primary and most typical degree of palletization automation is guide palletizing. This requires no automation and as an alternative depends on a human operator to maneuver, set up, and stack merchandise onto the pallet.
The chief benefit of guide palletizing is its flexibility and ease. Nevertheless, it has enormous disadvantages, together with being unsafe for human operators, pricey by way of labor, and inconsistent in high quality.
2. Semi-automated or aided palletization
After guide palletizing, many corporations add some degree of automation or mechanical aids to assist with the palletizing process. A semi-automated course of may embrace a system to pack layers onto a pallet, however that also requires human enter.
A bonus of semi-automated methods is that they’re available and could be virtually as versatile as people. Nevertheless, they’re typically pricey, much less versatile than different types of automation, and take up loads of house.
3. Standard automated palletization
The standard strategy to automating palletization duties is to make use of absolutely automated palletization machines. These are generally utilized in mass manufacturing environments.
A bonus of standard palletizing automation is that they palletize in a short time. Nevertheless, a draw back is that they’re enormous, complicated to put in, and rigid to modifications.
4. Robotic palletization
Robotic palletization includes utilizing a robotic to stack merchandise onto the pallet. There are differing kinds, from giant industrial robotic palletizers (that share a few of the similar downsides as standard automation) to collaborative robotic palletizers.
Collaborative robotic palletizers, particularly, are very versatile, price efficient, and simple to deploy. Though they aren’t as quick as their standard counterparts, they provide the advantages of robotic palletization to many extra environments than was doable beforehand.
Discovering the most effective kind of palletization for you
Which kind of palletization is greatest for you?
It is useful to first resolve what you need to your palletizing. This may enable you resolve one of the best ways to match the totally different palletizing varieties on provide.
In case you are taking a look at robotic palletizing, you can also make your life a lot simpler by selecting a palletizing software package. This consists of every little thing you must get began with palletizing automation and removes most of the frequent roadblocks that maintain folks again.
How do you examine palletization varieties in your enterprise? Inform us within the feedback beneath or be part of the dialogue on LinkedIn, Twitter, Fb, or the DoF skilled robotics neighborhood.
