NL9301543A - Pallet and device for producing it - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a pallet with a pallet cover made from sheet-like material. At least one tubular support foot is attached to the pallet cover, one end of which foot bears against the cover, in which incisions are made crosswise with respect to one another. The free ends of the incisions lie on a line which corresponds to the internal contour of the tube piece. In the tube piece which forms the support foot, the sectors formed by the incisions are folded inwards, clamping a further tube section securely therein. The device for producing a pallet of this nature has a press arbor which is arranged in an axially displaceable position and has a shaft for holding the inner tube piece of the pallet foot. On the end side of the arbor, there is a plurality of blades, which lie on the outer surface of an imaginary cone, for forming the star-shaped parts.

Description

Short designation: Pallet and device for the manufacture thereof.

The invention relates to a pallet, in particular a flat pallet for piece goods to be assembled into a loading unit, with a pallet cover of a sheet-like material and supporting feet arranged on the pallet cover, and to a device for manufacturing such pallets.

The object of the invention is to propose a particularly favorable and simple solution for the design of the support foot and its arrangement, which is also associated with low installation costs.

According to the invention this can be achieved in that a pipe piece is provided as a supporting foot, and at those locations of the pallet deck and / or any pallet slippers on which the pipe piece rests with its end side several incisions are made with respect to each other, wherein the the free ends of these incisions lie on lines corresponding to the internal contour of the pipe section and a pipe section is clamped in the support foot-forming pipe section while bending the sectors formed by the incisions.

The invention further relates to a device for the manufacture of such pallets with which these pallets can be manufactured efficiently and inexpensively. According to the invention, this can be achieved by the measure according to claim 8.

With a device of this type, not only can the production of the star-shaped incision and the insertion of the inner pipe section into the outer pipe section be effected, so to speak, in a single pass, but according to a further design of the device according to the invention, all of them can be pallet deck added pallet feet can be secured simultaneously.

The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to possible exemplary embodiments of the construction according to the invention shown in the accompanying figures.

Fig. 1 shows the pallet in its in-plane expanded form (punched-out pallet).

Fig. 2 shows the pallet ready for use in perspective view from above.

Fig. 3 shows the pallet shown in FIG. 2 in perspective view from below.

Fig. 4 and 5 show details of the pallet on a larger scale.

Fig. 6 shows a view of a press mandrel.

Fig. 7 shows a side view of the press mandrel.

Fig. 8 shows a front view of the device according to the invention.

Fig. 9 is a side view of FIG. 8 viewed in the direction of arrow A, with the transport members omitted for inserting the inner pipe sections for the sake of clarity.

Fig. 10 is a plan view of the conveyor for feeding the inner tubing.

Fig. 11 is a view corresponding to FIG. 8 of the device during another time of operation.

Fig. 12 is a plan view of the machine table, partly in section along line VII-VII in FIG. 8.

Fig. 13 shows a detail section through a properly fixed pallet foot with an outer and an inner tube section.

The starting material for the manufacture of the pallet is sheet-shaped and advantageously consists of corrugated cardboard. The pallet is manufactured from a flat stamped part, which is shown in top view in Fig. 1. In this one-piece punched-out part, the middle rectangular part forms the pallet deck 35. Strip-shaped pallet slippers 36 are arranged on all four edges of the pallet deck 35 and connected to these via ridges 37. The dimensions (L and B) of the pallet deck 35 are adapted to the respective requirements and can also correspond to the applicable standard regulations (DIN 15146). The dashed lines 38 and 39 shown in Fig. 1 indicate the bending edges, which run parallel to the longitudinal axes of the respective strip-shaped pallet slippers and why the said parts (ridges 37 and pallet slippers 36) are bent to prepare the pallet for use. The ridges 37 are bent in the same direction with respect to the pallet deck 35, as well as the pallet slippers 36 with respect to the ridges 37, so that the ridges 37, respectively, their surfaces are perpendicular to the pallet deck 35 and the pallet slippers 36 parallel to the pallet deck 35. This is evident from the perspective views in Figures 2 and 3.

Support feet 40 are provided to keep the pallet slippers 36 at a distance from the pallet deck 35. These support feet 40 are with their end sides at the ready-to-fold and ready-to-use pallet at those locations which are marked and indicated by a circle line 41 in Fig. 1.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, these support feet 40 are each formed by a pipe piece 42 with a circular cross-section. At the locations marked with the circle lines 41, a plurality of incisions 43 are made in the pallet deck 35 and in the pallet shoe 36, respectively, (Figure 4), the outer ends of which lie on a line figure, here on a circle line 41 , which runs in accordance with the internal contour of the pipe section 42. This line figure is effectively designed as a score line or an embossed line. Sections 44 which form practically free-cut ears are obtained through these cuts 43.

For the mounting of the support feet 40, pipe sections 42 inserted between pallet deck 35 and pallet slippers 36 are now each inserted from the end side of pipe sections 45, the two pipe sections 45 being effectively the same length and the sum of their lengths corresponding to the height of the pipe piece 42. This insertion or pressing or pressing takes place with the bending of secotren 44 obtained by the cuts 43, which now lie between these pipe pieces, as shown in fig. 5. The dimensions of the parts cooperating here are chosen in such a way that the parts in working connection with each other are clamped together. It is within the scope of the invention to add adhesives if desired. The pipe sections 45 and their axial lengths can also each be slightly greater than half the length of the pipe section 42; expediently they are greater over the thickness of the material which forms the pallet deck or the pallet slippers. This is also shown in Fig. 5. As a result, these inserted tube sections 45 can also take over loads or reinforce support feet 40 as a whole.

Advantageously, pipe pieces 42 and pipe sections 45 are selected with a circular cross section. However, it is possible to use pipe sections and pipe sections with a different cross-section, for example square cross-sections or elliptical cross-sections or also polygonal cross-sections. However, according to current knowledge and experience, no advantage is obtained with respect to tube pieces with a circular cross-section, at least not with regard to the mounting of these parts. Polygonal support feet may have a higher load-bearing capacity compared to cylindrical support feet, provided they have the same wall thicknesses and are made of the same materials.

In addition to the pallet deck 35 and the supporting feet 40, the pallet shown and described here as an exemplary embodiment also has pallet slippers 36, which are connected to the pallet deck 35 via the ridges 37. It is within the scope of the invention to omit these ridges 37 and the pallet slippers 36, so that the pallet consists only of the pallet deck 35 and the supporting feet 40.

The following explanations relate to the pallet manufacturing apparatus consisting of pallet deck 35 and support feet 40 only. The press mandrel 1 consists of a first cylindrical portion 2, the diameter of which approximately corresponds to the internal diameter of the inner pipe section 45 of the pallet base 40 (fig. 13) and of which the conical end side 3 carries several star-shaped cuts 4, which an imaginary cone mantle. The axial length of the cylindrical portion 2 approximately corresponds to the height of the inner pipe section 45; expediently it is a little longer than this. A further part 5, the diameter of which is larger than that of the part 2, connects to this cylindrical part 2 upwards, so that a abutting shoulder 6 for the pipe piece 45 to be received by the part 2 is thereby formed.

The invention has a stationary machine table 7 in the middle part of which is fixed a vertically closed window 8, which is circumferentially closed here, of which an upper horizontal leg 9 carries a piston-cylinder unit 10, to which the piston has a horizontal supporting frame 11 fixed with vertical guide rails 12, which lie in corresponding bearings in the leg 9 of the window 8. Several pressing mandrels 1, the distribution and number of which correspond to the distribution and number of the pallet feet 44, which can be fixed to a pallet deck 35, are now attached to the underside of the supporting frame 11 which is height-adjustable with the piston-cylinder unit 10. move.

At the machine table 7 two guide rails 13 running parallel to each other are fixed here, on which a support device 14 of a pallet deck 35 is slidable in a horizontal direction. Due to this shift, the supporting device 14 can be brought into or outside the striking area of the supporting frame 11 with the press mandrels 1.

The supporting device 14 has a horizontally lying plate 15 on which pot-shaped positioning members 16 are fixed, which serve to receive the outer tube pieces 42 of the pallet feet 40. To this plate 15 are also mounted upright uprights 18, which act as stops for mounting on pallet deck 35 to be placed on the end sides of the pipe pieces 42 serve. These stops lie in a horizontal plane, in which the upper end sides of the outer tube pieces 42, which are inserted in the pot-shaped positioning members 16, are also located. Instead of pot-shaped positioning members 16, disc-shaped positioning elements could also be provided, but also pin-shaped, i.e. all those building components and building elements, which are suitable for holding the pipe pieces 42 to be received in the correct position. The plate 15 or a frame provided instead with the positioning members 16 is carried by a slide 20 located on the guide rails 13 and is elastically supported vertically via this slide 20 via springs 21.

In the middle part of the machine table 7, on the side of the edge, a plurality of block-shaped counter-bearings 22 are arranged in a vertical arrangement. The height thereof measured from the machine table 7 is a little smaller than the distance from the underside of the plate 15 of the machine table 7.

It is envisaged that the pallet to be manufactured here carries a pallet foot 40 in each of its corner areas and further a pallet foot 40 is provided in the center of the pallet deck 35, so a total of five pallet feet 40 must be placed.

In the vertical center plane of the machine table (fig. 12), block-shaped oncoming members 23 are also arranged in a vertical arrangement, which however have a lower height than the counter-members arranged on the edge side 22. Under the centering positioning members 16 plate 15, block-shaped counterbeams 24 are now also arranged, the sum of the heights of these tilers 23 and 24 corresponding to the height of the counterbeams 22.

Transverse conveyors 25, which run substantially horizontally, are arranged on both sides of this frame transversely to the direction of displacement of the supporting device 14 and above and below the supporting frame 11 (fig. Π) which is in its lower working position. in the illustrations according to Figs. 8 and 11 each extend perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. On one end side of these conveyor belts 25, feeding devices (not shown in more detail) are provided here, via which the inner tube pieces 45 for the pallet feet 40 of the conveyor belts 25 can be made available. At those locations of the two conveyor belts 25, from which such pipe pieces 45 can be fed to the pressing mandrels 1 on the supporting frame 11, devices for separating one another from each other are in the form of stops 27 as well as in the form of piston-cylinder units 28, as well as a feed slide 29, respectively. In addition, on the side of the conveyor belts 25 or the windows carrying these conveyor belts, which face the support frame 11, feed devices 30 having different shaft lengths are easily detachably attached. These feed devices 30 consist in each case of a pair of horizontally arranged and spaced apart guide rails 31 accommodating the inner tube sections 45, the ends of which face away from the conveyor belt 25 are pivotable relative to each other in a horizontal plane. The tang-shaped ends of the guide rails 31 which can slide relative to each other lie in the displacement distance of the press mandrels 1.

The operation of the above-described device will be explained in more detail hereinafter, assuming that the building components constituting the device described above are in the relative position shown in FIG. 8 with respect to each other.

First of all, in the pot-shaped positioning members 16, which are fixed on the plate 15, the prepared outer tube pieces 42 are placed or introduced by hand, in the example mentioned above, five pieces, and then the pallet deck 35 is placed on the end sides of these tube pieces. 42, the pallet deck 35 being unambiguously aligned with respect to these pipe pieces 42 by the stops connected to the uprights 18. In the meantime, the conveyor belts 25 have arrived at the stations for separating pipe pieces 45 and pipe pieces 45 have been pushed through the feed slides 29 (fig. 10) to the tang-shaped ends of the guide rails 31 of the feed devices 30, which are now in the sliding path of the press mandrels 1 of the supporting frame 11. Now the carriage 20 (fig. 8) is shifted or moved to the left, until it is located under the support frame 11 (fig. 11), on which this support frame 11 is now lowered by means of the piston-cylinder unit 10. The press mandrels 1 move through the pipe pieces 45 arranged by the feed devices 30, which thereby come into contact with the stop shoulder 6, while in the further course the cuts 4 cut the pallet deck 35 locally star-shaped and then move the press mandrels 1 into the pipe pieces 42 in this way. until the end sides of the two pipe pieces 42 and 45 supplied in this way lie at least substantially contiguously with respect to each other (fig. 13). The separate ears formed by the star-shaped incisions are held clampingly between the two pipe pieces 42 and 45. Due to the pressure exerted by the press mandrels 1, the plate 15 is slightly compressed against the force of the springs 21, on which the plate 15 or the positioning members 16, respectively, rest against the counter-bearings 22, 23 and 24, and these counter-bearings cooperate such that the slide 20 and its guides are practically unloaded by the pressing pressure and only have to absorb the pressure exerted by the springs 21. This pressure is not much greater than the weight of the plate 15 with the positioning members 16, the uprights 18 and the superimposed parts 17 and 19 to form the greenhouse cover.

If the pallet deck 35 has been cut in the manner described and the two pipe pieces 42 and 45 have been pushed together, whereby the ears formed by the cuts are thereby clamped between the two pipe pieces 42 and 45, then the supporting frame 11 with the press mandrels 1 moved back and lifted into the starting position (fig. 8) and the carriage 20 is returned to its starting position (fig. 8), while the ready pallet is removed from the laying device 14. Meanwhile, the feed slides 29 have slid new tubular pieces 25 into the tang-shaped end region of the guide rails 31 of the feeder 30, and new tubular pieces 42 and a new pallet deck 35 are now superimposed on the support device 14, after which the above-described operation can be repeated.

The positioning members 16 and the press mandrels 1 are arranged horizontally on their respective carriers so that the pallets can be manufactured with different arrangement and with different number of tubular pallet feet. For this reason, feeders 30 of different shaft lengths are also provided and these separate feeders 30 are easily detachably attached to the longitudinal sides of the conveyor belts 25. The tang-shaped end of the guide rails of these supply devices must always lie in the displacement path of a press mandrel, so that the press mandrel can receive a pipe section 45 when it is lowered. As a result, the supply devices 30 can be adapted to the respective arrangement of the press mandrels 1 on the supporting frame 11.

Fig. 12 shows a plan view of the machine table 7 with the counter-bearings 22 and 23. Two pallets of certain normalized sizes are currently being manufactured and used, and the arrangement of the counter-bearings 22 and 23 to be removed here from the figure according to FIG. 12 is chosen such that both normalized sizes can be taken into account with this arrangement; any other distributions of the pallet feet are also conceivable and possible.

With regard to the press mandrel 1 it has been noted in connection with the described exemplary embodiment that they are cylindrical in shape. It is also possible to use other cross-sectional shapes for these press mandrels and for the plate feet, for example polygonal or oval. Although it has further been stated above that the outer tube pieces 42 are manually inserted into the device, the insertion of these outer tube pieces 42 can also be effected with an automatic operating mechanism.

To prevent the inlaid pallet deck 35 from sagging when the press mandrels are lowered or when the press mandrels are subsequently moved back from its bearing, a pallet deck press can be provided. Such a pressing member is advantageously plate-shaped. This plate-shaped pressing member is then as large as the pallet deck and has a number of piercing openings for the press mandrels 1.

Such a plate-shaped pressing member can be arranged up and down in the middle part of the device. In its initial position it is then located in a space between the press mandrels 1 and below the conveyor belts 5 and above the laid pallet deck 35 (fig. 9). If the carriage 20 with the laid pallet deck 35 has moved into its working position, this plate-shaped pressing member on the pallet deck 35 is lowered and held here, remaining there for so long until the press mandrels have returned to their upper home position. For the sake of clarity, however, the accompanying figures, which illustrate a possible embodiment of the invention, do not show the plate-shaped pressing member.

The shown and described device works with vertically displaceable press mandrels 1. It will also be conceivable to rotate the device as a whole by 90 °, so that the press mandrels are shifted in a horizontal direction, whereby the pallet deck 35 is then "standing" inwards in the device. moved.

Claims (22)

Pallet, in particular a flat pallet for piece goods to be assembled into a loading unit with a pallet deck made of a sheet-shaped material and with support feet arranged on the pallet deck, characterized in that a support piece (40) is a pipe piece (42) and in those places of the pallet deck (35) and / or any pallet slippers (36), against which the tubular section (42) abuts one end side, a plurality of incisions (43) are arranged crosswise with respect to each other, the free ends of which these incisions (43) lie on a line figure (41) corresponding to the internal contour of the pipe section (42) and in the pipe section (42) forming the support foot, bending a section of pipe (44) formed by the cuts (43) (45) has been used in an emphatic manner. Pallet according to claim 1, characterized in that tubular sections (45) are used on both end sides of the pipe section (42) serving as a support foot (40). Pallet according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the axial lengths of the pipe sections (45) associated with a support foot (40) are of equal length. Pallet according to claim 3, characterized in that the axial length of a pipe section (45) corresponds to half the length of the pipe section (42) serving as a support foot (40), preferably a little longer than this. Pallet according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the line figure (41) connecting the free ends of the incisions (43) is designed as a score or indentation line. Pallet according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cross-section of the pipe section or of the pipe sections is circular symmetrical or at least symmetrical with respect to two perpendicular axes. Pallet according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the axial length of a pipe section (45) over the thickness of the material of the pallet deck (35) or of the pallet shoe (36) is greater than half the length of the pipe section (42). Apparatus for manufacturing pallets with a pallet deck and with pallet feet formed from mutually inserted tubular pieces between which ears of rosette-like punched out from the pallet deck are clamped to form a press fit according to any one of claims 1 to 7, with at least one bearing device for the laying on of the pallet deck and with positioning members present underneath for the arrangement of the outer tube pieces and with at least one axially displaceable press mandrel to be aligned with one of the positioning members, with a shaft for receiving the inner tube base forming the pallet foot, the diameter of the shaft corresponding to the inner diameter of the inner pipe section and the length of this shaft being greater than the axial length of the inner pipe section and the inner pipe section to be slid onto the shaft with one end edge against one on the shaft applied, preferably by a diameter enlargement The shoulder that can be formed is characterized in that several knives (4) arranged in a star-shaped arrangement, arranged on the mantle of an imaginary cone, are arranged on the end side of the press mandrel (1) and these knives (4) part of the press mandrel (1) lies on this pushed-on inner pipe section (45) in front of its end side and the axis of the cone is in line with the axis of the shaft. Device according to claim 8, characterized in that a plurality of press mandrels (1) with vertical axis are arranged on a horizontally, vertically adjustable support frame (11). Device according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that laterally of the vertically adjustable carrying frame (11) carrying the pressing mandrel (1) -at least one horizontally extending conveying member, preferably a conveyor belt (25) with a number of separating devices corresponding to the number of the pressing mandrel (1) arranged on the supporting frame (11) is provided, and supply devices (30) are provided on the side of the transporting member facing the supporting frame (11), with which the transporting means provided by the transporting member inner pipe sections (45) supplied can be brought into the displacement distance of the individual press mandrels (1). Device according to claim 10, characterized in that conveying members, preferably conveyor belts (25), are arranged on at least two parallel sides of the vertically adjustable supporting frame (11) and the separating devices are formed by piston-cylinder units ( 28), whose axes are perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor belt, and each separating device is formed by at least two piston-cylinder units (28, 29). Device according to claim 10, characterized in that the feed devices (30) each consist of a pair of horizontally arranged and spaced apart guide rails (31) between the inner pipe sections (45), the guide rails of which are transported members (25) are pivotable relative to each other in a horizontal plane in a tang-like manner. Device according to any one of claims 10-12, characterized in that feed devices (30) of different shaft lengths are arranged and the separate feed devices (30) are easily detachably attached to the longitudinal side of the transport member (25). Device according to any one of claims 8 to 13, characterized in that a positionally fixed machine table (7) is arranged under the vertically adjustable window (11) on which a supporting device (14) for the pallet deck (35) is horizontally displaceable and by the horizontal displacement the bearing device (14) can be brought into or outside the striking area of the supporting frame (11) for the press mandrel (1). Device according to claim 14, characterized in that the supporting device (14) has a horizontally lying window or a horizontally lying plate (15) on which pot or disc-shaped positioning members (16) for receiving the outer pipe pieces (42). ) and this frame, respectively, this plate (15) has stops, which position the pallet deck (35) placed on the pipe pieces and these stops lie in a horizontal plane in which the upper end sides of the positioning members (16) are supported outer pipe pieces (42). Device according to claim 15, characterized in that the frame comprising the pot or disc-shaped positioning members (16) is arranged on a carriage (20) which is horizontally displaceable relative to the machine table and in vertical direction relative to this carriage (20). resiliently supported. Device according to any one of claims 8 to 16, characterized in that under the positioning members (16) for receiving the outer pipe sections (42), at least a slide placed under the frame (11) carrying the press mandrels (1) (20) counter bearings (22, 23) are provided which support the positioning members (16) with respect to the press machine (7) at the vertically acting pressing pressure exerted by the press mandrels (1). Device according to claim 17, characterized in that the supporting counter-bearings (23, 24) are designed in multi-part in a pressure-absorbing vertical direction. Device according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that the counter bearings (22) for the positioning members arranged on the edge side are made in one piece and are fixed on the machine table (7). Device according to any one of claims 17 to 19, characterized in that the counter-bearings (23, 24) for the central positioning elements are made in multiple parts, the one parts (23) of the counter-bearings on the machine table (7) and the other parts (24) are secured to the underside of the center positioning members. Device according to any one of claims 8 to 20, characterized in that the positioning members (16) and the press mandrels (1) are adjustable and lockable in horizontal planes. Device according to one of Claims 8 to 20, characterized in that a fixed vertical frame (8), C-shaped or peripherally closed, is attached to the stationary machine table (7), to whose upper horizontal leg (9) the guiding and adjusting devices (10, 12) for the frame (11) carrying the press mandrels (1) are arranged.