Automation Plus, a Division of CSF Inc., has introduced the Pallet Return Device, which is designed to operate in distribution center pick modules and helps make handling pallets (wood or plastic) safer and more efficient without using any outside energy source, such as electricity or compressed air.
The PRD incorporates a unique method for stacking empty pallets. Currently, stacking pallets requires expensive machinery or intense manual labor (movements prone to injury). The PRD enables a new method, wherein the operator lifts the pallet over a pivot point, thereby creating a mechanical advantage to remove the back strain associated with lifting pallets. It incorporates a shock-absorbing device that provides a smooth transition from the load position to the unload position. In use, the operator loads the carriage.
When the carriage is full, the operator releases the load, and lets the shock-absorbing device safely guide the stack to a vertical (unload) position. Once positioned, the pallets are rolled forward to a raised outbound location, which releases the pallets from the carriage. The operator then slides the carriage back, tilts it to the load position, and it’s ready to receive more empty pallets.
