The 4-Way Fork Box Pallet Dispenser offers a new line of pallet dispensers to improve safety while reclaiming space and resources
Huron Technology Corp. knows that the repetitive movements and lifting associated with manual pallet handling create higher risks for strain and injury. In 2018, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) accounted for over 30% of worker injury and illness cases involving days away from work (DAFW). The CDC states that workplace musculoskeletal disorders cost between $45 and $54 billion annually in workers’ compensation, lost wages, and lost productivity.
There are many tools and resources available to assist with identifying ways to increase worker safety. One way to improve safety is the use of dispensing or stacking aids. These types of equipment reduce the need for lifting, turning, twisting, and bending, improving ergonomics for your workers and reducing the risks for injury or strain.
You’ve probably heard of automated pallet dispensers and stackers, but Huron Technology Corp. has gone a step further with their new 4-Way Fork Box Pallet Dispenser. This dispenser offers a small, robust footprint with a modular pallet dispenser or stacker, that requires less supply air in a form that can be modified to meet nearly any demand.
Standard dispensers rely on heavy-duty pneumatic cylinders to lift stacks of pallets. This demands a great deal of air supply and limits the flexibility of the dispenser because lifting positions are fixed with air cylinders. The standard Fork Box Pallet Dispenser (FBDA) uses pneumatically actuated forks to hold the pallet or stack while a hydraulic scissor lift does the heavy lifting. This not only lowers air supply demands when compared to typical pallet dispenser models, but the scissor lift also allows virtually unlimited positioning for any size pallet. No air supply? No problem. The fork actuation and scissor lift can be made to use electric, hydraulic, or pneumatic actuation depending on the needs or limitations of the site.
The FBDA is also space-saving and offers a standard 15 pallet capacity magazine, but an extension is available to increase capacity to 20 pallets. By storing pallets in the dispenser, you recover an average of 13.33 square feet of floor space per short stack that would otherwise be sitting on the plant floor.
The FBD4 also takes on a bit of a modular approach, allowing for the replacement of individual components if they should get damaged or fail over time, instead of replacing the entire unit. Even with this ease of assembly and maintenance, the FBD4 remains a robust piece of equipment. Solid steel sidewalls on the magazine prevent any broken or non-conforming pallets from causing snags or misalignment during operation. The integrated two-strand chain conveyor allows for simple maintenance and longevity, without having to design around the complex lifting mechanisms or unique shapes of dispensers without a conveyance system. Having this integrated conveyor, positioned at your desired height, allows you to drop it next to any standard palletizing conveyor.
Huron Technology Corp. also offers two standard options for controls: a basic controls package that includes all necessary sensors for operation with no PLC or programming included, and a full controls package with PLC and programming to a standard operating procedure ready to be used immediately upon installation. These options allow for integrators to choose to program the dispenser or directly drop in the system as is.
Each FBD4 is fully configurable at the time of quote to include any customer purchased component specifications, paint colors, and conveyor heights. How could the 4-Way Fork Box Pallet Dispenser help increase worker safety and save space and costs in your operation?
