Alexandria, Virginia – Last month, the National Wooden Pallet and Container Association (NWPCA) released Pallet Design System (PDS v6.6) software with three significant additions: unit load analysis for drums and pails, a more robust ERP integration, and a carbon impact declaration for wooden pallets.
With over 849 million new and recycled wooden pallets manufactured annually, having the ability to design and analyze the performance of a pallet for drums and pails means that pallets are more reliable and efficient with optimal material utilization.
“Pallets are currently designed using a uniformly distributed load (UDL) to determine the load capacity, which often leads to overdesigning a pallet, using more wood,” said Kristen DeLack, PE, PDS structural engineer. “Because of the shape of drums and pails, you now can design, analyze, and significantly reduce the deflection of the pallet in all support conditions compared to a uniformly distributed load.”
PDS 6.6 provides new insights for the load analysis for pails and drums
Pail and drum pallets have historically been designed using Uniformly Distributed Loads (UDL). However, extensive lab testing reveals that pallet loading in these unit loads is not uniformly distributed and exhibits significant load concentrations. Depending on if the load is adequately stabilized with wrapping or strapping, a pallet may hold significantly more load than revealed with a UDL analysis. The new unit load analysis feature allows you to design, analyze, and significantly reduce the deflection of the pallet in all support conditions compared to a uniformly distributed load and deliver an optimized, more reliable pallet. It also can be used to demonstrate the detrimental effects of inadequate containment on pallet strength.
PDS now adds further integration capabilities with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems with the newest release. “The overall goal with ERP integration is to help manage all aspects of the business, from sourcing to pallet design, production, and delivery,” said Brent McClendon, NWPCA president/CEO. “This is a significant and necessary expansion that further establishes PDS as the essential and integral business tool the pallet industry relies on every day,” said McClendon.
In addition, a carbon impact assessment in the PDS design analyses estimates the CO2 footprint of a typical pallet in the United States. The basis for the declaration comes from the Environmental Product Declaration for Wooden Pallets, third-party certified by UL Environment.
“We’ve been working on sustainability initiatives and unit load solutions over the past several years, investing millions with support from the Pallet Foundation,” commented Brad Gething, Ph.D., NWPCA vice president of science & technology. “The ongoing research and development have led to cutting-edge science that is found only in PDS, ensuring that PDS continues to meet the evolving demands of our industry.”
The release of PDS v6.6 completes a suite of unit load analysis options of corrugated boxes and plastic and steel pails and drums. In 2019, NWPCA released Unit Load for Corrugated Boxes. All unit load analyses in PDS include a pallet strength utilization number that reports the structural performance of the pallet under the specified load in addition to the Pass/Fail rating.
From: reusable packaging news