Process methods and levels of automation of wood pallet repair in the United States

Jonghun Park; Laszlo Horvath; Robert J. Bush

doi:10.15376/biores.11.3.6822-6835

Treesearch

Process methods and levels of automation of wood pallet repair in the United States

Informally Refereed

Authors:

Jonghun Park, Laszlo Horvath, Robert J. Bush

Year:

2016

Type:

Scientific Journal

Station:

Southern Research Station

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15376/biores.11.3.6822-6835

Source:

BioResources

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Abstract

This study documented the current status of wood pallet repair in the United States by identifying the types of processing and equipment usage in repair operations from an automation prespective. The wood pallet repair firms included in the sudy received an average of approximately 1.28 million cores (i.e., used pallets) for recovery in 2012. A majority of the cores received were stringer-style pallets. The most common pallet size received and repaired was 48 x 40 inch. The most commonly used stringer repair method was the application of companion stringers. It was found that most firms utilized high levels of manual labor, with limited machinery support. The board trimming and pallet sorting/stacking processes had the highest level of automation, while the inspection, nailing, and painting processes utilized manual labor.

Keywords

wood pallet, recycling, repair, automation

Citation

Park, Jonghun; Horvath, Laszlo; Bush, Robert J. 2016.Process methods and levels of automation of wood pallet repair in the United States. BioResources. 11(3) 6822-3835. 14 p. https://doi.org/10.15376/biores.11.3.6822-6835.