Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/1177710
palletcentral.com PalletCentral • September-October 2019 35 Through FEA, I thoroughly investigated and characterized the effects of the box size, stacking pattern, overall height, number of layers, types of corrugated board, stretch wrap design, and pallet design. We could not accomplish this using laboratory testing alone as this would be prohibitively expensive. Instead, we use laboratory testing to verify what the FEA tells us. NWPCA secured a grant from The Pallet Foundation to purchase a pressure mat that helps to make the most out of lab testing. Our pressure mat is an amazing device that is typically used for designing advanced medical tools and high-performance car tires. Through our pressure sensing device, we could now conduct extensive lab testing to measure the load transfer between the packaging and pallet. The verification included many factors such as box size, pallet type and stiffness, vibrations, humidity, loose or tight packing, and creep over time. Using Unit Load to Optimize Design The unit load analysis in PDS 6.0 can be used in many ways. Core to all of these is that a custom solution, unique to the unit load design, is produced. Optimization in this area has the potential to pay the highest dividends. The corrugated material can be adjusted to minimize the overall cost of the unit load by designing a pallet that reduces stress in the packaging. Damage to the packaging does occur with pallets that are too flexible or have poor top deckboard layouts. If the design of the boxes and arrangement on the pallet are known and fixed, PDS 6.0 can be used to allow a lower cost pallet Observing typical failure of a corrugated box under load.