Thermoplastic pallet manufacture involves injection molding a pallet base, retracting tool cores and injecting reinforced feet onto base or placing reinforcing inserts in tool and thermoforming pallet onto inserts

摘要

A pallet base(2) is injection molded in a tool which has moving cores in the region of the supporting feet(3) or runners. After cooling the cores are retracted leaving a cavity into which a reinforcing plastic is injected to form the feet or runners. A lower cost thermoforming process may also be used to produce the pallet in which inserts forming reinforcing members are placed in the tool in the area of the supporting feet or runners prior to the forming operation. In the injection process chemical cross-linking occurs between the first and second plastic materials during the injection stage. In the thermoforming process reinforcing members are pot shaped components or round or polygonal flower pots. Inserts may be located on the outside or inside in the area of the feet or runners. Independent claims are included for: a) use of flower pots as reinforcing members or inserts in plastic pallets produced by thermoforming; b) an insert used in the process which has openings in the wall or edge into which plastic penetrates during the thermoforming stage.