Pallet Handling Conveyor Systems
Moving loaded pallets through warehouses and distribution centers demands robust conveyor systems engineered for heavy loads, reliable operation, and integration with existing material handling infrastructure. Custom Conveyor & Equipment Corporation has been designing and building pallet handling systems since 1984, with engineering and fabrication capabilities that support loads from standard warehouse pallets through heavy industrial loads approaching 6 tons per unit.
Heavy-Duty Engineering for Pallet Loads
Pallet handling conveyors face fundamentally different requirements than systems moving individual products or light packages. A standard warehouse pallet with typical product loading weighs several hundred pounds. Industrial pallets carrying machinery, castings, or bulk materials can exceed several tons. Conveyor systems must be engineered to handle these loads reliably under continuous operation.
Structural Design for Weight
Supporting pallet loads requires substantial conveyor structure. Frame members must resist deflection under load. Roller or chain supports need appropriate spacing and load capacity. Drive systems must provide sufficient torque to move heavy loads, particularly when starting fully loaded conveyors or moving pallets up inclines.
Custom Conveyor’s fabrication capabilities support heavy-duty pallet conveyor construction. Our 300-ton press brake with 12-foot bed capacity forms structural members from heavy-gauge steel. Our carbon steel welding produces frame assemblies with the rigidity pallet handling demands. The result is conveyor systems engineered for the actual loads they’ll encounter, not theoretical ideals.
Load Distribution Considerations
Pallets concentrate loads at specific support points—typically the deck boards or stringer locations where forklift tines engage. Conveyor designs must accommodate these concentrated loads rather than assuming uniform weight distribution across the pallet footprint.
We engineer pallet conveyors with appropriate roller spacing, chain configurations, or support methods that handle loads concentrated at pallet support points. This prevents excessive deflection or premature wear that would result from inadequate support design.
Pallet Conveyor Configurations
Roller Conveyors for Pallets
Heavy-duty roller conveyors provide reliable pallet transport for many warehouse and distribution applications. Large diameter rollers with substantial shaft sizes and heavy bearings support pallet loads. Roller spacing accommodates standard pallet dimensions while providing adequate support.
Powered roller conveyors for pallets typically use chain drive systems connecting multiple rollers, distributing drive force across the conveyor width. This configuration handles heavier loads than belt-driven rollers and provides more positive pallet control. Custom Conveyor engineers powered roller systems with drive capacity appropriate for your pallet loads and conveyor lengths.
Gravity roller conveyors work well for operations where pallets can be manually advanced or where conveyor inclines provide motive force. These systems offer simplicity and reliability for appropriate applications, though they require careful consideration of pallet stability on sloped sections.
Chain Conveyors for Heavy Loads
Industrial chain conveyors excel at heavy pallet handling. Steel chains running in tracks or on guide rails provide positive drive force capable of moving extremely heavy loads. Multiple chain strands distribute weight across the conveyor width.
Chain conveyor design addresses chain selection for load capacity, track or guide rail configuration, drive system sizing, and tensioning methods. Custom Conveyor engineers chain systems appropriate for pallet loads ranging from light warehouse operations through heavy industrial applications approaching our 6-ton capacity.
Belt Conveyors for Specialized Pallet Applications
While less common than roller or chain configurations, belt conveyors serve specific pallet handling applications. Heavy-duty belts can transport pallets on inclines or declines where roller conveyors might allow pallet sliding. Belt systems also work well when pallet bottom conditions make roller or chain contact problematic.
Pallet belt conveyors require robust belt materials, substantial support structures, and drive systems capable of handling both belt weight and pallet loads. We engineer these systems when application requirements make belt conveyors the appropriate solution.
Pallet Transfer Mechanisms
90-Degree Transfers
Warehouse and distribution layouts often require changing pallet direction. Ninety-degree transfer mechanisms rotate pallets from one conveyor line onto a perpendicular line without manual intervention.
Transfer designs include chain transfers that use perpendicular chain sets to move pallets sideways, powered roller transfers with rollers that can rotate to change pallet direction, and transfer cars that physically move pallets between conveyor lines. Custom Conveyor selects and engineers transfer mechanisms based on pallet loads, transfer rates, and facility layout requirements.
Pop-Up Transfers
Pop-up transfer mechanisms allow pallets to continue straight through an intersection or transfer sideways onto perpendicular conveyors. Powered chains or belts raise above the main conveyor rollers when activated, diverting pallets as needed.
These systems provide flexible routing in distribution centers where pallets need selective diversion to different areas. We engineer pop-up transfers with appropriate lift mechanisms, drive systems, and controls for reliable pallet routing operation.
Turntables
Rotating turntables change pallet orientation or direction without requiring transfer onto different conveyor sections. Heavy-duty turntable designs support substantial pallet loads while providing reliable rotation.
Custom Conveyor engineers pallet turntables with structural capacity for your loads, drive systems for reliable rotation, and positioning controls for accurate alignment with downstream conveyors. Turntables work particularly well where space constraints limit other transfer mechanisms or where pallet orientation must be controlled.
Moving Pallets Vertically
Inclined Conveyors
Transporting pallets between different floor levels or over obstacles requires inclined conveyors engineered to prevent pallet sliding while providing sufficient drive force to move loads uphill.
Incline angle affects both pallet stability and required drive power. Steeper inclines need more drive force and may require mechanisms to prevent backward sliding if conveyors stop with pallets on the slope. Shallower inclines require longer conveyor runs to achieve needed elevation changes. Custom Conveyor engineers inclined pallet conveyors balancing these factors based on your facility constraints and operational requirements.
Declined Conveyors
Downward pallet transport presents different challenges than inclines. Gravity assists movement but can cause pallets to gain excessive speed or pile into each other. Braking or speed control mechanisms prevent these problems.
We design declined pallet conveyors with appropriate braking, whether through drive system control or mechanical braking devices. The goal is controlled pallet descent at safe speeds regardless of pallet weight variations.
Vertical Lifts
When elevation changes are substantial or floor space doesn’t permit long inclined conveyors, vertical lift mechanisms move pallets between levels. These systems raise or lower pallets vertically rather than using sloped conveyor sections.
Vertical lift design requires structural capacity for pallet loads, drive systems for reliable lifting, and safety mechanisms to prevent falls if power fails. Custom Conveyor engineers vertical lift systems integrated with conveyor lines for automated pallet elevation changes.
Pallet Conveyor Controls & Integration
Basic Control Systems
Simple pallet conveyor installations may require only start/stop controls and basic safety features. These systems provide reliable pallet transport without complex automation.
Even basic systems benefit from proper control engineering—photo-eyes to detect pallet presence, emergency stops at appropriate locations, and guard interlocks where personnel access requires protection. Custom Conveyor includes necessary controls for safe operation in every pallet conveyor system we build.
Zone Control
Larger pallet conveyor systems often employ zone control, where the conveyor is divided into sections that operate independently. Pallets entering a zone activate that section’s drive. When pallets exit, the zone stops.
Zone control reduces energy consumption and minimizes conveyor wear by running only sections actively transporting pallets. This approach works particularly well for long conveyor runs or systems with intermittent pallet flow.
Warehouse Management Integration
Distribution centers increasingly integrate pallet conveyor systems with warehouse management software. Conveyors communicate with facility control systems, providing pallet location data and responding to routing commands.
While Custom Conveyor doesn’t provide warehouse management software, we engineer conveyor control systems that can interface with facility automation. This includes providing appropriate sensors, communication protocols, and control architecture for integration with existing or planned warehouse management systems.
Conveyor Design for Different Pallet Styles
Standard Wood Pallets
GMA-standard 48″x40″ pallets represent the most common configuration in North American distribution. Conveyor designs typically optimize for these dimensions, though good engineering accommodates variation in pallet condition and construction.
Wood pallets vary in quality and condition. New pallets have consistent dimensions and few damaged boards. Used pallets may have broken deck boards, warped stringers, or loose fasteners. Custom Conveyor designs pallet conveyors that handle normal variation in pallet condition without requiring perfect pallets for successful operation.
Plastic & Metal Pallets
Plastic and metal pallets offer different support structures than wood pallets. Molded plastic pallets may have specific support point locations. Metal pallets might be lighter or heavier than wood equivalents depending on construction.
We engineer pallet conveyors for the specific pallet types you use. This includes considering support point locations, pallet bottom configurations, and material properties that affect conveyor interaction.
Non-Standard Pallet Sizes
Many industries use pallet dimensions different from GMA standards. Beverage industry pallets, automotive industry pallets, or international pallet standards all have different dimensions requiring conveyor design accommodation.
Custom Conveyor’s engineering approach addresses your actual pallet sizes. We design conveyor widths, roller spacing, transfer mechanisms, and all other dimensional aspects based on the pallets you actually use, not assumed standards.
Heavy-Duty Fabrication in Cedar Rapids
Building pallet conveyors that reliably handle heavy loads requires substantial fabrication capabilities. Custom Conveyor & Equipment Corporation’s Cedar Rapids, Iowa facility provides the equipment and expertise for heavy pallet conveyor construction.
Precision Component Manufacturing
Our 3kW fiber laser cutting system processes steel sheets up to 6 feet by 12 feet, creating pallet conveyor components with accurate dimensions and clean edges. This capability produces mounting brackets, drive guards, safety covers, and other components engineered for your specific conveyor design.
Structural Forming
The 300-ton press brake in our facility forms heavy-gauge steel into structural channels, angles, and custom profiles used in pallet conveyor frames. This forming capacity supports robust construction appropriate for heavy-duty material handling.
Welded Frame Construction
Carbon steel welding capabilities produce pallet conveyor frames with the rigidity and strength heavy loads require. Our welding produces structures that maintain alignment under load and provide stable platforms for roller assemblies, chain tracks, or belt support.
Engineering Your Pallet Handling System
Define Your Need
Successful pallet conveyor projects begin with understanding your specific requirements. What are your typical pallet loads? What maximum weights must the system handle? What pallet sizes and styles will you use? What are your throughput requirements? What are your facility layout constraints?
Custom Conveyor’s process starts with these detailed questions. We examine your operation, understand the loads you need to move, review facility layouts, and identify integration requirements with existing equipment or planned expansions.
Engineer A Solution
With comprehensive understanding of your pallet handling needs, our engineering team develops conveyor system designs addressing your requirements. This includes selecting appropriate conveyor types, sizing structural components and drive systems, designing transfer mechanisms, and planning controls and integration.
We provide engineering documentation detailing the proposed system for your review. This ensures the design meets all requirements before proceeding to fabrication.
Deliver For You
Approved pallet conveyor designs move to fabrication in our Cedar Rapids facility. Our in-house capabilities—laser cutting, press brake forming, welding, and assembly—transform engineering specifications into completed conveyor systems built for reliable pallet handling.
This integrated engineering and manufacturing approach means the team designing your pallet conveyor also builds it. Accountability resides with a single source from initial concept through delivered system.
Four Decades of Material Handling Experience
Since 1984, Custom Conveyor & Equipment Corporation has been engineering material handling solutions including pallet conveyor systems for warehouses, distribution centers, and manufacturing facilities. Forty years of experience with heavy-duty applications has developed our understanding of what makes pallet conveyors succeed.
We’ve learned that reliable pallet handling requires appropriate structural design, proper material selection, and quality fabrication. Generic solutions rarely optimize for specific operational requirements. Custom engineering based on actual pallet loads, throughput needs, and facility constraints produces conveyor systems that perform reliably over extended service lives.
Discuss Your Pallet Handling Requirements
If you need pallet conveyor systems engineered for your specific loads, throughput requirements, and facility layout—whether for new warehouse construction, distribution center expansion, or manufacturing facility material handling—Custom Conveyor & Equipment Corporation can help.
Contact our engineering team at (319) 449-3322 or through our contact page to discuss your pallet handling conveyor requirements. We’ll work with you to understand your needs and develop conveyor solutions appropriate for your operation.
