Stable Despite Heat: Special Design Allows Plastic pallets to Take Maximum Load Even Over 45 Degrees Celsius

KOENIGSBRUNN, Germany, February 16, 2010 - In the next few years the Gulf States could become the biggest exporter
of plastics. But the processing firms are faced with a challenge: the
strength of plastic begins to diminish from temperatures of 45 degrees
Celsius upwards. So when Ettlinger Kunststoffmaschinen GmbH was appointed by
a company in the Gulf States to design a plastic pallet, it was going to be
necessary to ensure its desired load capacity and stability. "In hot and very
humid areas, wood very quickly starts to rot. So there is little sense in
using wooden pallets in most of the Gulf States," explains Roderich
Ettlinger, the Managing Director of Ettlinger Kunststoffmaschinen GmbH. The
new pallets were developed according to a strict concept. "First we produced
a theoretical design of the pallet geometry based on our experience and
computer simulations," relates Ettlinger. Crucial discoveries were made from
practical tests on a transportation system, which was also installed with the
end user.

When manufacturing plastic pallets the load-bearing capacity is dependent
on several factors, for one thing on the molecular structure of the plastic
used and for another, a significant contribution can be made to the strength
of the plastic by crystallisation. Strengthening is also achieved by the
addition of glass or carbon fibres. The strength of a plastic part is,
however, essentially determined by its design.

"The tests made crucial discoveries in many details, such as layout and
the position of the ribs and their attachment to side walls in the base and
top areas," explains Ettlinger. These results are said to have contributed to
great rigidity of the pallet with a reduction in weight at the same time.

(www.ettlinger.com)

Gebhardt-Seele Press Office: Tel: +49-89-500315-0, Email:
pressebuero@gebhardt-seele.de

Gebhardt-Seele Press Office: Tel: +49-89-500315-0, Email: pressebuero at gebhardt-seele.de