Depalletizers are materials handling machines used to unload materials from pallets. Pallets are among the most common materials handling platforms, and they are used in an extensive variety of shipping and storage applications worldwide. Depalletizers are used for the offloading of drums from pallets upon arrival at manufacturing facilities.
Many bag palletizer varieties are also depalletizers; they are used to remove bags from pallets in large quantities, particularly bags that are heavy and whose weight must be distributed evenly during transit. Palletizing equipment can streamline the materials handling process and maximize productivity. In addition to this quality, palletizers all but eliminate the risk of materials handling-related worker injury. All of the lifting, bending, twisting and wrenching motions involved in lifting large quantities of heavy materials for extended periods of time can be shifted from works to machines. Palletizing machines never become fatigued, they can not be injured and require a minimum of supervision to operate. There are main types of depalletizers: bulk depalletizers, magnetic depalletizers and case depalletizers. In each type, the method used to remove items from the pallet is different. Bulk depalletizers remove bulk products from pallets, whereas magnetic depalletizers use a magnet to remove products from pallets. Case depalletizers, the most common type of depalletizers, remove cases from pallets.
Depalletizers are used for the leveling and stocking of such products as drums, sacks, bags, pails, cans, cases, and various other product types. When selecting a depalletizer, it is important to consider the type of goods the machine will be required to handle, as not all depalletizers are equipped to handle all package types. Depalletizers have a feed area, which can be at varying levels, that receives the goods that are to be moved. Low-level depalletizers are fed from the ground, while high-level depalletizers are fed through a hopper overhead. With the use of either type of depalletizer, the feed is received in a rolling fashion and is continuously transferred. In some cases, depalletizers do not have feed areas and are instead robotic. Robotic depalletizers consist of an arm that picks up and places the individual item, reducing the risk of damage to the product and injury to the workers. Depalletizers are very versatile in terms of their configuration possibilities. Speed, lifting capacity, space use and many other factors can all be chosen to suit the specific needs of any given operation. Though depalletizers equipment can be an expensive initial investment, almost every operation that makes use of them regains that investment many times over as a result of increased productivity and fewer work-related employee injuries.
