Pallet sorting system

Pallet inspection and pallet sorting redefined

There are currently around 675 million Euro pallets and a large number of other pooling pallets in circulation worldwide. Countless mixed pallet stacks often slow down day-to-day business: dirty, damaged, or mixed colors. Each pallet is visually inspected and sorted manually, which is time-consuming and physically demanding.

With our fully automated pallet sorting system, this is now a thing of the past. It separates, checks, and sorts pallets independently according to quality (EPAL-compliant) and color (e.g., CHEP, LPR) and stacks them by type.

Invest in your empty pallet logistics through efficient pallet sorting. Maximum throughput and noticeable cost advantages thanks to our system.

Technical highlights

• Output: up to 300 pallets/hour
• Sensors: non-contact 2D & 3D inspection
• Modular design: tailored to your individual requirements (hall layout and pallet types)
• Interfaces: Connection to ERP, LVS, pallet management possible
• Industry 4.0-capable: Data logging, reporting, remote access

Fields of application

• Central warehouses in retail / food retail
• Large industrial companies with return logistics (automotive, food & beverages, building materials, chemicals, paper, etc.)
• Pallet pooling companies (CHEP, LRP, IPP, etc.)
• Large logistics centers & 3PL service providers
• Pallet manufacturers, pallet dealers and repair companies

Test characteristics and quality criteria

Type recognition

Size, color, labeling & marking, etc.

360° contour inspection

Protruding nails, splintered wood, completeness of blocks, missing components, etc.

Surface condition

Signs of wear, dirt, product residues, foreign objects, cracks in deck boards, etc.

Dimensional stability

External dimensions, fork clearance, block rotation

Technological advantage through contactless quality detection

Our pallet sorting system uses the latest 3D sensor technology and industrial image processing to evaluate each pallet quickly, accurately and without contact. Our pallet inspection system (PACO) is used for this. It is an integral part of the pallet sorting system and ensures reliable and precise quality inspection.

The advantages of automated pallet inspection at a glance:

• Non-contact testing
  Thanks to modern sensor technology, quality detection is non-contact and therefore wear-free and low-maintenance.
• Precise classification
  Pallets are reliably classified according to your desired criteria (e.g., type, color, quality, size).
• Future-proof technology
  New pallet types and quality features can be easily added and customized at any time in the integrated autfactory software.

All sorting data live – with our industrial software autfactory

The pallet sorting system not only works efficiently, it also thinks for itself. Our industrial software autfactory records and visualizes all relevant process data in real time:

• Sorting capacity per hour / shift / day
• Share according to quality classes and pallet types
• Misclassifications and rejection rates
• Trends and developments on a weekly and monthly basis

Maintain an overview at all times – whether on the Shopfloor or in the office. Whether for quality monitoring, optimization or proof to customers: autfactory provides you with all key figures at a glance – clearly structured and easy to evaluate.

The layout of the pallet sorting system can be customized to suit your individual needs.

How the pallet sorting system works in detail

1. place pallet stack

Employees transfer complete stacks to the system. The stacks are fed by pallet truck or forklift. The length of the feeding route determines the system autonomy time.

2. automatic separation

The system separates the pallets fully automatically.

3. testing & sorting according to quality and color

The pallet inspection system analyzes each individual pallet using cameras and sensors. Each pallet is clearly assigned based on predefined criteria such as EPAL conformity, degree of use, or color coding.

4. stacking by type

Die Anlage stapelt alle Paletten automatisch nach ihrer Kategorie. So sind Sie bereit für Ihre Intralogistik, Rückführung oder Aussonderung.