ICA’s Loadmate claims it can unload 26 pallets in 210 secs
- Friday, 09 February 2007
It says the system — called Loadmate — allows for the “efficient” loading and unloading of pallets and lowering the use of powered pallet trucks.
Concealed steel channels give a flat floor when not activated, but when inflated they lift the pallets clear of the vehicle floor allowing the Loadmate skates to pass under them.
ICA claims the system offers productivity gains such as reductions in personnel and fork-lift requirements, improved safety in the loading bay and reduced product and trailer damage.
A complete vehicle load is assembled on the accumulation conveyor system. The vehicle driver then initiates loading by pressing a button on the operator control panel located on the conveyor close to the back of the vehicle. Once activated, the Loadmate drives the complete load forward into the waiting vehicle. Steel channels in the trailer floor guide the skates. An in-fill floor between the channels provides a non-slip surface to support the pallets in the trailer, after the skates have been withdrawn.
Overall, the system can load a 13.6 metre semi-trailer in less than four minutes. It can be designed to accommodate variations in vehicle lengths —automatically positioning in the load relative to the trailer bulk head.
ICA says the Loadmate is ideal for non-palletised or fragile loads and suitable for cold store operations down to minus 30C.
The company has also rolled out its gravity roller conveyors which it says are an economical and efficient means of transporting product where power is not required.
Although completely functional without power, ICA points out that the system can be combined with a powered system for even greater flexibility of application.
