Summary: A pallet conveyor system should be designed around the load and process, not around a preferred conveyor type. Pallet dimensions, underside construction, total weight, stability, throughput, transfer direction, accumulation requirements, interfaces and control logic all affect the design. Getting these fundamentals right helps prevent unstable transfers, unnecessary forklift movement, bottlenecks and difficult commissioning.

Pallet conveyors look simple when viewed as a straight line of rollers or chains, but reliable pallet movement requires much more engineering than selecting a motor and frame. The conveyor has to support the pallet correctly, transfer it between machines, stop it accurately, accumulate it safely, communicate with upstream and downstream equipment and remain maintainable throughout its life. Alligator Automations Australia provides pallet conveyor systems and broader pallet handling solutions for automated manufacturing and warehouse material flow.

Start Pallet Conveyor Design with the Load

The first engineering input is the unit load: pallet plus product. If this data is incomplete, the conveyor design is being built on assumptions.

Define pallet construction

Record pallet length, width, height, entry direction and underside design. A roller conveyor needs suitable support points under the pallet. A chain conveyor may support different pallet runners. Damaged pallets, protruding boards or inconsistent bottom geometry can create transfer problems even when the conveyor itself is correctly built.

Define total load weight and distribution

Use the maximum real pallet load, not the average. Also consider whether the load is evenly distributed. A tall or off-centre pallet may have different acceleration, stopping and stability requirements from a compact, evenly distributed load of the same total weight.

Check pallet and product stability

Loose cartons, flexible bags or unstable layers can move when the pallet accelerates, turns or stops. Conveyor speed and transfer design therefore need to be considered with the upstream palletizing solution and downstream pallet packaging system.

Choose the Conveyor Type Around the Pallet and Movement

Different pallet movements are better suited to different mechanical arrangements. Alligator Automations Australia’s intralogistics conveyors include roller, chain, accumulation and transfer configurations used across pallet and product handling.

Roller pallet conveyors

Powered rollers can be effective when the pallet underside provides reliable support across the roller path. They are commonly used for straight pallet transport, controlled accumulation and integration with palletizing or wrapping equipment.

Chain conveyors

Multi-strand chain conveyors support the pallet on defined runners and can be useful when roller support is unsuitable or when transfer geometry requires chain-based handling. They are also commonly combined with pop-up transfer mechanisms.

Gravity pallet conveyors

Gravity can reduce powered components in suitable applications, but the slope, pallet weight range, braking and safe stopping behaviour must be engineered carefully. A system handling a wide variation in pallet weights needs particular attention.

Special transfer equipment

Turntables, pop-up chains, lift-and-turn units, transfer cars and similar devices allow the pallet to change direction, orientation or conveyor line. These devices are often where alignment problems appear, so the transfer should be tested with the real pallet types and maximum loads.

How to Calculate the Required Pallet Throughput

Conveyor speed should be based on process capacity, not a desire to move pallets as fast as possible. Define the required pallets per hour, the spacing between loads, transfer cycle times, machine dwell times and the expected behaviour during downstream stops.

Build a simple process capacity model

• How often does the upstream machine release a pallet?
• How long does each conveyor transfer take?
• How long does the wrapper, labeller or inspection station hold the pallet?
• How many pallets can accumulate before upstream production must stop?
• How quickly must the line recover after a short stoppage?

The aim is balanced flow. Increasing conveyor speed does not fix a slow downstream process; it may simply deliver pallets to the bottleneck faster.

Pallet Transfer Design: Where Most Problems Occur

Keep transfer gaps and height differences under control

A pallet should move from one section to another without losing support, catching a runner or destabilising the load. Transitions between rollers, chains, turntables and machine conveyors need suitable levels, clearances and support geometry.

Control pallet orientation

Some pallets can travel in either direction; others perform better when conveyed with specific bottom boards or runners aligned to the conveyor. The system design should standardise orientation where possible and detect incorrect presentation when it could create a jam.

Use stops and positioning devices where accuracy matters

A palletizer, wrapper, labeller or automatic truck-loading preparation station may require the pallet to stop in a repeatable position. Sensors alone confirm presence; mechanical stops, centring devices or controlled drives may be needed for accurate final positioning.

Accumulation: Designing Buffers that Protect Production

Accumulation gives the line temporary storage between processes with different cycle times. It is one of the most valuable tools in pallet conveyor design because it prevents every short downstream stop from immediately stopping upstream production.

Why pallet accumulation is needed

• A stretch wrapper has a longer cycle time than the palletizer.
• A forklift or warehouse process occasionally delays pallet removal.
• A label check or quality hold creates intermittent dwell time.
• The dispatch process runs in batches rather than continuously.

How much accumulation should you provide?

There is no universal number of pallet positions. A practical buffer study considers the upstream pallet release rate, expected downstream interruption duration, recovery rate, available floor space and the cost of stopping production. For example, if a downstream process is expected to pause briefly while the palletizer continues to release loads, the buffer should hold enough pallets to cover the expected interruption with a sensible engineering margin.

Accumulation needs control rules

Each zone should have clear occupancy and release logic. The controls should know when the next zone is available, when a pallet is correctly positioned and when upstream equipment must be slowed or stopped because the buffer is full.

Controls and Sensors for Pallet Conveyor Systems

Controls turn mechanical conveyors into a coordinated material-handling system. The PLC typically manages motor commands, zone availability, transfers, interlocks and communication with connected machines.

Common sensing functions

• Pallet presence detection.
• Position confirmation at stops or machines.
• Transfer device home and complete positions.
• Full-buffer and empty-buffer conditions.
• Jam or timeout detection.
• Load-height or dimension checks when required.
• Safety gate, light curtain or emergency-stop status.

HMI design should support fast fault recovery

Operators should be able to see which zone is occupied, where the system is waiting, which device has faulted and what safe action is required. Clear diagnostics can reduce the time spent searching for a simple blocked sensor or unconfirmed transfer.

Integrating Pallet Conveyors with End-of-Line Equipment

Palletizer integration

The conveyor may deliver empty pallets, receive full pallets, position loads for slip sheets or allow one pallet to exit while the next pallet enters. Whether the cell uses robotic palletizing, gantry palletizing or another palletizer type, the pallet conveyor and cell sequence should be engineered together.

Stretch wrapping and pallet packaging

The conveyor needs to match the wrapper’s load capacity, infeed height, transfer method and cycle. Buffering before a slower wrapper may be required. See Alligator’s guidance on integrating palletizing, stretch wrapping and conveyors for the wider system approach.

Warehouse and dispatch integration

Pallet conveyors may hand loads to forklifts, transfer cars, storage systems or automated dispatch equipment. In high-volume applications, the pallet flow may continue toward automatic truck loading. Each interface needs defined ownership and controls.

Safety and Maintenance Must Be Designed In

Safety considerations

• Guard hazardous transfer mechanisms and pinch points.
• Provide emergency stops that are accessible to operators.
• Define safe crossings and walkways around conveyor routes.
• Prevent unexpected restart after access or fault recovery.
• Keep forklift routes and automated pallet paths separated where practical.

Maintenance considerations

• Allow access to motors, drives, chains, rollers and sensors.
• Provide isolation points and safe maintenance zones.
• Design removable guards and service panels where required.
• Keep commonly replaced components accessible.
• Use diagnostics that help maintenance teams locate faults quickly.

Common Pallet Conveyor Design Mistakes

• Designing for the pallet size but not the pallet underside.
• Ignoring damaged or inconsistent pallets used in real production.
• Selecting conveyor speed without calculating line capacity.
• Providing no buffer before a slower downstream process.
• Using sensors without reliable mechanical positioning where precise stops are required.
• Leaving transfers and turntables until late in layout development.
• Creating a compact route with poor maintenance access.
• Not defining the control interface with palletizers, wrappers or warehouse equipment.

Pallet Conveyor Design Checklist

• Confirm pallet dimensions, underside design and orientation.
• Confirm maximum pallet weight and load centre.
• Define normal and peak pallets per hour.
• Map every transfer, turn and elevation change.
• Calculate accumulation positions and buffer logic.
• Define stop accuracy at each machine interface.
• Confirm guarding, access, crossings and emergency stops.
• Define PLC/HMI, sensors and communications.
• Check maintenance access and isolation.
• Test with real pallets and representative maximum loads.

Plan Your Pallet Conveyor System with Alligator Automations Australia

A reliable pallet conveyor is part of the production system, not just a transport device. Alligator Automations Australia designs pallet conveyor systems, pallet handling solutions and integrated end-of-line automation that can connect palletizing, load securing and dispatch. Contact the team with your pallet data, load weights, throughput and layout to discuss a conveyor concept built around the real material flow.

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