IBC Pallet

In cooperation with AVK Plastics, BPO developed an injection moulded pallet for an Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC) of the Sotralentz brand. The starting point of the development was the current compression moulded pallet. BPO simulated the structure of the pallet and was able to realise an optimal relation between weight and strength.

An IBC consists of different parts: a metal frame, a 1000L tank and a pallet. The tank is used for the transport of, among other things, heavy chemical liquids. During transport these liquids may not leak in any given situation. BPO’s scope for the project was to optimise the pallet. But the required strength and stiffness of the pallet can only be adequately assessed if the tank and the metal frame are also considered in the simulation.

BPO has researched several loading situations, where the drop test from a height of almost 2 meters at a temperature of minus 20°C proved to be the most critical. BPO used finite element analyses to determine the optimal structure of the pallet. The optimal relation between overall stiffness and a certain amount of flexibility was sought. The simulations of BPO proved to be an exact prediction of the way the product performs in the roughest of circumstances. The critical drop test has been met in an actual test and the IBC is currently available on the market.