College of Engineering Unit:
ShelterWorks Ltd. is a building supply company based in Philomath, OR that manufactures a unique wood-cement composite material called Faswall, which comprises 85% mineralized wood chips from recycled wood scraps and 15% cement. One application for this proprietary material is raised garden bed panels, which ShelterWorks currently produces at their Philomath facility alongside additional Faswall products.
For this project, the Panel Stacking Station team was tasked with designing and implementing a palletizing station at the Shelterworks facility that would make it safer and more efficient for operators to package orders of Faswall garden bed panels. The packaging process involves transferring individual panels from stacks of inventory to shipping pallets, equipping the panels with kick plates and corner protectors to prevent damage during shipping, and wrapping the completed pallet in several layers of plastic film. The final station design incorporates a combination of purchased off-the-shelf components, equipment that was available for use by the team at the ShelterWorks facility, and custom-designed parts, and is capable of supporting loads totaling several thousand pounds. With a dedicated palletizing station that facilitates efficient and consistent panel packaging, it will be easier than ever for ShelterWorks to capitalize on the high demand they face for this unique and sustainable product.
Industry Sponsor(s):
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
 Panel Stacking Station Expo poster | 3.96 MB |