Quick Pallet Maker 4.5

Quick Pallet Maker 4.5 is considered as a very convenient as well as effective Pallet Loading application that calculates the optimal box dimensions in order to fit the most packages into a shipping pallet. The user introduces the dimensions for his/her Primary Package along with other physical information and the program displays the available solutions graphically.

Major Features:

1. Input
   • Start from Primary Package: The Quick Pallet Maker user can choose to start to create an optimal pallet load by entering the primary package dimensions, the box construction type and constraints, the dimensions of the physical shipping pallet and the pallet load constraints. See example.
   • Start from Box Dimensions: Optimal pallet arrangements can be calculated with Quick Pallet Maker by introducing the case sizes, the pallet dimensions and the pallet load constraints. See movie.
   • Standard Cases and Pallets: Quick Pallet Maker contains a list of cases and pallets that can be reused in different problem types. The standard cases can be used to accomodate a fixed number of primary packages or to fit as many primary packages as possible into the cases with those dimensions. See example.
   • Container Fill Window: Quick Pallet Maker provides a means for filling containers without having to calculate the pallets or boxes first. This is done by opening a new Container Fill window and entering or importing the objects for filling the container.
2. Box Calculations
   • Design boxes from PP dimensions: The default calculation mode will produce boxes that are big enough to fit a predetermined amount of primary packages within it. The internal box dimensions are then equal to the external dimensions of the regular group of primary packages.
   • Fit into standard case dimensions: As explained before, the user can add standard case dimensions (off-the-shelf boxes) to be reused in different packaging situations. The most common use for this range of boxes is to enter a fixed case count and then check which one of the standard cases is close enough to the calculated dimensions to be used as the packaging box.
   • Fill standard cases: This calculating mode will start from the dimensions of the standard cases and then add primary packages in different orientations in order to fit as many as possible within the box. All of this is done while taking care of not exceeding the maximum slack allowed.
3. Pallet Calculations
   • Use standard pallet dimensions: Commonly-used pallet dimensions can be stored within the standard cases and pallets window in order to be selected when necessary.
   • Regular pallets: The default pallet calculation will arrange the boxes by layers within the restricted area of the pallet. In these basic arrangements, the boxes are completely alligned, either lengthwise or transversal to the pallet length.
   • Optimized pallets: Optimization algorithms built into Quick Pallet Maker will rearrange the boxes in the pallets in order to fit as many as possible into a pallet layer, even if the outcome is not a regular arrangement.
   • Pinwheel (display) patterns: Quick Pallet Maker can produce pallet arrangements that are specially made for displaying box sides and/or box lengths to customers. This is done automatically from one of the pallet commands.
   • Alternate and Mix Layers: In some cases, it is more important to maintain the stability of the pallet load than to optimize the strength that must be supported by each one of the boxes in the pallet. In this case, Quick Pallet Maker provides a method to automatically alternate the pallet layers. In other cases, a new pallet can be formed using arrangements from different pallets.
   • Layer Editor: In some cases, the desired pallet arrangement does not match any of the available optimizations in Quick Pallet Maker. For these cases, we have added the Layer Editor, which allows the user to rotate and move the boxes one by one. See example.
4. Container Fill
   • Single-Sized Objects: Use the Quick Pallet Maker container fill window for calculating how many packs (pallets, boxes or cylinders) can be fit into a container. See example.
   • Multiple-Sized Objects: Create a shipment of certain amounts of pallets, boxes and drums for delivery within a container. Quick Pallet Maker optimizes the arrangement of these objects to reduce costs as much as possible. See example.
   • Place Boxes on Their Sides: Quick Pallet Maker container fill allows the user to place boxes in whichever orientation they wish, in both single-type and multiple-type container fills.
   • Calculate Shipping Costs: After entering the shipping cost for a single container, Quick Pallet Maker will calculate the cost for shipping each item within the container as a function of its weight.
5. Output options
   • Detailed Report: The default output option for pallets created with Quick Pallet Maker is to present the pallet, box and primary package (if applicable) drawings, along with information of the dimensions of each one of these packaging components.
   • Graphics: Quick Pallet Maker provides the means to export each one of the drawings that can be produced with the application, besides exporting the graphics of the detailed report. Each one of the primary package, box and pallet drawings can be exported to any graphics format that is supported by QuickTime.
   • Report Text: The text from the detailed report can be exported independently of the graphics in order for it to be opened with a spreadsheet program or text editor.
   • Box Coordinates: Quick Pallet Maker provides a means to feed data into a palletizing machine which is the Box Coordinates export, a text file that includes coordinates (x,y and z) and the box orientation.
   • Palletization Movie: Quick Pallet Maker includes a feature that creates an animation of the pallet under construction. This animation (in QuickTime format) can be shared with co-workers that have installed the free QuickTime viewer in their PCs.
6. File Formats
   • Input File Formats: XML text (for all QPM input files), Tab-delimited spreadsheet.
   • Output File Formats:
   • XML text (for all QPM output files)
   • CSV (Comma-Separated Values) for box coordinates
   • SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) for box drawing
   • MS Excel (pallet report)
   • JPEG, BMP, PICT and other QuickTime-supported formats (for report graphics)
   • QuickTime Movie (.mov) for pallet and container fill animations

Enhancements:

• [All] NF: Functional Quick Pallet Maker web-based server. Final spec to be defined.
• [All] NF: Pallet lists with multiple boxes can now be exported to the MS Excel 2003 XML spreadsheet format which is readable by MS Excel version 2003 and above, besides other apps like OpenOffice Calc.
• [All] AF: Clicking "Optimize" on a Type 10 calculated pallet delivers equivalent optimizations but with alternative patterns. If no pattern is available with the same amount of cartons per pallet, then nothing will appear.
• [All] BF: Advanced Input Options window can now calculate cylindrical package box fill and will not crash if this option has been selected.

Requirements:

• PowerPC or Intel-Based Macintosh running Mac OSX 10.3 or greater.
• 256 MB of free RAM
• Color Monitor, minimum resolution 800x600 pixels.
• QuickTime 6 or later is required for exporting reports to various graphics formats and for movie export.