Overview
Our mobile pallet changer is a battery pallet truck with a clamp that can grip a stack, tilt it and lift it clear of the old pallet. The Plus A model upends up to 1,000 kg and lifts up to 1,500 kg, with a 1,400 mm clamp opening and 1,600 mm high clamp arms. For MDF boards the limit is usually weight; for EPS panels it is clamp pressure. The video below shows the machine working through a pallet change.
Why change or invert pallets under board stacks
Board plants and panel makers change pallets more often than the process suggests. Press-line output arrives on wooden pallets that downstream customers may not accept, so stacks must move onto plastic or export pallets before shipment. Damaged pallets have to come out from under full stacks, and export orders may require a different pallet type at short notice.
Three operational problems drive the purchase decision:
- Line pallet-change cadence. When pallet swaps are slow, finished stacks queue in front of the press or in the warehouse, and small lots arriving through the day compound the delay. A mobile changer travels to the stack in place, so each change takes minutes rather than a fork-trip to a fixed station.
- Board surface-damage control. Restacking MDF boards by hand drags faces across each other and leaves pressure marks; EPS panel edges chip when panels are lifted singly. A clamp that grips the stack sides and lifts it whole keeps faces and edges out of the operation.
- Manual-change injury risk. Pulling pallets out from under a full stack, or hand-stacking hundreds of boards and panels, exposes operators to repetitive strain, crush hazards and dropped loads. Mechanising the change removes the operator from under the load.
How the clamp, tilt and lift cycle works
- The operator drives the battery truck up to the stack and opens the clamp arms to the stack width.
- The arms close on the stack sides just above the pallet deck, and the clamping speed is set so the arms seat quickly but gently.
- The machine lifts the clamped stack clear of the old pallet, which stays on the floor.
- If the stack must be turned, the clamp tilts it 90° onto its side, or turns it up to 180° to invert it. The turning speed is adjustable.
- The operator puts the new pallet in place, sets the stack down onto it and opens the arms.
- Stack length, width and height, and the heaviest stack.
- Material: MDF, particle board, EPS or other panels.
- Whether stacks must be turned or only moved to a new pallet.
- Pallet types, old and new.
- Floor: slopes, ramps and aisle width.
- Stacks per shift.
- Email your stack sizes, weights and materials to info@fhopepack.com.
- We reply with a proposal after we confirm the details, naming the model and clamp type.
- We send a drawing showing the changer against your stack and aisle.
- Mobile pallet changer Plus A
- Mobile pallet changer side press
- Electric clamper pallet changer for paper rolls
- Mobile pallet changer for limited space
- Mechanical 90-degree tilter for sheet stacks
- Specifications: FHOPE mobile pallet changer Plus A and side press product pages
- Gauge and contact pressure: FHOPE engineering confirmation
- Machine video: pallet changing and inverting on YouTube
- Stack weights: our worked example, typical material densities, illustrative stack sizes
- Standards: EN 415-10 (packaging machines, general safety); ISO 12100:2010; ISO 3691-1 (industrial trucks)
Inverting through 180° puts the bottom boards on top for inspection, or turns a load the right way up.
Plus A specifications
| Item | FPFZ-M01 (Plus A) |
|---|---|
| Upending capacity | 1,000 kg |
| Maximum load | 1,500 kg |
| Lifting height | 1.6 m |
| Clamp arm size | 1,100 × 165 × 50 mm |
| Clamp arm height | 1,600 mm |
| Clamp opening range | 1,400 mm |
| Machine length / width | 2,250 / 850 mm |
| Wheel track | 520 mm |
| Turning space | 1,250 mm |
| Handle height | 1,490 mm |
| Machine weight | 1,200 kg |
| Travel speed, empty / loaded | 5 / 4 km/h |
| Gradeability | 10% |
| Power | battery drive |
| Rotation | up to 180°, adjustable turning speed |
Worked example: MDF and EPS stacks against the limits
Two checks matter: weight against the 1,000 kg upending limit, and stack width against the 1,400 mm clamp opening. The densities below are typical values for the materials and are illustrative.
| Stack | Size, L × W × H | Typical density | Weight | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MDF boards | 1,200 × 600 × 1,000 mm | about 750 kg/m³ | about 540 kg | within 1,000 kg; tilt is fine |
| MDF boards, taller stack | 1,200 × 1,000 × 1,200 mm | about 750 kg/m³ | about 1,080 kg | over 1,000 kg; lift only, or split the stack to tilt |
| EPS panels | 1,200 × 1,000 × 1,500 mm | about 20 kg/m³ | about 36 kg | weight is no issue; clamp pressure is |
The 1,000 mm and 600 mm stack widths are both inside the 1,400 mm opening. The MDF check is about mass: the taller stack is 1.44 m³, and at 750 kg/m³ that is about 1,080 kg, so we would lift that stack without tilting, or split it. The EPS stack is very light, but EPS dents under point load, so the clamp force has to stay low. That is where a pressure-adjustable clamp earns its place.
Tilting clamp or side press
| Plus A tilting clamp | Side press | |
|---|---|---|
| Tilt or invert | yes, up to 180° | no, lifts and transfers |
| Load | 1,000 kg upending, 1,500 kg lifting | about 1,500 kg |
| Clamping | arm clamp, adjustable clamping speed | two side platforms, pressure set on a gauge |
| Power | battery drive | 24 V, four 6 V batteries, 1,200 W drive and lift motors, built-in charger — standard engineering reference, subject to confirmation in the project technical agreement |
| Pallet width | 1,400 mm clamp opening | pallets up to 1,200 mm wide; 1,320 mm inner leg width |
| Best for | MDF and boards that must be turned | EPS and soft stacks that only need a new pallet |
If your EPS stacks only need a new pallet, the side press is the gentler choice, because its pressure is set on a gauge before it squeezes. That gauge reads hydraulic pressure, not the pressure on the panel face. The pressure on the EPS depends on how much platform area touches it, so a larger contact pad spreads the same force and dents the face less. If boards must be turned over, the Plus A is the one to choose.
Selection checklist: what to send us
Safety: EN 415-10 and ISO 3691-1
For CE markets, ISO 12100 sets the risk-assessment method and EN 415-10 serves as the design reference for the general safety requirements of the clamping and turning functions. The driven truck itself falls under ISO 3691-1 for self-propelled industrial trucks. Certification of a delivered machine is confirmed in the project ordering agreement.
Keep people clear of the turning zone while a stack is tilted, and travel with the stack low. Tilt only within the upending capacity, and set the clamp force for the material before the first lift.
Engineering FAQ
Q: How heavy a stack can it tilt?
A: Up to 1,000 kg; it lifts up to 1,500 kg without tilting.
Q: How wide a stack can it grip?
A: The clamp opens to 1,400 mm.
Q: Can it turn a stack upside down?
A: Yes. It tilts a stack 90° onto its side, or rotates it up to 180° to invert it.
Q: Will it crush EPS panels?
A: Not with the clamp force set low; for EPS that only needs a new pallet, the side press with its pressure gauge is gentler.
Q: Which safety standards apply?
A: For CE markets, ISO 12100 as the risk-assessment method and EN 415-10 as the design reference, and ISO 3691-1 for the truck.
