Szchenyi Istvn Egyetem

Mszaki Tudomnyi Kar

Logisztikai s Szlltmnyozsi Tanszk

OKTATSI SEGDLET

NGM LO009_1 CSOMAGOLSTERVEZS

2010

Tartalom
1. CALCULATING BOXES IN PALLETS........................................................................................................................ 4 2. RECTANGULAR PACKAGES INTO PALLETS ........................................................................................................... 5 3. BOTTLES IN TRAYS AND PALLETS ........................................................................................................................ 6 4. HOW TO USE STANDARD CASES ......................................................................................................................... 9 5. ALTERNATING PALLET LAYERS .......................................................................................................................... 10 6. BOX COMPRESSION CALCULATION ................................................................................................................... 11 7. USING THE PALLET LAYER EDITOR - PART I ....................................................................................................... 13 8. USING THE PALLET LAYER EDITOR - PART II ...................................................................................................... 15 9. FILLING A LARGE TRAY WITH CYLINDERS .......................................................................................................... 16 10. PASTING BOX AND PALLET DATA .................................................................................................................... 17 11. ADDING SLACK TO DIFFERENT CASE SIDES ..................................................................................................... 18 12. USING STANDARD CASES WITH COMPRESSION LIMIT.................................................................................... 19 13. USING DRUMS AS BOXES ................................................................................................................................ 20 14. CHANGING PALLET COLORS ............................................................................................................................ 20 15. EXPORTING BOX COORDINATES ..................................................................................................................... 21 16. PASTING BOX DATA FOR PALLET CALCULATIONS ........................................................................................... 22 17. FILLING BOXES USING DEFAULT DATA ............................................................................................................ 23 18. FILLING STANDARD BOXES WITH MULTIPLE-SIZED PACKS ............................................................................. 24 19. REGISTERING BOX USAGE ............................................................................................................................... 25 20. SELECTING BOXES FOR AIR FREIGHT ............................................................................................................... 27 21. ADDING SLACK TO A BOX ................................................................................................................................ 29 22. EXPORTING PALLET REPORT GRAPHICS TO WINDOWS BITMAP..................................................................... 30 23. SHIPPING MULTIPLE PRIMARY PACKAGES IN CASES OF ONE SIZE.................................................................. 30 24. CREATING A DISPLAY PALLET .......................................................................................................................... 32 25. ADDING PACKAGE DESCRIPTIONS................................................................................................................... 33 26. ADDING BOX DESCRIPTIONS ........................................................................................................................... 34 27. CHANGING THE COLOR OF A CALCULATED BOX ............................................................................................. 36 28. CALCULATE MULTIPLE BOXES ......................................................................................................................... 38 29. PRODUCING SPECIFIC PALLET COUNTS WITH THE LAYER EDITOR.................................................................. 39 30. USING A SHIPMENT LIST TO CALCULATE PALLETS AND CONTAINERS ............................................................ 41 31. CALCULATING PALLETS WITH OVERHANG ...................................................................................................... 45 32. CHANGING THE CARTON DENSITY .................................................................................................................. 46 33. USING THE LAYER EDITOR - PART III................................................................................................................ 47 34. HOW TO CREATE SLIPSHEETS.......................................................................................................................... 50 35. CHANGING THE MAXIMUM BOX WEIGHT TO CREATE HEAVY BOXES ............................................................ 53 36. FILLING STANDARD BOXES WITH PACKAGES .................................................................................................. 54 37. ALTERNATING SELECTED LAYERS .................................................................................................................... 54

38. CREATING A SHIPMENT WITH FINITE PACKAGES............................................................................................ 57 39. FILLING CONTAINERS WITH PALLETS USING MULTIPLE BOX SIZES................................................................. 59 40. FILLING CONTAINERS WITH BOXES WITHOUT KNOWING CASE COUNT......................................................... 61 41. CREATING SHIPMENTS WITHOUT KNOWING CASE COUNT AND WITH A FINITE NUMBER OF PACKAGES .... 63 42. MIXING PALLETS, DRUMS AND BOXES IN A CONTAINER ................................................................................ 66 43. STABILIZING CONTAINER LOADS..................................................................................................................... 67 44. PICKING THE RIGHT CONTAINER TYPE ............................................................................................................ 69 45. CALCULATING SHIPPING COST ........................................................................................................................ 71 46. FITTING MULTIPLE BOXES INTO ONE CONTAINER .......................................................................................... 74 47. LOADING CYLINDERS ONTO PALLETS ONTO CONTAINERS ............................................................................. 75 48. EXPORTING CONTAINER FILL MOVIES TO IPODTM......................................................................................... 76 49. ADDING SHIPPING ROUTES TO CONTAINERS.................................................................................................. 77 50. PACKAGE TO BOX TO CONTAINER .................................................................................................................. 77 51. MOVING A PALLET FROM ONE CONTAINER TO THE OTHER........................................................................... 79 52. REORDERING THE BOXES ON A CONTAINER................................................................................................... 82 53. LOADING MULTIPLE PALLETS .......................................................................................................................... 84 54. BASIC CONTAINER CALCULATION ................................................................................................................... 85 55. TESTING DIFFERENT PALLET SIZES .................................................................................................................. 87 56. CREATING STABLE PALLETS FROM THIN BOXES.............................................................................................. 90 57. HIDDEN PALLET CONFIGURATION................................................................................................................... 92 58. ALTERNATING LAYERS WITH THE LAYER EDITOR ............................................................................................ 93 59. CALCULATING LOWEST SHIPPING COSTS IN CONTAINERS ............................................................................. 95 60. CALCULATE PALLET LISTS FROM BOX LIST ...................................................................................................... 97 61. CHANGING THE CONTAINER TYPE .................................................................................................................. 99 62. DRAGGING A PALLET FROM ONE WINDOW TO ANOTHER ........................................................................... 101 63. USING MULTIPLE PACK SIZES TO FILL BOXES ................................................................................................ 102 64. CREATING A PALLET WITH A HOLE IN THE MIDDLE ...................................................................................... 103 65. CALCULATING BOXES WITH CYLINDRICAL ITEMS.......................................................................................... 105 66. FOUR LAYERS OF PACKAGING (PACKAGE - CARTON - MASTER CARTON - PALLET) ...................................... 105 67. HORIZONTAL ROLLS ON PALLETS .................................................................................................................. 108

1. Calculating Boxes in Pallets Run Quick Pallet Maker. Make sure that you have downloaded the latest version by visiting this page: http://www.koona.com/downloads/index.html and then open a new document starting from box by using File -> New Data Sheet -> Start from Box

If you will be using units different than the default units, you can change them through the command on the Tools menu or through the Preferences window (Tools -> Settings for Windows OS).

The next step is to add boxes by entering their dimensions in the cells in the left section of the document window. If you will be using only one type of box per pallet, enter zero as the amount. Then click on "Add Box" to add them to the list.

If you want to change the pallet type, you can do so through the menu at bottom-left or enter the dimensions of the pallet manually.

Once you have added all the boxes, use Tools -> Recalculate if you wish to calculate the best pallet fills per box type or Tools -> Calculate Multiple Boxes to calculate the best pallet fills to accomodate all of your boxes.

The resulting pallets should appear in a separate window as in the screenshot to the right.

2. Rectangular Packages into Pallets The first example describes how to calculate pallets using the default data that is contained in the Input Window. The first step is to run Quick Pallet Maker and to open a new document starting from the Primary Package. Select this feature from the File menu.

When the window is opened, a set of data will appear that refer to a primary package with a rectangular form (i.e. a carton or square bag) with the following dimensions: 128x113x175 mm. QPM will calculate the size of the boxes that will be used to pack these primary packages, besides orienting them in the pallets similar to the one that has been selected in the image at right.

Once that all of the data has been introduced (like in this example in which we did not change anything), we use the Recalculate function to obtain a list of results. This feature is located under the Tools menu.

After the program has finished calculating, we should see a window with a list of boxes at the right side of the window and a list of pallets at the bottom of the window. The details of the selected pallet will appear on the left side of the window. In this example, we have selected the pallet with the greatest area efficiency.

In case the user wishes to print the pallet data, he/she must select the "Detailed Report" item that is located under the Window menu.

A window like the one at right will appear. This report contains all the information regarding the pallet that was selected and about its boxes. In case we have different boxes in the same pallet, these can be seen by moving the selector at the bottom of the drawing.

3. Bottles in Trays and Pallets This example deals with the inclusion of different bottle shapes into a open tray and then into a pallet load. The first step is to open a new document window and change the package type to "Bottle". Once this is done, we will see the bottle drawing. We will change the bottle shape and convert it into a jar with a screw-on cap. To change the shape, first we click on the "cap" button and drag the mouse sideways to change the cap diameter and vertically to change the cap height. Then, we click on the "body" button to change the height of the rest of the bottle. Note that when the cap and the body proportions are increased, the neck proportion is reduced. The movie to the right shows how this is done.

The next step before calculating is to select "2x2x2 Tray" from the Box Construction menu. Note that this example will only work as explained if the rest of the input data is consistent with the default values.

Then, we use the Recalculate command from the Tools menu to see the resulting pallets. To see the trays correctly, we may need to select "External box view" from the View menu. Other tray view options include only primary packages, empty tray and section view.

Once this is done, our results should look like in the screenshot at right.

Since we want to find the optimal box and pallet arrangements, we will need to order the pallets. For this, we select "Power Sort..." from the Tools menu.

A small window will appear in which we introduce the sorting criteria. In our case, we will sort by the amount of primary packages per pallet in a descending order.

Once this has been done, we will see the best pallets in the first rows. We select the third pallet because it uses a box arrangement that doesn't stack the bottles/jars on top of each other.

Once the pallet has been selected, we choose "Detailed Report" from the Window menu.

This opens up a new window from which we can see the pallet, box and primary package information.

If we want a bigger drawing of the pallet, we can click on the "Pallet Views" tab and then use the Toggle Pallet View command from the View menu to go through the different pallet drawings.

If we select "Toggle Pallet View" enough times, we will see the 3D pallet drawing in a large size.

Another possibility for viewing the pallet loading mechanism is to use the Palletizing Movie export feature that is available from the File menu. This process will ask first for the name of the movie file and then for the QuickTime movie compression settings. The "animation" setting produces good movies that take up little disk space.

The resulting movie should look similar to the one at right.

4. How to use standard cases This example deals with the utilization of boxes with standard dimensions (off-the-shelf boxes). The standard box list is located in a special window where boxes can be added or removed. To see this window, select "Standard Cases and Pallets" from the Window menu as in the graphic at right. In this window, you will be able to add, edit, disable or remove standard cases. To add a box, select one and then use the "Duplicate" item in the Edit menu. This will create a new box at the bottom of the list. To edit the box dimensions, select it from the list and then double-click it. To disable a box, deselect the checkbox that is located left of the dimensions. To remove a box from the list, select it and then use the "Clear" item in the Edit menu. The next step is to open an Input Window starting from the primary package and selecting "Use ONLY standard cases" from the central menu in the Input Window.

After using the Recalculate function, Quick Pallet Maker will generate a list of standard boxes and pallets that were generated with this input data.

Although not apparent in the box view, QPM has added slack to the packages in order to use the standard cases. In other words, the load is "loose" in the case. The "View Box Contents" option is useful for showing this slack inside the case.

Another way to enter the standard case dimensions is to copy the data from a spreadsheet application (such as MS Excel) or from any text file that contains columns separated by tabs. In this part of the example, we will delete the cases that we do not need by selecting them first...

...and then clicking on the "Del" or "Backspace" key (Windows) or on the "Del" or "Delete" key (Mac OS). The resulting list (we are working with metric units in this case) should look like the one in the screenshot at right.

The next step is to grab the tab-delimited text from a document. In this case, we are copying it from Windows Wordpad, which is included in the most recent Windows OS versions. We select the "copy" command to bring the text onto the clipboard. The order of the columns is the following: Box Length, Width, Height, Category (the type that will appear in the standard cases menu), Top to Bottom Compression, Code and Description. Once we are back into QPM (please remember to not click on the whitespace in the table), we can paste the data and the result should look like in the screenshot at right.

5. Alternating pallet layers To alternate the levels of a pallet that has been created with Quick Pallet Maker, we start from the list of pallets that was created following the same procedure as the example #1. The result should be similar to what we see at right.

Once this is done, we select the first of the pallets in the list and the Alternate Layers function from the main pallet actions menu. In order for this action to be executed, the user needs to press the "Go" button.

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Once the pallets with alternated layers have been calculated, a new pallet will appear at the end of the list. The drawing at right shows this new pallet.

The problem with this pallet is the instability. The levels don't keep the same area between them, which makes the pallets prone to collapsing. Besides, this pallet does not optimize the boxes per pallet but that argument is beyond the scope of this example. In order to add stability to the boxes, we will open the Layer Editor, that can be found under the Tools menu. Once this window has been opened, we select the second level which is the first one of the levels will less area utilization.

One by one we will change the box coordinates on the pallet width so that their corners touch the corners of the layer below. Specifically, we will assign a value of y = 0 to the ones that are located in the uppermost section in the screen and a value of y = 929 -390 = 539 to the boxes that can be seen at the bottom of the screen.

We repeat this procedure with all of the interleaved levels until the resulting pallet looks like the graph at right. In this case, corner posts have been placed along with a pallet cap (using the features under the View menu) in order to add stability to the load.

6. Box Compression Calculation The purpose of the box compression calculations is to indicate to your box supplier the force that you will need your desired boxes to withstand, based on the pallet arrangements you have obtained with QPM. The process is very straight-forward. In this example, we have already calculated the pallets using the default data and we should see the solutions window like this.

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The next step is to select the first pallet on the list and then open the box compression window by selecting the appropriate command from the Tools menu.

The box compression window should look like the one in the screenshot at right. From top to down, the controls are: pallet stack selector (for indicating how many pallets will be stacked on top of each other); the box selector (for comparing compression values across boxes in the same pallet); the weight each box stands, the safety factor and the compression force including the safety factor. The default values indicate how much is the minimum weight that the bottom box (box #0) should resist.

If we use the box selector, we can choose another box in the pallet.

For example, if we choose one of the top boxes (painted white), we will see that the minimum resistance is zero. That's because they do not have any boxes on top.

We can also choose to add another pallet to the stack and we will know that the compression resistance needs to be greater in case that we will stack pallets in a container or warehouse.

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In this screenshot, we are fiddling with the safety factor. Note that the safety factor depends on the stacking and warehouse conditions and that unless you are well understood in this matter, you should contact your box supplier for guidance.

Once we have clicked on "OK" and closed the box compression window, we can open the Detailed Report window from the Window menu. We will see that the compression value for all of the boxes has been updated to reflect the calculation result from the Box Compression window. If we had unchecked the "Use Max compression for all boxes" box, we could be able to scroll through the different boxes in the pallet and find different values. This last option is useful in case we had unused boxes hanging around in the warehouse with a lower compression strength and we could use them for the upper layers.

7. Using the Pallet Layer Editor - Part I The following screenshots and movies illustrate how the pallet Layer Editor can be used to move, add and remove boxes on a given load. In this first part, we will see how the boxes can be moved around and how we can select different layers. The first step for running this quick tutorial is to run QPM and open a new window starting from primary package dimensions. The only difference with the default data will be to select "2x2x2 Tray" instead of RSC in the box construction menu. Once that has been changed, we select "Recalculate" from the Tools menu. The resulting window should contain a list of pallets at the bottom that contain different tray arrangements, the information for the selected pallet at left, the pallet drawing in the center and the list of available trays at right. In case the box drawing shows an empty tray, we can click the drawing with the right button (on a Windows PC) or ctrl+click (on a single-button Mac) to change the box view.

The updated box drawing should look like the one in the screenshot at right.

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The next step is to select "Layer Editor" from the Tools menu. This will show the Layer Editor window, from which we can change the position and the orientation of the boxes in the pallet.

If we selected the first pallet from the list, the Layer Editor window should look like the one in the screenshot at right.

The QuickTime movie at right shows how the Layer Editor is used for viewing the different pallet layers. The top menu can also be invoked through Ctrl+(layer number) for Windows computers and Command+(layer number) for Mac OSX.

For the movie at right, we have closed the Layer Editor window without saving the changes (clicking on "Cancel"), selected the second pallet from the list in the Solutions Window and then opened the Layer Editor again by using the appropriate command from the Tools menu. The purpose of this animation is to show how the user can drag the selected box and restrict the axii in which the said box can be dragged. Note that the movie shows how the box is dragged in the xy plane. However, dragging boxes is possible in all three planes from the views that are perpendicular to them. The plane will be represented in the quadrant marker in the top-left corner of the drawing. This last animation shows how a box can be flipped in any of the three axii. Note that the box will only be flipped if there is space available. Otherwise, a clicking sound will be heard and the box will remain in its original position and orientation. For example a box in the bottom row usually needs to be moved out from below the other boxes to flip it.

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8. Using the Pallet Layer Editor - Part II These screenshots explain how the Layer Editor can be used for mixing different boxes in the same pallet with custom configurations. In this case, the shipper wants to send a pallet with trays and blue boxes to a customer. The customer requested 48 trays and as many blue boxes they could fit. To do this, we start from the previous example and select the second pallet from the list. Then, we select "Layer Editor" from the Tools menu to see the top-most view in the Layer Editor. The animation at right explains how the first part of the example is executed: first, we move the boxes at the bottom of the view further away from the rest of them to make a space in the middle. This is done by changing the "y" axis values. Next, we rotate the pallet view and make sure that the rest of the layers adopt the changes. Then, we will import saved boxes (click here to download the file) and fit them in the space between the tray rows. The final step is to click on "Organize Boxes" to update the drawing.

After completing the last part, the first pallet row should look like the one at the beginning of this movie. The next step is to duplicate the first layer across the available pallet height (data taken from input) and then click on the "Organize Boxes" button to update the drawing.

After the first layer with mixed boxes has been duplicated, we notice that the middle boxes stick out because they're taller than the trays. For the example, this affects the placement of the pallet straps. Hence, we will need to remove the top boxes. For this, we move the pallet view, select each box and then the "Clear Box" command. Once this has been done, we save the pallet rearrangement and add the pallet straps to give it its final look.

We can choose to look at the detailed report to be able to print out the pallet and box data. Other report options are also available.

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From the detailed report, we can choose the "Export Palletizing Movie" option from the File menu. This option will create a QuickTime movie like the one that can be opened through the screenshot at right.

This last screenshot contains the four drawings from the Pallet View tab. The same example has been calculated with another computer.

9. Filling a large tray with cylinders A customer wants to pack 155x100 mm cylinders onto pallets but wants to do it in such a way as to fit as many as possible per layer without any constraint on delivering a specific number to each client. In other words, he wants to ship bulk cylinders somewhere. There is more than one route to solve this problem. However, we will start by creating a standard case will the same area as the shipping pallet (1200x800) and with a height small enough to fill only one layer of cylinders. Note that we changed the category from "Box" to "Tray" to differentiate it from the rest of the boxes, saving time. Once this has been done, we open a new input window and enter the cylinder information and the specifications for our standard tray. Note that "Tray" has been chosen as the box category along with the "Fill Case" option.

After selecting "Recalculate", we should see the pallets that were created with these specifications.

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10. Pasting Box and Pallet Data The previous example can be run in a quicker way by pasting the box data directly on top of the Container Fill window. The first step is to open the Container Fill window. If it was already open, then the first step is to clear the boxes or pallets from the main list. The MS Excel file that is shown in this example can be downloaded by clicking here.

The next step is to copy the text from a spreadsheet. Note that the conditions for the copied text are the following: it must be separated by tabs and the column order must be Unit (0 = mm/kg, 1 = cm/kg, 2 = inches/lbs), Type (0 = pallet, 1 = box), Length, Width, Height, Weight, Color ("web" format or #RRGGBB), Amount, Code and Description. Note that the last two are optional. Once the data is copied, we paste it by selecting "Paste" from the Edit menu. Then, we choose the same container as in the previous example.

After using the "Recalculate" command from the Tools menu, we should see the same results as in the previous example.

The advantage to copying and pasting from a spreadsheet is that the code and description of the boxes is already included in the shipment list that can be exported to another spreadsheet file.

To run this example, you do not need to have a spreadsheet program. You can use any text editor and enter the data separated by columns as shown in the screenshot at right.

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The data is pasted in the same way.

Pasting the data will deliver the same result.

11. Adding Slack to Different Case Sides This example is relatively quick. In some cases, a user will need to pack a product or a number of products into a box while using padding. Quick Pallet Maker allows the padding to increase the box dimensions differently in each axis. The first step is to open a new window starting from primary package dimensions. We will use the default dimensions. Then, we click on the "Case Properties" button.

Once we're in the Case Properties window, we click on the second tab to see that we can either enter the added padding dimensions as bulge (proportional to the box size) or as absolute values for each axis. In our case, we will use 50,10 and 0 mm for the internal slack in the length, width and height, respectively. After entering the values, we click on OK.

The next step is to select "Recalculate" from the Tools menu. This will show us the resulting pallets and the boxes they contain. If we look at the boxes with the "Show Contents" view, we can see the slack that was added in each direction.

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Finally, Quick Pallet Maker offers the option to create a movie of the box fill. This animation will allow viewing the location of each one of the packages inside the box.

You can click on the image at right to see the box movie.

12. Using Standard Cases With Compression Limit This example, although easy to explain, is very useful when using standard cases that you already have in your warehouse. When this is the case, they have a certain maximum compression strength that they can stand. Hence, it doesn't make sense to create a pallet arrangement that would make the cases collapse and/or damage the products. Quick Pallet Maker calculates the optimal pallet arrangement with the compression already in mind. The first step is to run QPM and open the Standard Cases and Pallets window by using the command that is available in the Window menu. Once this has been done, we will select a box in the bottom list (metric units) and enter its dimensions as 400x300x210 mm. This is done by double-clicking on the text cell. Then, we add a maximum Top to Bottom compression value of 200 kg.

Once the box has been entered, we open a new document window starting from primary packages. We will use the default data. In case you have turned auto-save on and you cannot see the default dimensions, open the Preferences window ("Options" from the Tools menu for Windows computers), then deactivate the auto-save option and then open a new window starting from PP. The next step is to increase the PP weight to 3 kg and select "Fill standard cases" from the menu near the bottom. After selecting "Recalculate" from the Tools menu, we will see that the resulting pallet orientations are somewhat shorter than the ones we usually obtain from calculating with the default dimensions. This is because QPM has taken into account the maximum T-B compression of the standard case, divided it by the default safety factor and used is as part of the stacking criteria. To change the default safety factor, you need to open the box compression window, change it, close the window and calculate again.

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In the screenshot at right, we have changed the safety factor from 5 to 3 and as a result, we can fit more rows onto the pallet. If we were to reduce the safety factor more or simply make the T-B compression value equal to zero in the Standard Cases and Pallets window, the load height would be limited only by the constraints that were set in the input window.

13. Using Drums as Boxes In one of the container load examples, we fill a container with pallets, boxes and drums. The following example explains how to save a drum as a box after calculating a pallet load. The first step is to open a new document window starting from primary package dimensions and select "Cylinder" as the primary package type. Once this has been done, we choose "Stretch-wrap" as the box construction type and a case count equal to 1. The pallet constraints are not relevant as we will use the calculation to save the box only for further use.

After selecting "Recalculate". we should be able to see how the cylinders were placed on a pallet. Once this has been done, we can save the "box" to a file either using the Export Box... File (XML) command from the File menu or right-clicking (ctrl+click on a Mac) on the cylinder drawing. Once the box is saved, we can use it as in this example.

14. Changing Pallet Colors When using standard pallets, you may want in some moments to use a different color for each of the different types of pallets. The process is described below. Open the Standard Cases and Pallets window and click on the second tab to see the pallets and containers. After selecting a pallet, click with the right button (ctrl+click on a Mac) on top of the drawing to select a pallet color.

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Then, when you open a new window and select that pallet, you will see that the color matches the one you selected previously. The other pallets will continue having their previous colors.

15. Exporting Box Coordinates There are occasions in which users will want to export the box placement data from Quick Pallet Maker to an automatic/robotic palletizer or other machine/software. For this, QPM produces a list of the box x,y,z coordinates and the box orientation in a comma-delimited text file. For this example, we will calculate pallets using the default data. The resulting Available Solutions window shows a list of pallets from which we select the first one.

The next step is to select "Export -> Pallet -> Box Coordinates" from the File menu as in the screenshot to the right.

The screenshot to the right shows how the comma-delimited case data looks when opened with Microsoft Excel. The first column contains the box number, starting from zero to count-1. The next three columns contain the x,y,z coordinates of the bottom-top-left box corner. The fifth column contains the box orientation (explained below). The white boxes show the different available orientations in Quick Pallet Maker. Note that orientations 1 and 2 (right-side-up) are the most used.

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Orientation = 0

Orientation = 1

Orientation = 2

Orientation = 3

Orientation = 4

Orientation = 5

16. Pasting Box Data for Pallet Calculations In one of the container load examples, we paste the box data from a spreadsheet or a text file in which the data is delimited by tabs. This now can also be done through the Start From Box dimensions window. The first step is to open a new document window starting from box dimensions and set the units appropriately.

Then, we go to the spreadsheet or text file that contains the tabdelimited data. It is important for this data to contain the following columns: Unit, Type, Length, Width, Height, Weight, Color, Amount, Code (optional) and Description. The unit value can be equal to 0 (mm/kg), 1 (cm/kg) or 2 (inches/lbs). The type is always equal to 1. The color format is similar to HTML color formatting (#RRGGBB), where the Red (RR), Green (GG) and Blue (BB) values are Hexadecimal values. The rest of the dimensions are entered using the appropriate unit. QPM will translate the dimensions if the copied units are different from the units in the input window. Please note that if the input window uses "commas" for separating decimals,

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The next step is to copy and paste the data onto the input window. QPM will translate the dimensions if the copied units are different from the units in the input window. Please note that if the input window uses commas (",") for separating decimals, the pasted data will too need to use commas. Select the pallet type and other constraints as necessary.

In this case, we used the "Calculate Multiple Boxes" feature from the Tools menu to obtain the mixed boxes and pallets.

17. Filling Boxes Using Default Data This is a quick example on how to use the box fill feature with the default data. This feature uses the primary package dimensions and fits them into the standard cases that have been edited previously. In this example, we will use the default cases in English units. Therefore, the first step is to open a new document window starting from Primary Package dimensions.

The next step is to change the units to inches and pounds. Otherwise, we would need to add the height to the default standard cases with metric units (box fill will not work unless the standard cases have all three dimensions).

Once that has been done, we will select the "Fill Standard Cases" item in the Standard Cases menu. This item will tell Quick Pallet Maker to place as many packages it can into the predetermined cases taking into account the maximum slack limitations to the right of the menu.

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The next step is to select "Recalculate" from the Tools menu. This will first calculate the box fill and then calculate the pallet arrangements for the predetermined boxes. The attached screenshot at right shows one of the solutions. Note that the default standard English unit cases fit better in the 48"x40" pallets than in the other default pallets.

18. Filling Standard Boxes with Multiple-Sized Packs Starting from QPM version 4.1, users can fill standard-sized cases with packages of different sizes. In this example, an online bookstore needs to find which one of its standard case sizes is the best one for shipping. A customer of theirs orders four books. The first one measures 7" wide x 10" high x 3" depth and weighs 0.8 lbs. The second one is the same size and weight. The third book measures 6.5" wide x 11" high x 5" depth and weighs 1.5 lbs. The fourth book is smaller and measures 5" x 7" x 2" and weights 0.4 lbs

For this example, we will assume that the online bookstore's box inventory is the same as the list of default cases available in Quick Pallet Maker. Therefore, our first step is to open a new window starting from primary package dimensions. If the units are not in inches, they need to be changed by using the appropriate option from the Tools menu. The next step is to open the Multiple Package Input window through the Tools menu. We enter the book dimensions and assign different colors to them. Please note that the rectangular package convention in Quick Pallet Maker, the book width is the Length, the book depth or thickness is the Width and the book height is the Height. Once we have added the four books, we change the Standard Case menu to indicate "Fill Standard Boxes", change the pallet type to CHEP 48x40 and increase the maximum in-case slack to 5 inches. When complete, we select "Recalculate" from the Tools menu to begin the calculations. This process may take a while as Quick Pallet Maker checks how the packs fit in ALL of the boxes from the list. Every time the books are fit into one or more of the standard cases, QPM will compare the volume that is taken by the needed cases and keep the option that occupies less volume. After finishing the calculations, we learn that QPM has chosen a box with dimensions equal to 14.50"x8.75"x12.00". Note that in this case, although we did not consider padding before calculating the box dimensions, we found out that the final arrangement has enough spaces for including the bubble-packs that are commonly associated with box shipments.

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When Quick Pallet Maker calculates multi-packs, it tries to find a box to fit all the contents (as in the example). If it does, then it creates a pallet that fits as many multi-packs as possible. If it doesn't then it creates a pallet with the number of standard cases needed to complete the order. In this example, the online bookstore doesn't need to ship a pallet full of boxes with four books. Hence, only the open box drawing or movie will be necessary for showing to those that fill the boxes manually. The package file with the book list is available for download through this link. This file can be decompressed and loaded into the Multiple Package Input window by clicking on the "Load Packages" button.

19. Registering Box Usage This example is for explaining how Quick Pallet Maker logs the amount of times a given standard case is used for further analysis by the user. The first step is to run QPM and open the Standard Cases and Pallets window.

The next step is to replace the default boxes with ones that we will copy from a tab-delimited text file. First, we select all the boxes from the list and use the delete or Del key to remove them from the table. Note that at a minimum, the table will contain one box (it will be deleted later).

Since we will copy the box data from a text file, we run MS Wordpad or other text editor, locate and open the file.

After selecting the text with the box information, we go back to QPM, click on the Standard Metric Cases table and use the Edit -> Paste command to add all the boxes from the list in the text.

Once the standard boxes have been pasted, the table should look like the one in the screenshot to the right.

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We delete the first box from the list so all the boxes represent the ones that we wanted to paste.

Once we have pasted the boxes, we can try calculating with the default rectangular package. We open a new window starting from Primary Package dimensions (using the File -> New Document -> Start from PP command). Then we select "Use Only Standard Cases" to make sure that we only get results that use the cases from the list.

The Input Window should look like the one in the screenshot to the right.

After selecting Tools -> Recalculate, we obtain one standard box and three pallets created from that box.

If we look at the detailed report (through the Window -> Detailed Report command), we can see that both the code and description of the box are displayed. They will also show when the report is printed or exported to a graphics format.

The final step is to take a look at the standard cases and pallets by selecting the window in the background. The standard cases that have been used should have a higher count in the Usage column. The standard case list can then be selected, copied and pasted onto a spreadsheet or to a tab-delimited text file. If a spreadsheet application is used, then the user can filter those boxes that have been used the most and consider removing the ones that are hardly used.

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20. Selecting Boxes for Air Freight A potential customer wants Quick Pallet Maker to help him select which boxes to use for packing fish products and sending them using floor-loaded air freight. There are no restrictions in the air transport space. The only data the person has are the dimensions of the packages (220x180x48 mm) and the amounts to ship per order: 25, 30, 45, 60, etc. Therefore, the first step is to create a short list of standard cases with rounded dimensions as shown in the screenshot to the right.

The next step is to open a new document window starting from primary package dimensions using the command from the File menu as shown in the screenshot to the right.

Once the primary package window is visible, we open the "Load Multiple Packages" window using the appropriate command from the Tools menu.

With the Multiple Packages window open, we enter the package dimensions and the amount that will be shipped. In this case, the dimensions are 220x180x45 and the amount is 25 items. Clicking on the "Add Package" button will add the package to the list. When ready, click on the "Done" button.

The next step is to select "Fill Standard Cases" from the menu towards the bottom-left of the Primary Package window. You will notice that the primary package area is greyed out because the information was entered through a separate window.

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After that has been done, select "Recalculate" from the Tools menu.

Quick Pallet Maker should show a pallet with three boxes that together contain the 25 items that are to be shipped. Please note that the product will not be shipped on such an inefficient pallet.

If we go back to the primary package input window using the "Change Data" command from the Tools menu, we can open again the Multiple Packages window and change the amount to 60. After recalculating, Quick Pallet Maker will determine that for a load of 60 items, two bigger boxes take less space.

For the sake of the example (even if the boxes won't be shipped in pallets), we use the Layer Editor to flatten the load by positioning better the top box.

Once this has been done, the resulting pallet load will look like the one in the screenshot to the right.

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The customer has also requested that Quick Pallet Maker produce a Shipping List or Bill Of Materials to print out when shipping out the packages. For this case, QPM has a feature that uses a XSLT template to convert the list of items in the pallet to a HTML file, using the File > Export -> Pallet -> HTML Bill Of Materials command. Please note that the XSLT file is located in the Templates folder that is in the same folder as QPM and can be edited or copied and edited to fit the particular needs of a customer. The resulting HTML file can be viewed with a web browser as shown in the attached screenshot or through this link.

21. Adding Slack To A Box Quick Pallet Maker allows the user to add slack to a box after it has been calculated. This example shows how it is done. In this case, we first open a new document window starting from primary package dimensions (from the File menu). Then, we enter the dimensions of the package and the case count.

The next step is to select Tools -> Recalculate to obtain the list of box and pallet solutions. The list of boxes appears on the top right corner and the list of pallets at the bottom of the Available Solutions Window. We thereby select the pallet of our preference and note that the calculated box dimensions are 336 x 250 x 298 mm. Since the nearest box size in the warehouse is 345 x 255 x 298 mm, we enter the new values in each one of the cells below the box drawing. For each dimension change, a new box will be generated and a new pallet will be calculated.

The final pallet containing the 345 255 x 298 mm box is selected. The box drawing now shows the appropriate internal slack. Please note that this is one alternative to using standard cases when the final case count, the box dimensions and the product orientation are known.

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22. Exporting Pallet Report Graphics To Windows Bitmap This example explains how to save the Detailed Report window graphics to a Windows Bitmap (.bmp) file. However, this same procedure is applicable to other graphics file formats on both Windows and Mac OS. The first step is to calculate a pallet, select it in the Available Solutions window and then choose "Detailed Report" from the Window menu to display the report as seen at right.

Then, we select Export -> Pallet -> Graphics from the File menu.

This command will display a File Save window from which we can choose the graphics file type and location. Please note that the free QuickTime application is required for export to other file formats different from BMP.

The resulting file can be opened, edited, imported to another application such as MS PowerPoint or printed using Windows Paint. The latter can be seen in the screenshot to the right.

23. Shipping Multiple Primary Packages In Cases Of One Size This example deals with the shipment of a finite amount of two types of primary packages. The customer needs to figure out which is the right case size for optimizing the load. The first step is to open Quick Pallet Maker and select "Standard Cases and Pallets" from the Window menu.

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By default, the metric unit cases do not include a case height. So for this example, we assign a value of 300 mm to some of them and 400 to the rest as can be seen in the screenshot to the right.

The next step is to open a new document window starting from primary package dimensions. Without entering any information in that page, we select "Load Multiple Packages" from the Tools menu as can be seen in the screenshot to the right.

For this example, we create two different rectangular primary packages. The dimensions of the first package are 190 x 200 x 90 mm and its weight is 4 kg while the second package measures 190 x 200 x 126 and its weight is 4.74 kg. The colors were changed to distinguish one from the other. You can also import the package list XML file that can be downloaded here. Right-click (ctrl+click on a one-button Mac) and choose "Save file to disk" or else your browser will try to load the XML file by itself. After the packages have been loaded, close the Multiple Packages window and select "Fill Standard Cases" from the menu in the Cases section (almost to the bottom of the window).

After selecting "Recalculate", you should see a pallet with boxes on it and the last box has been selected. If not chosen, select "View Box Contents" from either the View menu or by right-clicking on the box drawing.

If you scroll through the boxes in the list to the top-right, you will notice that their contents vary. The total shipment of 178 packages has been fit into boxes of the same size and then loaded onto a pallet.

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Selecting "Detailed Report" from the View menu will show the pallet, package and box. In this case, since we have two different package types and three different box fills, it is recommended to print out or export three different reports and create a comment on the difference between the three.

Different pallet views are also useful for sharing.

24. Creating A Display Pallet This example is quite simple and quick. For a movie that describes the sequence, click here. The user wants to create a pallet to pack boxes in such a way that their longest face (not because it's sad) shows the most to anybody looking at the pallet. This is especially useful for club stores. The first step is to run QPM and open a new window starting from box dimensions.

Before continuing, we need to make sure that the units are set to inches and pounds. If not, then they can be changed through the Tools menu. The next step is to enter the box dimensions, which are 17x3x17 inches. Its weight is 12 pounds. The pallet that we are using is a 48x40" and for the sake of the example, we will leave the default maximum pallet load height. Once the box has been added and we are ready to calculate, the example should look as in the screen to the right.

After selecting "Recalculate" from the Tools menu, we receive a list of three pallets for the box we entered as shown in the screenshot to the right. We select "Display Length" from the central pallet menu.

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After we click "Go", we will see a new pallet with the long sides of the boxes facing outwards.

In order to add more stability, we choose "Alternate Layers" from the central pallet menu and then click on "Go".

Once that has been done, we obtain a new pallet like the one to the right.

We can choose "Detailed Report" from the Window menu for printing or exporting to a graphics or movie file.

25. Adding Package Descriptions Quick Pallet Maker allows the user to enter a code and a description for the primary packages that are used in calculations. To do this within the application (it can also be done by editing the text input files), open a new window starting from primary packages.

The next step is to click on the package drawing with the right mouse button (ctrl+click on a one-button Mac) and select "Description" from the pull-down menu.

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This opens a small window in which we can add the code and description of the package.

Clicking on "OK" will save the information. The next step is to calculate the pallet arrangements.

Since the report options in the Detailed Report window do not show the primary package information, we can see it through the Bill Of Materials pallet export option. This HTML export uses a XSLT template (located in the Templates folder) that can be edited by people knowledgeable of XSLT to create custom reports.

When the resulting file has been saved, it can be opened using a web browser to show both the code and the description of the primary packages within the Bill Of Materials. If the pallet XML file is saved, the primary package code and description will also be saved.

26. Adding Box Descriptions Quick Pallet Maker allows the user to enter a code and a description for the box that are produced by the calculations. The first step is to open a new window starting from primary package dimensions.

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The next step is to calculate the pallet arrangements using Tools -> Recalculate.

Once we have obtained the list of boxes (to the right of the soluions window), we click on the box drawing with the right mouse button (or ctrl+click on a one-button Mac) and select "Description" from the pulldown menu.

This reveals a small window in which we will introduce the code and description for this new box we obtained. Clicking on "OK" will save the box information.

Please note that we have changed the information of one of the boxes that were obtained as part of the solutions. However, the three pallets in the list for that specific box have not been updated yet and do not contain boxes with the new code and description. Hence, we will need to calculate three more pallets by selecting the box and then choosing Tools -> Recalculate.

This produces three new pallets that are identical to the original three except that their boxes contain the appropriate code and description.

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We can see the box codes and descriptions through the Bill Of Materials pallet export option. This HTML export uses a XSLT template (located in the Templates folder) that can be edited by people knowledgeable of XSLT to create custom reports.

When the resulting file has been saved, it can be opened using a web browser to show both the code and the description of the boxes within the Bill Of Materials. If the pallet XML file is saved, the box code and description will also be saved.

27. Changing The Color of a Calculated Box Quick Pallet Maker allows you to change the color of a box you have calculated and calculate a new pallet, without having to save the file and reopen it. For this, you start by selecting a box from the list to the right of the Available Solutions window.

The next step is to open a new window starting from box dimensions.

Then, we place the input window behind the Results window.

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And drag the selected box to the table that contains the input boxes.

Once that is done, we will see that the calculated box has been transferred from one window to the other. But what we wanted to do is to change its color. Therefore, we click on the colored box below the amount cell.

A color palette will appear, depending on your operating system. You can select the color that will used for the box and close the window.

Then, after making sure that the box has been selected in the list, press the ctrl key and place the pointer over the "Add Box" button so it turns into an "Edit Box" button.

When we click the button, the color change will be made.

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We can then calculate pallets using these new boxes or add new boxes to the list to create mixed pallets.

28. Calculate Multiple Boxes Here's a quick example for calculating pallets using multiple box sizes. The first step is to open a new document window starting from box dimensions and then changing the units to inches and pounds if they haven't been changed yet.

The next step is to change the pallet dimensions by choosing a different pallet from the list. In this case, we chose a 48x40" pallet and changed the maximum load height (including pallet) to 60 inches.

Then, we add the rest of the boxes in the list. Please note that we have clicked on the color box below the box dimensions to make sure that each box type has its own color (for differentiation on the pallet).

The next step is to choose "Calculate Multiple Boxes" from the Tools menu. Please note that this command only works when a given amount has been assigned to the boxes. Otherwise, it won't calculate the fill.

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Once the calculation has been completed, a pallet will appear in the solutions window. This pallet can be edited using the Layer Editor, to change the box placement and/or orientation.

29. Producing Specific Pallet Counts with the Layer Editor A company needs to fill pallets with cylindrical blocks in display boxes but with a certain count per pallet. Their client is requesting that the pallets fit only 54 cases, even if they can include up to 60 items. To calculate this, we start by entering the primary package dimensions (using inches). Please note that the case constraints have been loosened to create the flat boxes.

When we choose "Recalculate" from the Tools menu, we will produce six pallets, which are a product of using the two different boxes. The first box places the block flat and the other box has it standing up. Note that the sixth pallet can ship 62 boxes with one block each.

We select any of the pallets with the vertical blocks (i.e. tall boxes) and then choose the option for creating Display Pallets.

The resulting pallet should look like the one in the screenshot at right. The problem with this pallet is that it ships 60 items instead of the required 54. Therefore, the next step is to use the Layer Editor to remove six boxes (3 per layer). We select "Layer Editor" from the Tools menu.

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When the Layer Editor window opens, the pallet drawing should look like the one in the screenshot to the right.

The next step is to select the boxes that we will remove from the first layer. To keep the pallet corners as square as possible, we remove 3 boxes from the center. To do this, we click on a box and then choose "Clear" from the Edit menu.

The finished layer should look like the one in the screenshot to the right.

We then start moving the boxes together to fill the gap in the middle. This is done by clicking on the boxes and then using the arrow keys to change their position. You can also enter the position manually but this is slightly more difficult as the final position would need to be calculated.

The tighter pallet layer should look like the one in the drawing to the right. To not have to repeat the same box deletion and repositioning steps described previously for the second pallet layer, we click on "Copy Selected Layer".

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This creates the final pallet configuration as can be seen still in the Layer Editor.

The final pallet arrangement appears now in the Solutions Window, with 54 cases per pallet.

30. Using a Shipment List To Calculate Pallets and Containers Here's another example for calculating a container shipment using an order that has been pasted from a MS Excel spreadsheet. The first step is to create the columns with the information that QPM will use for reading the box information from the orders. In this case, we had two different files, one with the order information and the other one with a list of SKUs and their case dimensions. We created the extra columns linking the information in the order file with the dimensions file. The MS Excel file with just the final data for this example can be downloaded through this link. Once we have created the data table and selected the area in yellow (the area with data, although selecting the headers won't make a difference), we use the copy command in the spreadsheet application. The data will be copied onto the clipboard. For a detailed explanation of its contents, please visit the following page.

The next step is to open Quick Palle Maker and then a new window starting from box dimensions. This is done through the File menu. In this example, we are working with Imperial units, so it is important to make sure that the units have been set correctly, either through the Preferences window (Tools -> Options for Windows and Apple Menu -> Preferences for Mac OSX) or through the Tools -> Units command. Changing the units through the Preferences will keep them that way for future work. If you use different units, then QPM will convert the dimensions.

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The next step is to click on the empty table in the middle of the Start From Box window and use the Edit -> Paste command to place all of the data onto this table.

After some seconds, the table will be populated with the boxes that have been pasted. In this example, we have selected the 48"x40" pallet.

The next step is to select "Calculate Multiple Boxes" from the Tools menu. Please note that if we use "Recalculate", Quick Pallet Maker will return three pallets for each box that has been entered and would take quite a while for this example, that contains more than 1,000 boxes.

After calculating, Quick Pallet Maker will show the list of pallets that have been created. Please note that the pallets will be calculated respecting the order of the boxes. If your order is to only one client, then you can work with the box dimensions (using the largest boxes first). This would improve the fit of the first pallet (see screenshot to the right).

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Since we do not like the stability of the first pallet that was created and can't fool around with the box order, we will use the Layer Editor to make it more stable. For this, we use the Tools -> Layer Editor command.

We use the Layer Editor (see tutorial here for using this window) to remove boxes from the top and adding them to the lower layers.

The resulting pallet is more stable.

The next step is to select all the pallets in the list and then use the Tools -> Fill Container command to open the Container Fill window. Please note that using the File -> New Document -> Fill Container command will also open a new Container Fill window but without the list of pallets.

For the purpose of this example, we have used the 20' Container so the first tab of the Container Fill window should look like the one in the screenshot to the right.

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When we click on the second tab, QPM calculates the container fill and shows the first container drawing.

We can click on the arrow on the top-right corner of the window to look at the other containers.

We can also click on the Shipment tab to see several containers at once.

As in this screenshot, too.

Finally, Quick Pallet Maker version 4.2 will allow the user to view and print a HTML report based on a XSLT template as in the screenshot to the right.

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31. Calculating Pallets with Overhang This example explains how to load a pallet with items that overhang. In other words, the pallet contents (wooden boards) are larger than the shipping pallet itself. The first step is to run QPM and open the Preferences or Settings window. This can be reached through the Tools menu (Windows) or through the Quick Pallet Maker menu (Mac OSX). For this example, we set the units to inches/lbs and the default case view to "External View" so we can see the boards like boards instead of like open boxes (which they're not).

Once that has been done, we can open a new document window starting from box dimensions. We will consider the boards as boxes since they are placed directly on a pallet (they can be considered secondary packaging). We change the pallet type to any of the 48"x40" pallets. The next step is to load the boards that have been saved as box files. We can also enter their dimensions and colors one by one but we use the files in this example to save time. The compressed folder with the box files can be downloaded through this link. To load them, we press the ctrl key while we click on the "Import Boxes" button (note that the text changes to "Multiple Boxes". A window will appear for selecting the folder that contains the boxes. After you have decompressed the zip file that you downloaded from the link above, you will have a folder. Select that folder and all of the boxes will be loaded.

Once the boxes have been loaded onto the window, it should look like the screenshot to the right. For this example, we select the last board that measures 36"x24" and move it up the list so it doesn't block the smaller boards.

The next step is to use the "Calculate Multiple Boxes" command to calculate the pallets.

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We obtain a pallet that doesn't contain the longer boards and just the ones that fit. But this is not what we want so we decide to go back to the Input window by choosing Tools -> Change Data.

Then, we set the maximum load length to the length of the longest board (84") and calculate again using "Calculate Multiple Boxes".

We obtain a pallet with plenty of overhang but with all of the boards.

Selecting the "Detailed Report" option from the Window menu and then clicking on the "Pallet Views" tab will show the different pallet views. We can also create a QuickTime movie that explains how the pallet is assembled.

32. Changing The Carton Density A customer requested the ability to change the board density of the cartons that are built with Quick Pallet Maker. The default values had 2 2 been 0.000569 pounds/inch for when using Imperial units and 0.4 kg/m for metric units. Now these values can be edited directly in the Preferences file, using a text editor. For this, we recommend MS WordPad for Windows and TextEditor for Mac OSX, both applications included with the operating system. The first step is to calculate pallets using the default data and starting from primary package dimensions. When we look at the results, we will see the box weight as a function of its contents and of the board density (see left column in the screenshot at right). In this case, the weight is 13.69 pounds. The next step is to quit Quick Pallet Maker and locate the Preferences folder, which is called "QPM Folder". For Windows XP, it should be located in the Application Data folder, which is in the folder with your user name in the "Documents and Settings" folder. If you cannot locate the "QPM Folder", please download the following small app. For Mac OSX, this folder is located in the Application ~Library/Application Support folder. Select a file called "general.xml" from this folder and open it using the recommended text editors or the one of your choice.

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In this example, we have used MS WordPad. As in the screenshot to the right, you will notice that there are two lines that define the carton density.

Since we are working with English units, we will change the default value from 0.000569 to 0.0008 between the tags or brackets. Please note that editing the tags themselves may result in the corruption of the Preferences file and the application may start behaving erratically (i.e. crashing). Once this has been done, we save the file (as text) and close it. When we run Quick Pallet Maker and calculate again, we will notice that the box weight has been updated to reflect this change. In our example, it increased from 13.69 pounds to 13.88.

33. Using the Layer Editor - Part III This example describes how the pallet layer editor can be used to build a pallet with boxes laid sideways on one of its sides. The first step is to run QPM and open a new document window, starting from box dimensions.

If the units have not been changed yet, we will use the Tools menu to change them to inches and lbs. We will also add a box whose dimensions are 18.5"x12.5"x10" and weighs 16.5 lbs. We also choose a 48"x40" pallet and change the maximum load height to 94", which is the maximum truck height. The input window should look like the one to the right.

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Once that has been done, we choose "Recalculate" from the Tools menu.

After using this command, we should see a list of pallets that have been calculated with the box dimension. The customer wants to create a pallet that adds to the boxes that were calculated on the pallet number 2, three columns of boxes placed with their lengths vertical to the pallet height.

For that, we will use the Layer Editor, that can be called from the Tools menu.

The first image we should see is a bird-eye's view of the first pallet layer.

We select the top-right box and then choose "Duplicate" from the Edit menu.

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A new box will appear with the same properties and orientation (but not the same position) as the original.

With the new box selected, we rotate it first in the Z axis and then in the Y axis to make it stand up on its front. We then move it to one corner of the pallet.

When we duplicate the new box, the orientation will be preserved, so it's only a matter of moving the added boxes next to the first box that is standing on its front. We repeat this process once more.

We can then change the pallet view using the "Toggle Pallet View" command from the View menu.

The drawing should look like the one to the right.

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We correct it by clicking on the "Organize Boxes" button.

If we click on the "Duplicate Layers" button and then choose "View all layers", we will see the finished pallet.

Clicking on "OK", will replace the original pallet with the one that we have created with the Layer Editor.

If we select "Detailed Report" from the Window menu, we can see the properties of the pallet.

The third tab of the Detailed Report shows the different pallet views.

34. How To Create Slipsheets This example explains how to create slipsheets, which are thin slabs used as pallet substitutes usually made from corrugate fibreboard. The first step is to run Quick Pallet Maker and open the Standard Cases and Pallets window from the Window menu. Once that has been done, you will need to click on the second tab of the window to see the pallet table to the left.

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The next step is to select one of the pallets (use one with the same units as the slipsheet you will create) and then use the "Duplicate" command from the Edit menu to create a new identical pallet.

The first modification that is made to the pallet refers to the dimensions and name. In this case, we double-click on the cell with the pallet name and the pallet height and edit both. Once that has been done, we can change the color of the pallet by clicking on its drawing with the right mouse button (ctrl+click on Mac OSX) and then open the color selector.

The pallet with the new color should look like the one in the screenshot to the right.

The next step is to close Quick Pallet Maker and look for the folder that contains the QPM preferences. This folder is called "QPM Folder" and should be located in the Application Data folder (Windows XP) or in the library:Application Support folder (Mac OSX). A small Windows application for locating this folder can be downloaded from the following link. We locate a XML file called "pallettypes.xml" and open it with a text editor, which could be MS Wordpad (Windows) or TextEdit (Mac OSX), both free applications. Once we open the file, we scroll down to the information for the last pallet we created. The set of tags is separated from the others by the "pallet" tags. We can tell that the data corresponds to the slipsheet because the "name" tag contains the "slipsheet" name that we assigned previously.

In this XML file, we will look for a tag called "dwgType" within the tags for the pallet we just created. We will change the value that is stored between the ">" and "<" characters to "1" (one). This is for rendering this pallet always as a sheet, instead of as a 4-way pallet.

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When we run Quick Pallet Maker again, we will see the list of pallets.

And from this list, we will be able to select the pallet we created. As we select it, we will note that the detailed drawing checkbox has been deselected. If we move to another pallet type, it will be selected again.

To try our new pallet, we open a new document window, starting from primary package dimensions and select "Slipsheet" from the pallet types.

After selecting "Recalculate" from the Tools menu, we will be able to see the slipsheet drawing.

This drawing is visible in the front view.

And in the side view.

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35. Changing The Maximum Box Weight To Create Heavy Boxes The purpose of this example is to explain how to bypass the box weight limitation that Quick Pallet Maker includes for preventing the creation of heavy boxes that an operator would not be able to handle. When the user opens a new document window and tries to calculate 88 packs that weigh 2.205 pounds each (see screenshot to the right), the resulting box contents would weigh 194.04 lbs, which is more than the default constraint of 110.25 lbs (50 kg).

Therefore, we open the Preferences window by choosing "Settings" from the Tools menu (Windows OS) or "Preferences" from the Quick Pallet Maker menu (Mac OSX).

Once we have opened the window, we select the third tab marked "Case Constraints" and increase the default value from 50 kg to 100 kg or greater. When done, we click on the button marked "OK".

Once the Preferences window has been closed, we can go back to the Input Window and select "Recalculate" from the Tools menu.

The resulting boxes will be available for loading onto pallets. Please note that the pallet loads themselves are also limited by weight, so they don't reach the maximum height.

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36. Filling Standard Boxes With Packages This quick example explains how to fill standard cases (i.e. that are listed in the Standard Cases and Pallets window) with rectangular primary packages. Since we will be working with English units, the first step is to change them if this hadn't been done.

The next step is to open a new document window starting from primary package and entering the dimensions of the packages. We also select the pallet type and specify that we will be filling standard cases with packages.

After selecting "Recalculate" (and waiting a while) we will obtain a list of boxes that have been filled with packages and the pallets that have been created from those boxes.

If we scan through the different options, we can notice that there are some pallets in which the amount of boxes is limited by the maximum allowable pallet load weight.

37. Alternating Selected Layers This method explains how to rotate (alternate) just the pallet layers you wish to provide stability to the pallet. This new feature, called "Rubik" was added due to requests by customers. The first step of this example is to open a new window starting from box dimensions.

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For this example, we add a simple 400x200x300 box to the list and use the default pallet dimensions and constraints. If you have selected inches as the default units, you will need to change to mm.

After selecting "Recalculate" from the Tools menu, you should see a list of three pallets. We select the last one because it's the one that is easier to interlock. The other two are pallets with regular arrangements.

Then, we select "Layer Editor" from the Tools menu to summon the Layer Editor window.

Once in the Layer Editor, we click on the "View All Layers" button and change the pallet view to the 3D view by using the "Toggle Pallet View" command from the View menu.

The next step is to click on the drawing with the right mouse button (ctrl+click on a one-button Mac) and select "Rubik" from the contextual menu that appears.

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All the boxes contained in the layers #2 and greater will rotate like the blocks of a Rubik's CubeTM. The bottom layer (#1) will remain the same.

We will repeat the same process with the fourth layer so our first step is to select it. Then we will use the Rubik feature to rotate just this layer.

The end result is a pallet with the first and fourth layers alternated. On the other hand, the layers that were alternated were the 2nd and the 3rd. But if you turn your pallet around, then the opposite is true. So don't discuss with the forklift operator as to which layers have been alternated because he or she will be looking at the pallet from a different POV. Besides, it's not wise to discuss with people operating heavy machinery. A better idea is to go for a coffee break.

Before the break, you close the Layer Editor window by clicking "OK". You should see the updated pallet within the Available Solutions window.

You can open the Detailed Report window by selecting the appropriate command from the tools menu. On the third tab, you should see the different pallet views. The pallet you created should be more stable for transportation if you don't use stretch-wrap all the time.

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38. Creating a Shipment With Finite Packages This example explains how Quick Pallet Maker can be used to create a container load with a certain number of primary packages of known dimensions into standard cases, then into standard pallets and finally into a standard container. Nice that we use standards, isn't it? Ok, for starters, you will need to boot QPM and open a new window. In this case, we are working with Imperial (i.e. English) units because there are more standard cases available. We could have done the same thing with metric units but would have had to enter the box dimensions prior to opening a new document window. The next step is to enter the dimensions of the primary package into a special window that can be used to enter multiple types of Primary Packages and where the user can enter the quantity that will be used in the shipment. For this example, we used the default dimensions and typed in a value of 12000 widgets to ship somewhere. After entering the primary package dimensions and closing the smaller window, the top of the input window will be grayed. For this example, we choose "Fill Standard Cases" to add as many packages as possible to the standard cases. After entering the final input settings, select "Recalculate" from the Tools menu to obtain a list of pallets. The first step is to sort this list by the number of primary packages per pallet in order to fit as many as possible in the shipment. When this has been done, the Results Window should look like the attachment, in which a very efficient pallet tops the list.

Next, select "Create Shipment" from the Tools menu. This procedure will copy the selected pallet and use as many boxes as primary packages need to be shipped.

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A certain number of pallets have been created. The last pallet will contain only the amount of boxes that are needed to fulfill the shipment.

Once the pallets from the shipment are ready, we will need to select them all and then the Container Fill feature that is available from the Tools menu.

The Container Fill window should look like in the attached window. From this window, the user can select the type of container and the internal dimensions and weight constraints in case they do not match the default values. In this example, we will select all the pallets from the table and group them by clicking on the table with the right mouse button (Windows) or using ctrl+click (Mac OS). We selected the last pallet because it was identical to the rest. Instead of having 25 pallets with an amount equal to zero, we will now have one pallet with an amount equal to 25. We set the container to the biggest available size (53 foot).

To calculate a new container, all is needed is to press the second tab in the page. The drawing on the second tab will show a container that has been filled with full pallets and one incomplete pallet.

Since the user has the possibility of using the a smaller container, he/she will note that it optimizes better the available space. This small report can be printed or copied onto a third-party application.

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39. Filling Containers With Pallets Using Multiple Box Sizes The following example explains how to load a container with a given number of products separated in two different box types. To run this example, the box files for the example can be downloaded from the following links: Box003.box and Box004.box. The first step is to run QPM and load a new window starting from box dimensions as in the screenshot at right.

Next, we click on the "Import Box..." button to open the box files that we have downloaded from the links above.

The "Import Box" command allows you to select from any box file that you have saved with Quick Pallet Maker or created with a text editor or application that works with XML files.

Once they are both open, the window should look like in the screenshot at right. Please note that the amounts have been increased from 8 to 800 and from 10 to 1000, respectively.

If we use the default pallet and pallet constraints, the next step is to calculate multiple boxes using the command in the Tools menu.

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Once the calculation is made, the resulting window should look like the image to the right.

The next step is to select all the pallets in the list at the bottom of the window. This can be done by using the "Select All" command from the Edit menu. With all the pallets selected, use the "Fill Container..." command from the Tools menu as in the screenshot to the right.

A new window will open and the central table will contain all of the pallets that were calculated previously. Selecting the last pallet in the list will show the one that combines the two different box types (see screenshot to the right).

To fill a container, we will need to simplify the list to include only the 3 pallet types. The first type contains only the red boxes, the second contains only blue boxes and the third type contains the mix of boxes. To do this, we select only the pallets with red boxes and click with the right button (ctrl+click on the Mac) and then use the "Group" command as in the screenshot to the right.

When this is done with the red and the blue pallets, we will obtain 6 of the former and 16 of the latter. The next step before calculating is to change the amount of the mixed pallet from 0 to 1. This is done by double-clicking on the "Amount" cell and then editing the number (see screenshot).

Next, we select the container type. There's no reason for selecting the 45' container other than that it works best with this specific example as the load is well distributed and stable.

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After selecting the container, we choose "Recalculate" from the Tools menu or simply click on the "Container" tab. The full container will appear as in the screenshot to the right.

There's a problem here, however: the last pallet looks too much like the other red ones and the container loaders may not be able to tell the difference. Therefore, we change the color of the pallet by right-clicking on the drawing (ctrl+click on a Mac) and calculate again. Now, after calculating again, we can tell the loaders that the orange pallet is different from the rest.

To further explain the loading process, we need to create reports for each one of the pallets. Therefore, we close the container window (after printing or copying the container drawing) and choose "Detailed Report" from the Available Solutions window after selecting the first pallet. This report can also be printed.

We select one of the blue pallets and do the same.

And finally, we select the last pallet and display the output. Note that a palletization movie can be made so the loaders can view the exact box order in an easier fashion.

40. Filling Containers With Boxes Without Knowing Case Count A customer approaches us on how he can reduce the shipping costs for products that he imports from India. He doesn't use pallets to load the boxes in order to save space and because the labor costs in the country of origin and in the destination country are quite low. He also didn't care about the case count as long as it would fit as many packs as possible into the container. The reason for this was that the packages would be sold in small amounts anyway in high-frequency stores.

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This example requires that we use the "Start from Primary Package" window instead of using the "Fill Container" window to load a container with floor-loaded boxes. This is because we will be using the Advanced Input Options window. Hence, the first step is to load a new window starting from Primary Package dimensions.

Once the window appears, we will enter the primary dimensions, weight, case constraints and the limitations of the load. Since we will not use pallets, we enter zero for the pallet dimensions and the internal container dimensions as the maximum load dimensions. In this case, we copied the dimensions that are available from the Container list in the second tab of the Standard Cases and Pallets window.

After entering the input data in the appropriate window, we're ready to commence the calculations. Please note that in this case, we didn't enter the case count because we will be running different scenarios with varying case counts. To run these scenarios, we open the Advanced Input Options window from the Tools menu.

From the Advanced Input Options window, we will select to vary the Case Count between 11 units per box (a smaller number is not practical because of the excessive shipped carton per pack) and 51 (we do not pick a larger count to not make the boxes too heavy). We pick "achieve a value as high as possible for Primary Packages per Pallet" because PP/Pallet is our best indication of filling efficiency. Since all the case counts are evaluated, there is no need to change the number of iterations. Finally, we pick to show all the results (in case we see another value we prefer) and click on the "OK" button.

After calculating all the possible options (it should take a while), Quick Pallet Maker produces the possible floor-loaded box configurations (182 boxes and 546 container loads). Note that the calculation process can be stopped by pressing "Escape" on Windows machines or "Command+Period" on a Mac.

Although the application had already ordered the container loads by primary packages per pallet in decreasing order, we repeat the exercise for educational purposes. After selecting "Power Sort..." from the Tools menu, we see a small window in which we can select the ordering

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criteria. Since they had already been ordered, the result doesn't change much, as can be seen in the screenshot at right.

Given that we have already selected the best result for fitting packages into containers independently of the case count but with some consideration towards the people who load the boxes into the containers (i.e. not exceeding the weight they can carry), we can select "Detailed Report" from the Window menu as in the screenshot at right. The final report can then be saved or exported in a graphics format to send to the packers and unpackers.

41. Creating shipments without knowing case count and with a finite number of packages

In the following example, the user has a primary package with the following dimensions: 69 mm x 24 mm x 10 mm and needs to ship one million (1,000,000) of them in a 40' container. Each one of the products weighs 0.055 kg. The first step for solving this problem is to open a new window starting from Primary Package dimensions.

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Next, we open the "Load Multiple Packages" window so that we can set a finite amount of packages for the given shipment.

In this window, we will enter the dimensions and the amount of packages we will use and then click on "Add Package" button to include it in the list.

Once the package has been added to the list, we will click on "Done".

The primary package input window should appear with the top part greyed out as in the screenshot below. In this example, we will leave the default pallet and load dimensions, along with the box restrictions. Since no case count was specified, we will calculate the optimal count for this example.

The next part is to open the Advanced Input Options window.

And enter the data. In this case, we will vary the case count from 40 to 50 packs because we figured lower case counts wouldn't be very efficient and higher case counts would make the example longer. We want to order the results automatically by primary packages per pallet.

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When we're done, we click on the "OK" button and the calculation commences. The time it takes will depend on your computer's speed.

When we obtain the list of pallets, we pick the second one because it ships the same amount of packs as the first (26,400) but it has a great area efficiency (and thus, greater stability).

The next step is to select the "Create Shipment" command from the Tools menu.

What QPM did was to copy the resulting pallet as many times as possible to fill the amount of packages (1,000,000) that we wanted to ship. In this case, we obtained 37 full pallets and 1 incomplete pallet (see screenshot).

The next step is to select all the pallets (including the incomplete on) and then "Fill Container". We will see a new window in which we have the 38 pallets in a list.

We select the first 37 pallets (i.e. all except the incomplete pallet) and click on the right button (ctrl+click on a Mac) on the table to group them.

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Then we double-click on the amount cell in the incomplete pallet to change the amount to 1.

We also change the color of the incomplete pallet and change the container to 40' before calculating.

Finally, we click on the second tab of the Container Fill window and see how 1,000,032 objects fit into a 40' container.

42. Mixing pallets, drums and boxes in a container

Although this example is quite simple, it illustrates the new container fill features in Quick Pallet Maker in which we can combine elements with different shapes, counts and size to optimize the filling of a shipping container. The first step is to run QPM and open a new Fill Container window. Once this has been done, we will see a Container Fill window with the default values.

The first element we will create is a 1200x1000x1300mm pallet that weighs 500 kg. We want to ship 45 of those pallets. Since we want to unload those pallets last, we will add them first to the list. To do this, we fill up the information in the left side of the window and click on the "Add Pallet" button.

Next, we will look for a box file that we have saved that represents a "Salvage Drum" which measures 690mm in diameter and 1016mm in height. This file can be downloaded here. To import this drum/box, first we select "Case Properties" from the pull-down menu in the top-left section of the window.

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After selecting "Case Properties, we will see that the "Import Pallet..." button now says "Import Box...". We click on that button to open a dialog window that will allow us to look for the file in a computer or network. Once that is done, we will need to select "Stretch-Wrap" view from the View menu in order to see the cylinder in the drawing at right.

The next step is to select the drum in the elements table and change its count to 23 drums. This can be done by double-clicking on the amount cell in the table.

We will add another box by entering the dimensions in the cells in the left part of the window. The dimensions for this box are 400x200x300mm, it's weight is 10 kg and the amount is 251 units. Once the data has been entered, we click on the "Add Box" button and it is added to the list. The last step before calculating is to select the container type. Please note that the dimensions and weight restrictions of the standard shipping containers can be edited in the second tab of the standard cases and pallets window. For this example, we will select the 45 foot container from the pulldown menu and the rest of the dimensions will be updated automatically. Then, we select "Recalculate" from the Tools menu or click on the second tab of the Container Fill window. After the calculation period (will vary depending on your computer speed), we will see the first of the containers in the load. Note the pallets and the drums.

Clicking on the right arrow on top of the drawing will reveal the second container. Note that this container has more space available and that all boxes, drums and the extra pallet have been pushed towards the back.

43. Stabilizing Container Loads

This interesting problem arises from a real case. A customer needs to transport four different types of products by land. These products are color-coded and need to be moved in a 45' container. In any case that the container is bigger than the load, there is nothing else to fill the container with.

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The first step is to run QPM and open a new Container Fill window by choosing the appropriate command from the File menu. A new window will appear as in the screenshot at right.

Since we will be introducing the case dimensions manually, we select "Case Properties" from the pull-down menu at the top-left corner of the Container Fill window. The case specifications are the following: 500 red boxes that measure 485x335x220mm and weigh 13.07kg 250 blue boxes that measure 485x335x220mm and weigh 13.07kg 300 green boxes that measure 340x225x260mm and weigh 11.34kg 500 black boxes that measure 485x335x220mm and weigh 13.07kg Every time we add a box (by clicking on the "Add Box" button), we change the color of the box by clicking on the box drawing with the right mouse button (Windows and multi-button mice on Mac OSX) or ctrl+click (onebutton Mac).

This action reveals a color palette that will change depending on your operating system. From this palette, we can select a color.

Once all boxes have been added, we change the container type to 45' container. The container restrictions change automatically.

With the data in place, we select "Recalculate" from the Tools menu or click on the second tab in the window.

After a certain period of time, Quick Pallet Maker will show the resulting container load. If we check the drawing at right, we will notice that the container has been optimized in such a way that the boxes are placed against the back of the container. This is excellent if we would like to add more items to the container. However, the client has mentioned that she will only ship those boxes (and none other). Hence, the resulting load needs to be optimized for road transport. In its current state, too much pressure is being applied to the back trailer wheels.

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The first alternative that is available in QPM is to simply center the load. This method calculates the load center of gravity and places it in such a way that it will exert the most downward force in the container center. To do this, we select "Distribute Load Weight" from the Tools menu.

The resulting container will have the same load configuration but centered. This load is good for transport but the client is still not satisfied because the boxes could topple if the truck hits potholes or other bumps on the road.

Hence, we go back to the "Input Data" tab and change the maximum load height to a lower value. In this case, we will use 2000mm (a guess) instead of the previous 2600mm. After selecting "Recalculate" again, we can see that the load is better distributed on the floor of the container. However, we can still check a lower allowable height.

We go back to the input tab and choose 1800mm instead.

After recalculating, we can see that we have obtained a very well distributed load that uses up most of the container floor (Area Efficiency > 98%). Note that if we would have used a lower height, we would have needed another container.

44. Picking the Right Container Type

This is another simple example. A customer that is very new to road transport needs to move 40 pallets from one location to another in a trailer truck. He calls up a transportation company and it quotes him a price for the full trip and offers different container sizes. All else equal, the bigger the size, the higher the cost. The transportation company justifies this by indicating that longer trailers are harder to drive around.

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We will use Quick Pallet Maker to choose the best container size and reduce the transportation costs as much as possible. The first step is to run QPM and open a new Container Fill window from the File menu.

The next step is to introduce the pallet dimensions. IN this case, the pallet measures 1200x1000x1100 mm and weighs 500 kg. We have 40 pallets to ship.

Leaving the default container dimensions and the selection of the 20' container, we select "Recalculate" from the Tools menu.

This will calculate how many 20' containers we would need to ship the 40 pallets. If we click on the right arrow at the top-right section of the window, we will see the second container that is also full of pallets.

Note that when the second container (number 2) is shown, the right arrow is gone and a left arrow appears. Clicking on it would reveal the first container.

Since we would need to pay for two trips to ship the 40 pallets in 20' containers, we will want to check how these pallets fit in the larger containers. For this, we click on the "Input" tab or use the "Change Data" command from the Tools menu to see the Input Data tab. Once there, we select the 40' container and Recalculate again. This time, the full load fits in only one 40' container. This is essentially the best solution for the customer as only one trip is made and the cost for the 40' container is less than for the longer containers.

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However, just for reference, we can go back and select the 45' container to see that in effect, space is wasted unnecessarily.

Same for the 48' container (note the lower volume efficiency).

Even worse for the 53' container. Hence, the customer asks for the shipment to be made in a 40' container.

45. Calculating Shipping Cost

The purpose of this example is to show how QPM can be used for calculating shipping costs. In this case, a diaper manufacturer wants to pack diaper bags in counts of 6 into boxes and then into pallets and containers. The first step in this example is to check the default container data that is stored in the QPM preferences. To do this, select "Standard Cases and Pallets window" from the Window menu.

A window will show up that has two tabs. Clicking on the second tab reveals the saved standard pallets and containers.

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When we scroll through the containers, we can see that the drawing changes. Note that the name, dimensions and weight constraint of the containers can be edited from this window. Also note that the dimensions are in feet and pounds because we had previously set the default QPM dimensions to inches/lbs.

To calculate a pallet configuration, we will begin by opening a new document window starting from primary package dimensions. This command is available from the File menu.

We will enter the dimensions as in the screenshot at right. For simplicity, we have chosen the default dimensions and changed the pallet to a 48x40 CHEP pallet.

After selecting "Recalculate" from the Tools menu, we will see a list of different pallet solutions.

To sort the solutions, we use the "Power Sort" feature that is available from the Tools menu. The criteria we set is Primary Packages per Pallet in descending order. After clicking "OK", we will see the reordered list and select the topmost pallet. With the pallet selected, we choose "Fill Container..." from the Tools menu.

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This command will open a new window from which we select the pallet to reveal its drawing. The shipping company charges US$ 2600 for a given distance with a 40' container and US$ 2800 using a 45' container. First, we select the 40' container from the menu and enter the shipping cost per container.

After selecting "Recalculate" from the Tools menu, we will see that the 40' container has been filled very inefficiently, making the cost per package a high 0.26$ per pack.

If we go back and change the container type to 45', we will see that there is only one row of pallets per container and that the cost is still high. The reason for this is that the pallet load is too tall and that we will need to select another pallet arrangement.

We close the Container Fill window and choose the second best pallet configuration, which happens to be shorter.

When we select the pallet and then "Container Fill" from the Tools menu, we can see the window from which we will select the 40' container and enter the shipping cost.

After calculating again, we see that the 40' container is not the best option for this pallet size.

We go back to the "Input Data" window and change the container to 45' and enter the higher cost associated to this container for this example.

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After recalculating, we can see that the packs now cost $0.12 to ship, which is acceptable for the client.

46. Fitting Multiple Boxes Into One Container

A new feature in QPM 4.0.1 enables the application to fit as many objects it can into one container in an irregular fashion, starting from the first element in the list. This is different from the alternate mechanism in which all elements (pallets and boxes) are fit by order starting from the back and pretty much separated. Hence, this method will cut off the elements that don't fit. The first step is to introduce the data with the box dimensions. The essence of the problem is that the customer needs to first introduce as many "big" boxes as she can and then fill the remaining space with "small" boxes. This is a two-step process: first we need to know how many big boxes fit in a 20' container. To do so, we enter the box dimensions (60x51.1x40.1cm, weight=13.2kg) and use a count of zero.

Once we select the "Recalculate" command or click on the second tab, we will see that the resulting container can fit 210 big red boxes.

The next step is to add the data for the second box and change the amount of red boxes to 210. This can be done by either typing the information directly or copying it from a spreadsheet application (as shown in the screenshot). In any case, we assign a case count of 1000 for the smaller blue boxes. The input window should look like the one in the screenshot to the right. We are trying to fit 210 big red boxes and 1000 of the smaller blue ones (dimensions = 38.1x10.6x9.83, weight = 0.39kg).

After selecting "Recalculate" or clicking on the second tab, we can see that the application was able to fit all of the 1210 boxes into the 20' container. However, there's some space left for more boxes.

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Therefore, we go back to the previous window and increase the number of small boxes to 2000 (an educated guess).

When we calculate again, we see that the application was able to fit a total of 1391 boxes (210 big boxes and 1181 small boxes).

For better visualization of the container load contents, the user can either export a QuickTime movie by selecting "Export Report - Palletizing Movie" from the File menu or use the third tab of the Container Fill window to visualize the boxes with their description and coordinates, one by one. Note that the code and the description of each box was pasted from the spreadsheet file mentioned previously.

47. Loading Cylinders Onto Pallets Onto Containers

This example is fairly simple. We will load cylinders onto pallets and then onto containers. First, we start by opening a new window starting from Primary Package dimensions. We choose "Cylinder" as package type, enter the dimensions, choose "1" as the case count and stretch-wrap as the box construction type, which is the equivalent of not using the box at all.

Once we have the input data in place, we select "Recalculate" from the Tools menu to see the two resulting pallets.

We choose the first pallet because the amount of cylinders per pallet was greater than the second one and select "Fill Container" from the Tools menu (not from the File menu) to see the Container Fill window with the pallet in place. For this example, we select the 40' container for filling with cylinders.

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After selecting "Recalculate" from the Tools menu or clicking on the second tab, we will see the resulting container.

This container can be viewed in two dimensions (note that an older but equivalent screenshot was used).

48. Exporting Container Fill Movies to iPodTM

For those unaware, the Apple iPod is a popular digital music player that can also (in its last iteration) support video playback. Quick Pallet Maker version 4.1 now includes an option for exporting box, pallet and container fill movies to the same size of the iPod screen (320x240 pixels). This is useful for people who work in a shipping dock and want to recall the order of each pallet, box or drum for loading in a specific container. All they would need to do is to carry their iPod with the movies generated by Quick Pallet Maker (yes, no printouts, just a cool music player) to see how everything fits. The first step is to calculate a container fill. You can use any of the examples in this page for reference. Once the container is ready, choose File -> Export > Container -> Movie (320x240). Note that it works best if "Video" is chosen in the compression settings. The movie to the right (click the drawing) shows how to create a container with boxes and save it to a 320x240 movie. Note that (free) QuickTime needs to be installed prior to running QPM.

The next step is to run iTunes to open the recently saved movie file. Before you can sync it with your iPod, you still need to convert it to iTunes by choosing the appropriate option from the "Advanced" menu. Once this has been done. It is a good idea to add some information to the video itself to be able to find it later in the iPod. Once this process has been completed, you can update your iPod and the container movie should be available for viewing.

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49. Adding Shipping Routes To Containers

Here's an example on how to use the new Quick Pallet Maker feature that saves the shipping routes with their costs in the Standard Container file. This allows the user to choose a route so that the shipping cost can be updated automatically when a container is selected. In the first part of the movie, we open the Standard Cases, Pallets and Containers window and click on any container to select it. Once the container has been selected, click on the drawing with the right mouse button (Ctrl+click on a Mac) to open a small window.

In this window, we will enter the origin, destination and freight cost for this route. For this example, we have chosen a route that starts in Cape Town, South Africa and ends in Caracas, Venezuela. Please don't pay attention to the values themselves as their sole purpose is to serve as an example.

Once we have entered the shipping information, we click OK and move on to the container fill window. Every time the specific container has been selected (in this case, the 40' High Cube), a pull-down menu will appear to provide the user with route options. When an option is selected, the shipping cost appears in the appropriate cell.

Note in the example that the shipping cost of each pallet or box in the container will not appear until we add a code and/or description to the element that will be shipped. This is why in the example, we first calculate the container, see that there is no cost attached and calculate again.

50. Package To Box To Container

The following example explains how to create boxes from primary package dimensions when we know the case count. The boxes will be floor-loaded onto a 40' High Cube container. The first step is to open a new document window starting from primary package dimensions and enter the dimensions for the cylinder we will pack: 115 mm diameter and 115 mm height. The weight is 0.15 kg. The case count is 45 and the board thickness is 8 x 8 x 16 mm per length, width and height, respectively.

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After selecting Recalculate from the Tools menu...

We obtain a list of boxes and a list of pallets. We won't be doing anything with the pallets so we pay attention to the box list at the topright. There we notice that some boxes are identical so we pick just four from the list (numbers 1;2;5 and 6).

To save the boxes, we select them and then choose "File -> Export -> Box -> File (XML). It is a good idea to create a new folder for these box files in order to open them more quickly.

Then, we open a new Container Fill window to pack the boxes. The first step is to select "Case Properties" from the pull-down menu.

As we keep the ctrl-key pressed, we click on the "Import Box" button and are able to select a folder from which we can load the list of boxes that we had saved previously.

Once they have been loaded, we can select them all and check the boxes that allow them to be placed on their sides within the floorloaded container.

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We also select the container type by using the menu at the bottom of the window.

To aid in the identification of the boxes within the containers, we click on the drawing with the right mouse button (ctrl+click on a singlebutton Mac) and add a code or ID to the boxes.

Choosing "Recalculate" from the Tools menu generates as many containers as there were boxes in the list. We can move from one to the other to select which box type is more efficient.

The screenshot to the right shows another container.

Same here.

51. Moving A Pallet From One Container To The Other

This example explains how to move an item from one container in a shipment to the other. The first step is to open a new Container Fill window by choosing the appropriate option from the File menu.

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The next steps is to create a list of pallets for filling up the container. To save time, we will import a shipment file. To download the shipment file, please visit this link. Once you have downloaded the file, decompress it and load it by using the File -> Insert -> Shipment command as shown in the screenshot to the right.

After laoding the shipment, a list of pallets should appear in the center table. Selecting any of them will reveal their drawing. Note that the shipment file had the container information so it was changed automatically to the 40' container.

Selecting Tools -> Recalculate or clicking on the second tab will create the list of containers that make up the pallet shipment. If we go to the container number 3 in the list, we can see that it is quite full but could probably fit another pallet.

But when we go to the fourth container, we see that it has only one pallet which is really inefficient. Hence, we look for a way to place that pallet on the previous container and just ship 3 of them.

To do that, we go to the Shipment tab, which is the third one of the Container Fill window.

Once there, we disclose the contents for the third and fourth pallets and center the scrollbar so that we can see both of them.

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Then, we drag the pallet from the fourth container to the third container.

Notice in the drawing that the pallet has appeared at the end of the third container but partially outside of the container. The pallet is still in the fourth container, too so what we did was copy it from one container to the other.

Since we won't need that pallet in the fourth container anymore, we select it and use Edit -> Clear to remove it.

Being the last pallet in the container, QPM automatically deletes the empty container in full.

Our next step is to fix the third container, that has a pallet sticking out. If we go back to the second tab of the Container Fill window, we can see the drawing of the container showing us that last pallet.

Therefore, to solve thjs issue, we open the Container Editor, which can be found through the Tools menu.

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Once in the Container Editor, we use View -> Toggle Pallet View to change the drawing view until we see the container from a bird's eye perspective.

Then we grab the second pallet from left to right, move it upwards either by dragging it or changing its Y coordinate to 0 and then we flip it using the "Flip in Z Axis" button.

That last movement created sapce for us to fit the pallet that was sticking out. We select it with the mouse and move it into the available space as in the screenshot to the right.

After using the "Organize Elements" button and closing the Container Editor window, we should see the third container in all its pallet-filling glory.

52. Reordering The Boxes On A Container

The purpose of this example is to explain how the Quick Pallet Maker container editor can be used for changing the order in which the boxes within a floorloaded container are drawn to explain better the loading process. The first step is to run QPM and open a new window starting from container dimensions.

The next step is to paste the data from a list of boxes that can be found through the following link, similar to the procedure in this example. Once the box data has been pasted, we select a 40' container and the "Optimize Sections" command, which will put the boxes towards the back of the container.

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After using the "Recalculate" command from the Tools menu or clicking on the second tab of the container fill window, we should obtain the container fill with the different box types.

However, if we slide the container viewer to view a partial load, we will notice that the loading process is from bottom to top and not back to front, as expected in a container with a door on one end.

Therefore, we use the "Container Editor" command from the Tools menu to bring up the Container Editor window.

To reorder the boxes, we click on the "Optimize Sections" button.

And then click on OK to close the window.

When we go back to the Container Fill window, we can see a partial load in which the boxes being loaded are stacked towards the back of the container.

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We can also create a movie that shows this new order. In this case, we recommend using "Animation" in the compression settings.

53. Loading Multiple Pallets

This example explains how to load multiple pallets onto the Container Fill window that had been saved previously in a Quick Pallet Maker XML text file. The first step is to run QPM and open a new Document Window -> Fill Container from the File menu. When the window has opened, we select "40' High Cube" as the container type. For older customers, this container type may not be included in the list, so you will need to add it in the Standard Cases and Pallets window. The list of pallets for this example can be downloaded from this link. To load the pallets from a folder, we select "Load Solutions", which has a similar function as when this command is used in the Available Solutions window when calculating pallets. This command opens a window in which we can select a folder with pallets.

Once the folder is selected, all the valid pallet files are imported into the table as shown in the screenshot to the right.

Please note that when the pallets are imported, the quantities are those that are stored in the file. In this case, there is zero pallets per type so we need to replace the zero with a number one. In other words, one pallet of each type.

This is done for all pallets.

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Finally, we click on the container tab or use "Recalculate" to obtain the container fill schematics. In the screenshot to the right, we can see the first container that was loaded.

In this screenshot, the second container is visible.

54. Basic Container Calculation

This basic example explains how to calculate a container fill using a pallet produced from default data. In this case, we will calculate boxes and pallets from primary package dimensions and then select the optimal size for loading as many packages as possible into the container. The first step is to run Quick Pallet Maker and open the Standard Cases and Pallets window from the Window menu. Clicking on the second tab will show the list of containers. This is to check first the maximum internal height so we can design the pallet properly. In this case (we're using English units), it's 7.84 feet or 94.08 inches. The next step is to open a new document window starting from primary packages. To do this, we select "New Data Sheet -> Start from PP" from the File menu. The only variables that we will change here are the pallet type (we will use a 48"x40") and the maximum load height, which will be increased to a value just under the container height to allow for loading with lift trucks.

When this has been completed, we select "Recalculate" from the Tools menu.

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The Recalculate command will create the boxes from the primary package dimensions and the pallets where those boxes will be fit into. For each box type, there are three pallets by default.

Since we want to choose a pallet that optimizes the load the best without having to check each one from the list (even if the list is relatively short in the example), we will use the "Power Sort" command from the Tools menu to sort the pallet.

Once the window has opened, we select "Total Primary Packages" as the first criterion and the descending order to have the pallet with the most packages on the top of the list.

And in effect, that's what we get when we click on "OK" in the sorting window. However, the pallet looks somewhat unstable since the boxes are relatively tall. To fix this, we use the "Alternate Layers" command from the center of the Available Solutions window. We can also select that command from teh Tools menu.

The resulting pallet will be much more stable and the boxes will have less chance of falling off.

Now that we have selected the right pallet, we use the Fill Container command from the Tools menu (not the one from the File menu) to open the container fill window and load the chosen pallet.

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A new window will open, containing the input boxes for creating a loaded container. To the left, you find a pull-down menu and the input section for a completely new pallet or box, in the top-middle section a table with the pallet information and to the top-right we find the drawing of the pallet. In the middle of the window, the information for placing the fill object on its sides but is not available for pallets because they can only be placed upright. In the lower section we will change the container type from 20' to 40'. Note the change in maximum load dimensions (fill constraints) and internal dimensions (the dimensions of the physical container. The maximum height is the reason why we designed the pallet that way. If we click on the Container tab and wait a short while (depending on your computer speed) for the calculation and drawing, we obtain a container filled with pallets.

Since the boxes are shifted to the front of the container and this may be a cause for issues when lifting it with a crane or transporting it with a truck, we use the "Distribute Load Weight" command from the Tools menu.

The final result is a container with pallets and with a centered load. This can be printed by choosing "Print" from the File menu. Prior to that, you may need to select "Landscape" from the "Page Setup" window in the File menu.

55. Testing Different Pallet Sizes

A user has a couple of box sizes that he will want to ship in pallets and then in containers. For the moment being, he just wants to optimize the pallets and save the files so they can be used later depending on the shipment size. The first step is to run Quick Pallet Maker and open a new window starting from box dimensions.

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This opens up the Start From Box input window in which we will enter the case dimensions. Once the data has been added, we click on the "Add Box" button to place it on the list.

To differentiate the second box from the first, we clicked on the color box and selected a different color (in this case, orange).

The last step before calculating is to change the maximum load height to 250 cm, which is slightly lower than the maximum allowable height within the container. This clearance is useful for loading the pallets onto the container with a lift truck.

Next, we select "Recalculate" from the Tools menu.

And we obtain a list of pallets. There is a total of 6 pallets or 3 per box type. The pallet with the first type of box has a decent area efficiency considering the box size.

However, the second pallet type has a poor efficiency so we could do better if we tested it using a different pallet size (in this example, we can't change the boxes).

So we go back to the Input window by selecting "Change Data" from the Tools menu and check the "Try All Standard Pallets" box.

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When we select "Recalculate" once more, we obtain a more efficient pallet (although with the same amount of boxes) if we use the 120x80 Europallet instead of the 120x100 pallet.

We delete the rest of the solutions we don't need and are left with the best pallet for each type of box.

For further use, we save both pallet files by choosing "Export -> Pallet -> File (XML)" from the File menu.

Anyhow, we will want to check how these pallets fit into a 40' High Cube container. So we select both pallets and choose "Fill Container" from the Tools menu. This is the equivalent of opening a new Container Fill window from the File menu and importing the two pallet files we just saved.

When this has been done, we will see both pallets in the Container Fill window table.

The next step is to choose the 40' HQ container from the list. Please note that the container dimensions can be edited either directly on the Container Fill window or within the second tab of the Standard Cases and Pallets window. Although we have used the standard container dimensions, you may need to check your provider to make sure they match.

After selecting "Recalculate" from the Tools menu or clicking on the Container tab, you should obtain a couple of containers. The first one with the pallets from the first box type.

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And the second container with the second box type.

56. Creating Stable Pallets From Thin Boxes

The purpose of this example is to show how Quick Pallet Maker can be used for creating pallets with multiple boxes that are packed on their most stable side even if that implies laying the narrow box on its side. The first step is to open a new document window starting from box dimensions as shown in the graphic to the right.

The next step is to set up the input window starting from box dimensions. We change the maximum load height (including the pallet itself) to 86 inches. If the units are different from inches, they can be changed through the Tools menu. We also selected the 48x40" pallet.

Then, we go to a spreadsheet where we have stored the input data for this example in tab-delimited columns. You can download the file we used through the following link. We select the data from the area that does not comprise the headings and copy it. In other words, don't select the headings.

After copying the data in the spreadsheet application, we go back to Quick Pallet Maker, click on the table in the middle of the window and choose "Paste" from the Edit menu.

The boxes will be added to the central menu in the input window. If you click through them you can select some that are quite narrow if they are placed rightside-up. Looking at the window, you should also notice that the only checkbox that is checked is the one that allows the boxes to be placed vertical to the pallet (i.e. right-side-up).

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Therefore, we will use a new Quick Pallet Maker feature that suggests the type of placement that the boxes should have in order to make the pallet as stable as possible. This operation uses the default case ratio constraints to determine whether a box placed in one direction is too narrow or too tall. This command is selected through the Tools menu

Now, when we scan through the boxes, we will notice that some of them will be allowed to be laid on their sides (i.e. with length or width vertical to the pallet height) while they will be constrained to be placed upright. The purpose of this is to avoid having the boxes topple during pallet transportation. It is important to know beforehand if the boxes can be placed on their sides in the first place. If not, then the checkboxes for those boxes will need to be unselected manually.

The next step is to use the "Calculate Multiple Boxes" command from the Tools menu...

...to obtain a pallet that includes the boxes placed on their sides.

We can select "Layer Editor" from the Tools menu...

...to move those boxes that are placed on ledges or other unstable locations.

Another new Quick Pallet Maker option is to use the "Try All Standard Pallets" checkbox to select which one of the saved standard pallet sizes is the best for loading these multiple box sizes.

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The final pallet should look somewhat like the one in the drawing to the right.

57. Hidden Pallet Configuration

Although Quick Pallet Maker delivers automatically an optimized pallet when calculating pallets with only one box type, it is possible to obtain different configurations without using the Layer Editor. In this case, a customer wanted a layout with one row of boxes lengthwise and two rows transversal.

If we start from box dimensions, enter the data and select "Recalculate" from the Tools menu.

We will obtain a list of three pallets. The first type displays the boxes lengthwise to the pallet. The second type arranges them transversally.

The third type tries to fit as many as possible by rotating them individually. However, none of the arrangements are identical to the one that was requested.

Therefore, we select Pallet Type 2 and click on the "Go" button that refers to the "Optimize" function.

To obtain automatically the desired pallet. If there is a pallet that you want and cannot be obtained this way, then you will need to use the Layer Editor.

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Selecting "Detailed Report" from the Window menu will deliver the basic box and pallet data.

58. Alternating Layers with the Layer Editor

The purpose of this example is to explain how to create a pallet with boxes on its sides that also happens to feature alternate layers. This can be done through the use of the Layer Editor and its duplicate layers button. The first step is to create the pallet and we'll do so by starting from Box Dimensions (File -> New Data Sheet -> Start From Box). Once the window opens, we will enter the box dimensions and select a pallet to fill. In this example, the box measures 400x400x800 mm and the chosen pallet measures 1200x800mm. To save time, the box can only be placed on its width. After choosing Tools -> Recalculate, we should see a list of three pallets, the first two are regularly oriented and the third is calculated based on the restrictions while optimizing as much as possible the available space. Please note that the case placement restriction didn't affect the first two pallets. Once there, we select the third pallet and then choose "Tools -> Layer Editor". The top-down view of the first layer should appear (anyhow, you can scroll through the views by choosing "Tools -> Toggle Pallet View"). What we'll do here is to grab the first and second box from left to right and move them out so we can rotate them 90 degrees in the Z axis.

Here we selected the first box and moved it back -400 mm in the X axis to flip it.

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Once flipped, we do the same with the middle box.

This is how the pallet layer should look after finishing the rearrangement.

We used the "Toggle Pallet View" command to see the isometric view. Doing that we realize that the drawing doesn't look right, so we click on "Organize Boxes" to fix it.

Finally, while we keep the ctrl (control) key pressed, we click on the Duplicate Layers button. Note that once you press the ctrl key and the mouse is over the button, the text should change to "Alternate Layers". Clicking on the button and selecting "View All Layers" should produce the pallet in the screenshot.

If you click on "OK" in the Layer Editor and then open the Detailed Report using "Window -> Detailed Report" you can take a look at the pallet views through the third tab of the window.

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59. Calculating Lowest Shipping Costs in Containers The purpose of this example is to determine which container type will ship a given box using real freight data from Turkey. One can assign a shipping route to a given container in QPM, select that route in a container calculation and then calculate the shipping cost per each item in the container. That's what we're going to do here so we start by running Quick Pallet Maker and then opening the Standard Cases and Pallets window. Clicking on the second tab (marked "Pallets") will show the list of available pallets and containers as in the screenshot to the right. The first procedure that we will execute will be to add the shipping routes to three different containers, the 20 foot Dry Cargo, the 40 foot DC and the 40' High Cube. This will allow us to calculate the cost per box that will define which container option will save the most money. Hence, the next step is to select the 20' container from the list and click on the drawing with the right mouse button (ctrl+click on a one-button Mac). This shows a small menu that we select... ...to open a new window in which we will enter the details of the shipment route and the cost. In this case, we do not need to add the trip distance but we do need to enter the total cost and the loading and discharging ports as reference.

When we type in the data and click on "OK", we will see that the route is added to the list at the bottom of the window and thus, to the container itself.

Clicking on another container without closing the window will allow us to add the same route to the 40' Dry Cargo but with a higher cost ($2900 vs. $2500).

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We repeat the same procedure with the 40' High Cube container which costs the same to ship as the 40' Dry Cargo.

Finally, when we have made sure that each one of the three containers have the route attached to them, we can open a new Container Fill window. This is done through the File menu.

Quick Pallet Maker will present us a new window in which we will add a box that measures 600x400x500 mm. To add a box from dimensions, you first need to choose "Case Properties" from the new menu to the top left.

After calcuting by clicking on the container tab, we should be be able to see the container full with boxes. Clicking on the disclosure triangle on the left side of the window reveals the box code and cost. In this case, it's $12.08 for the 20' container.

So we go back to the input window by clicking on the Input tab and change the container type and make sure that the route is selected in the contiguous menu. We also make sure that the maximum load and container heights are equal to to 2250 mm. We use "Tools -> Recalculate" or click on the Container tab to reveal the filled 40' container.

In this case, the cost is $6.61 per box which makes it a better proposal than the 20' container.

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Finally, we repeat the process of going back to the input window and changing the container type for the 40' High Cube. Please note that the route needs to be selected and the maximum load and container heights are 2500 mm.

The 40' High Cube delivers an even lower cost per box shipped which is US$ 5.28, making this container the most attractive option.

60. Calculate Pallet Lists from Box List

The purpose of this example is to show the process in which we calculate a list of pallets from a list of boxes in a shipment file (CSV format). After calculating the pallet list, we see that there are some incomplete pallets that could benefit from mixing so we end up selecting them and mixing them. Therefore, the first step is to run Quick Pallet Maker.

From the Tools menu, we choose the "Create Shipment" option so we can select the box file.

This file contains a comma-delimited table with the box information as specified in this page. We select the CSV file from the computer's hard disk or wherever we've saved it.

After selecting the file, Quick Pallet Maker will calculate the pallets and then when done, will show a message if the calculation has completed without issues.

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If we search for the original CSV file, we will notice that QPM saved a list of pallet files in the same folder where we kept it. Hence, it was a good idea to have kept the file in an empty folder for better searching.

The next step is to use Quick Pallet Maker to view and edit the pallets if necessary. To do this, we use the Tools -> Load Solutions command to select the folder that contains the pallets. This command will only load the pallet files and not other XML files like boxes, packages or even the box CSV file.

We select the folder.

And when done, we will see the pallet list in the Available Solutions window.

You can notice that there are some pallets with a lower box count than the rest. That is because during the original calculation from the list of boxes, QPM decided not to mix the pallets, leaving that part for us to do manually. And this is exactly what we'll do. We select three of the pallets with a low count and then use the right mouse button (ctrl+click on a single-button Mac) to open the menu in which we use the "Recalculate" feature.

This produces a mixed pallet and another leftover from the boxes that couldn't be added.

We repeat the process with a couple of incomplete pallets...

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...and see that a new mixed pallet appears.

Finally, we select our group of pallets and use the Fill Container command from the Tools menu.

This opens a Container Fill window in which the pallets are listed.

Changing the container type to 40' Dry Cargo and selecting "Recalculate" from the Tools menu will produce a container that houses the pallets.

61. Changing the Container Type

This example explains how to change the container size of one or more containers from a shipment. This is specially useful if we have several full large containers but not enough items to fill the last one. Therefore, with Quick Pallet Maker, we can change the last container to a smaller size and pay less for freight (or ship less air). The first step is to run Quick Pallet Maker and open a new Container Fill window. This is done by selecting "File -> New Data Sheet -> Fill Container". The next step is to add the boxes that we will use for calculating. The list is available in the MS Excel file that can be downloaded through this link. We open the file, select the boxes and paste them onto the central table of the window. After the boxes had been added, we select the appropriate container type which in this case is 40' HQ. The next step is to use "Recalculate" from the Tools menu.

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After calculating, the software produces a set of containers that feature the boxes from the list. This is the first one.

And this is the second one.

The third container is also full.

And finally, the fourth container is half empty. This represents plenty of empty space that is being billed but not used.

Therefore, we will use the new Quick Pallet Maker feature that changes the container type. We click on the third tab and then select the last container from the table. The drawing of the partially-filled container should be visible as in the screenshot to the right. We click on the table with our right mouse button (ctrl+click on a one-button Mac) to show a menu from which we will select the smaller 20' container.

After a while calculating...

We see that QPM has replaced the last 40' High Cube container with the 20' DC container.

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Clicking on the second tab will show the container with more detail.

62. Dragging a Pallet from One Window to Another

The purpose of this example is to explain how starting from Quick Pallet Maker version 4.4.1, you can drag pallets from the Available Solutions window to the Container Fill window, therefore avoiding having to save and reopen the files. Our first step is to calculate any pallet. In this case, we used the default primary package dimensiones and selected a pallet from the center of the list.

Then, we open a new Container Fill window that will serve as the recipient for the dragged pallet.

When the container fill window opens, we move it to one side and click again on the Available Solutions window to move it upfront. Then, we click on the line in the bottom pallet list and drag it towards the white center table in the Container Fill window.

When we make the Container Fill window appear in the center again, we can see that the pallet has been added to the list. If we drag the same pallet, then the count will increase by one every time.

We can calculate a container fill with those pallets.

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63. Using Multiple Pack Sizes to Fill Boxes

The following screenshots describe the process for filling boxes with a finite list of primary packages of different sizes. These boxes are then placed onto pallets. The first step is to run Quick Pallet Maker (please make sure that you are using version 4.4.1 or above) and select "Standard Cases and Pallets" from the Window. Then, we will edit the last box in the top-most list of predefined case sizes and enter the following dimensions: 61x10x3. Being the topmost table, they are expressed in inches. We also change the box category from "Box" to "Other" to differentiate it from the rest. Then, we open a new document window starting from Primary Package dimensions (New Data Sheet -> Start from PP) and change the units to inches and lbs (in case they were'n already expressed that way).

The next step is to open the Multiple Packages window. We do this through the appropriate command in the Tools menu.

Then, we go the spreadsheet where we have saved the package data and select and copy all of the columns that we will paste onto QPM. Please note that if you order the items from longest to shortest, you will obtain a better fit. Going back to the Multiple Packages window, clicking on the center table and then using "Paste" from the Edit menu will place the primary packs in the window. We click on "Done" to finish.

As we go back to the Input Window, we'll see that the top section is greyed out. If we look at the small menu in the center of the window, we will see that we can select the "Other" box type. This will allow us to calculate using only this type of box.

The rest of the input data is entered as it appears in the screenshot to the right.

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If we select "Tools -> Recalculate", we should obtain a couple of boxes that hold our packages with different sizes. We can use the Zoom feature from the Window menu to take a better look at the box or right-click (ctrl+click on a one-button Mac) to choose the Movie Export option that lays out the fill sequence.

Clicking on the first box in the list to the right reveals its contents, too.

64. Creating a Pallet with a Hole in the Middle

The following screenshots describe how we can create a pallet using Quick Pallet Maker and then add a hole to the center for later use during handling and storage. Although this prevents us from shipping some extra cases, it is a company requirement. The first step is to run Quick Pallet Maker and open a new document window starting from box dimensions.

The next step is to add the box dimensions and to click on "Add Box".

If we calculate the pallet, we'll receive the usual 3 arrangements.

We select any pallet from the list and then use "Display Pallet Length" to see if we can calculate a pallet with a box in the middle. No luck with this type of display.

Then we use "Display Box Width" and realize that we calculated one.

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Therefore, with the pallet selected, we choose "Layer Editor" from the Tools menu.

That will open the Layer Editor window. Here, you will see the first layer of the pallet. If you click on the center box, it will be shown in white. After the box has been selected, use "Edit -> Clear" to delete it.

A hole will appear where the box was. Before finishing up, you will need to click on "Copy Selected Lauer" to reproduce the same pallet layer across the allowable pallet height.

You can change the box view using the appropriate command.

To see the pallet's isometric drawing.

Clicking on "Show All Layers" will display the cloned layers (based on the bottom layer)

Clicking on "OK" will save the pallet with a hole. A detailed report can be created and printed.

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65. Calculating Boxes with Cylindrical Items In this example, we want to ship cylinders into cartons and then into pallets. We know the pallet dimensions and load constraints and the dimensions of the cylinders and a range of how many the customer expects per box (i.e. the approximate case count). However, we would like to know exactly how many of them we should ship in each box and the final box specifications. Therefore, our first step is to run Quick Pallet Maker and open a new document window starting from prumary package dimensions. We make sure that the units are set to inches, since that's how we've expressed the cylinder dimensions. Once we've done that, we change the primary package type to Cylinder and enter the package diameter, height and weight (respectively: 1.37795; 8.8125 and 0.001). Since the cylinders can only be stacked vertically and in a single layer, we uncheck the Diameter vertical to pallet and enter a maximum height for the new carton slightly greater than the cylinder height, enough to fit one but not two. Then we add the pallet dimensions and load constraints. The screenshot to the right shows the info. Our final step before calculating is to open up the Advanced Input Options window which is the one where the user enters the variables that he/she wants to test through a range. In this case, we do not know exactly which case count we're dealing with but do know a range. Therefore, we set up the window to vary the case count from 150 to 200 to achieve a value as high as possible for the primary packages per pallet. We also tell it to show all of the results in case we have any issues with the most optimal one. Once we click on "OK", the program will start going through all of the options. This may take a while and QPM may look unresponsive. After it's done, QPM will show either a range of results or just the most optimal pallet. If the latter and you want to see how the other (deleted) pallets looked like, select any box and then use "Tools -> Recalculate" to obtain three different pallet configurations for the selected box.

Finally, once we've set our sights on the box and pallet we want, we can view and print it through the "Detailed Report" option under the Window menu as shown in the image to the right.

66. Four Layers of Packaging (Package - Carton - Master Carton - Pallet)

The purpose of this tutorial is to explain how Quick Pallet Maker (version 4.4.1 or greater) can be used for calculating carton and master pack dimensions for a four layer packaging system: Primary Package Carton Master Carton Pallet

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The first step is to open a new document window starting from primary package dimensions and enter the dimensions of the first package, the one that will go into the carton and then into the master case. In this case, the rectangular package measures 2x1.5x3 inches and weighs 0.05lbs. We will use a "Rectangular" type of box construction and a case count of 12 packs per carton. Since we will not pack these small cartons onto pallets, it doesn't really matter which pallet constraints we use. When the input window has been set as the one in the screenshot to the right, we use Tools -> Recalculate. This command should bring us to the Available Solutions window in which we will find a list of boxes on the right and a list of "pallets" on the bottom. If the box drawings do not show the contents but a rectangular brick, then you can click on the drawing with the right mouse button (ctrl+click on a one-button Mac) and then choose the Internal Box View.

This is will allow us to see the cartons that have been created for placement into larger master cartons. From the six cartons to the right, we will choose the ones with different dimensions to avoid rework. In this example, we will use these cartons again as primary packages and calculate them all that once.

For that, we will need to open a new Data Sheet -> Starting from PP Dimensions.

There, we will open the Multiple Packages window which is where we can enter and calculate more than one primary package at a time. This is done by selecting the appropriate command from the Tools menu.

A new smaller window will appear with a list in the middle with one package in it (if you are using a QPM version prior to 4.4.1, please update your app). Delete this package by selecting it in the table and then using the backspace or clear buttons. Your window should look like the one in the screenshot to the right.

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Now we will drag five of the six cartons from the Available Solutions window to the small Multiple Packages window. To do this, we move the latter to one side of the screen with its white table visible and then move the former to the front. After we select the items, we drag them from one window to the other.

If all went well, we should have five cartons on the list represented by primary packages that bear their external dimensions.

For better understanding of how the cartons will go in the master carton, we change their colors by selecting them all and clicking on the small color boxes.

After we've done that, we should see something like the screenshot to the right. If all is well, we click on "Done".

What we have now is a primary package input window in which we have stored 5 cartons that will be calculated as primary packages into master cartons. The top part is grayed out. Now we will enter the carton-in-master carton info. The new case count is 24 and we will use a 48x40 pallet to place them.

After selecting "Recalculate", we obtain a new solution with cartons in master cartons in pallets. The pallet list is considerably large since we started by calculating all of the possible master cartons for 5 different carton sizes.

The most straight-forward way to order the items to pick a good one is by choosing "Power Sort" from the Tools menu. The sorting criterion is "Primary Packages per Carton" or in other words, (small) cartons per pallet. Considering that all small cartons have the same count, it will also select the pallet with the highest PP count.

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This brings a nice looking pallet to the top of the list. We select that one and choose "Detailed Report" from the Window menu.

The report window will appear with the carton information in the space made available for the primary packages.

You can either print the report or export the report graphics using the appropriate commands from the File menu.

67. Horizontal Rolls On Pallets

The purpose of this tutorial is to explain how Quick Pallet Maker can be used for loading cylinders horizontally on a pallet. This is useful for some types of rolls that are not stable enough to be shipped standing up (e.g. carpets or cloth) or are too long to be unfolded. For this example, we'll be creating a box to be filled with primary packages that has the same dimensions as the pallet constraints. This allows filling the pallet with cylindrical packages on their sides. For this example, you will need QPM version 4.4.9.1 and above. The first step is to open the standard cases and pallets window. Here we create a new box with the dimensions of the pallet constraints. Since we'll be using English units, we create the box measuring 48x40x48 inches in the top table of the window's first tab. It doesn't matter if the dimensions are external or internal since we'll be using this "box" as a guide for the pallet. It is important to enter a new box class so that the program doesn't go through the rest of the boxes in the list. In this case, we used "Empty" as the name. The next step is to open a new document window starting from primary packages dimensions. This is done by using the File -> New Data Sheet -> Start from PP command. If the units haven't been set to inches/lbs, then this can be done through the Tools menu. We choose "Cylinder" as the package type and enter the dimensions of the roll. Since we only want it laying down, we deselect "Height" from the available configurations. We use "Stretch-Wrap" as the box type and select Fill Standard Cases from the Standard Cases pull-down menu. We had chosen "Empty" as the box class. Finally, we choose the pallet type, a 48x40x53 pallet, noting that the height constraint accomodates for the empty box plus the height of the pallet itself.

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Finally, we use the Recalculate command from the Tools menu and obtain a couple of identical pallets. Each one loaded one "box" and within each box there were as many cylindrical rolls as possible.

Since this pallet configuration doesn't look that stable, we will use the corner posts for the items not to fall off. They can be added by selecting "Show Corner Posts" from the View menu.

Then, we select "Show Detailed Report" to open a new window that allows us to print a quick report with the rolls and pallets.

The Detailed Report window includes views of the pallet from all sides that can be printed in one sheet. For a QuickTime movie on how to run this example, please click here and here.

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