Additional packing & packaging info

[Chuck K3FT]

Clarification and add'l info Re: packaging, packing issue. I don't mean to belabor the
point, but we all ship and recieve stuff, so this will be helpful to all of us. Those
'old hands' at shipping can just skip this, but since we all ship.. it's worth
mentioning, I believe.

BTW, it was pointed out to me that the gorilla commercial was American Tourister, not
Samonsite! I stand corrected and say 'Thanks' for the info (I'm a Samosnite fan)

More packaging and packing info.. It was also pointed out that the styrofoam packing
peanuts are not as good a choice for cushioning material as they tend to become 'mashed'
(crushed) and do not provide a good cushioning effect. This is entirely correct. I
should have made the statement more clearly to avoid any misunderstandings. If you can
use foam-in-place or foam material, by all means, do so. However, peanuts are the most
prevalent material available today.

Packing peanuts (and they are FUN to deal with when they get loose and cling to
EVERYTHING!) MUST be 'solid fill' packed around anything they are designed to protect.
The problem is that when peanuts are just loosely filled they tend to move a lot during
shipment and make airpockets which allow the hardware to shift and move about. This
usually results in the edges/corners/side edges contacting the outer box walls resulting
is container puncture damage, tearing, ripping, and subsequent hardware damage. (Another
great argument in favor of combination packaging. (Combo packaging is the industry
terminology for anything with two separate packagings. Single pack is when you have one
integrated package. I mention this so you will know what they're talking about when they
start spouting off terms.)

'Solid fill' is defined as the peanuts being tightly packed with minimal (if any) room
for peanut movement inside the container.  That means you fill the space and shake the
peanuts and then vibrate the container to settle the peanuts. Then you fill the space
again and vibrate/compress the peanuts to assure that all the 'nooks and crannies' are
filled. Then you overfill the container slightly so that when the lid is closed it
further compresses the peanuts.

When packing with peanuts, consider that they compress to at least 1/2 of their
individual volume so if you want 3 inches of cushioning, figure you will need 5-6 inches
of peanuts. This will vary depending on the weight and cofiguration of the unit being
packed. Units with flat sides and sharp edges need more and small units that are rounded
need less, but these numbers are good rules of thumb for successful packing.  Better to
overpack with peanuts than underpack.

Bubble wrap is good as long as you consider the edges of the hardware. I've seen great
bubble wrap destroyed and become ineffective due to forgetting to shield the sharp
corners and edges of the hardware being shipped.  Stiff cardboard corner protectors go a
long way to protecting your hardware (and your reputation) when shipping.

Hope that clarifies the peanut info. Sorry to have been obtuse in my prior message.
Again, my source reference material is based on years of inspecting incoming and
outgoing packing, packaging, marking and labeling for contractor shipment of electronics
items ranging from NASA Space Shuttle units (Talk about RESTRICTIVE SHIPPING HI) to
hazardous chemicals and liquids. I also perform damage inspections/investigations on
hardware received with damaged packaging and damage ot material.

vy 73

Chuck K3FT
k3ft at erols.com

Sponsored by the City of Tempe 

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