How do people pack delicate instruments properly?

[Cubdriver]

On occasion in the past I've also filled the gaps between the spacers with packing peanuts.  The spacers carry the load, and the peanuts help to hold them in place and prevent them from moving out of place.  The thing I've found with peanuts is that you have to put enough in the box that they get a bit compressed; that keeps them from moving around and letting whatever they're holding work its way to the bottom of the carton.  If the peanuts are crammed in tightly enough that they can't move about, they do ok protecting things that aren't too dense.

People who toss in a few handfuls and leave them free to move are begging for trouble.  Pick up the finished package and shake it.  If you can hear and feel the item shifting about, it's not properly packaged!  I (and no doubt most of us here) wish more e-bay sellers would learn that simple concept!   

-Pat

[bitseeker]

The thing I've found with peanuts is that you have to put enough in the box that they get a bit compressed; that keeps them from moving around and letting whatever they're holding work its way to the bottom of the carton.  If the peanuts are crammed in tightly enough that they can't move about, they do ok protecting things that aren't too dense.

That's the key, exactly. Slightly over stuffing with peanuts also helps prevent the object inside from getting loose as the peanuts collapse during shipping.

[iXod]

Tom is experimenting with creative ways of making bulletproof packing.

[iXod]

The "Six Pillow" technique:

Get six plastic garbage bags. Purchase enough styrofoam peanuts to fill two of them.

Place the equipment into a close-fitting box. Tape it well.

Obtain a large box, at least 4x the volume of the box surrounding the equipment.

Partially fill one bag with foam peanuts and place it in the bottom of the box. (The peanuts fill exercise requires trial-and-error, as the fill depends on many things.)

Stand the inner box (containing the equipment) on the peanut-filled bag.

Fill 4 more bags and place them on the sides of the equipment box. They should be quite snug to keep the equipment from moving around. These bags should not be so large as to reach the top of the outer box, but should leave enough space above to allow the 6th bag to cover all bags and the equipment box.

Close and tape the box closed. It is acceptable to "go nuts" with packing tape here. Do not use duct ("duck", "gaffer's", "Gorilla") tape. Many shipping services will not accept such a taped package and will disallow any damage claims. Use only clear plastic packing tape. Lots of it.

There you have it.

I shipped a quite heavy analog power supply this way across the US continent and the only complaint is that a nut came off of an adjustment pot (there was no knob on the pot).

Cheers!

[tggzzz]

Tom is experimenting with creative ways of making bulletproof packing.

I'm not sure that is relevant to the problem at hand.

I don't care about the packaging surviving the shipping; I care about the contents. If the packaging is destroyed while protecting the contents, that's a good tradeoff.

The use of a solid block of steel isn't comparable to an instrument, since the very different weight:area affects the ability of packing materials to reduce shock loading.

[tggzzz]

Obtain a large box, at least 4x the volume of the box surrounding the equipment.

Partially fill one bag with foam peanuts and place it in the bottom of the box. (The peanuts fill exercise requires trial-and-error, as the fill depends on many things.)

Given the cubic relationship between linear dimensions and volume, why is a volume ratio the right relationship to use?

What non-destructive trial and error tests are you performing, and what are the acceptance criteria?

Do not use duct ("duck", "gaffer's", "Gorilla") tape. Many shipping services will not accept such a taped package and will disallow any damage claims. Use only clear plastic packing tape. Lots of it.

Where did you find that out?

[TopLoser]

Do not use duct ("duck", "gaffer's", "Gorilla") tape. Many shipping services will not accept such a taped package and will disallow any damage claims. Use only clear plastic packing tape. Lots of it.

Where did you find that out?

https://www.ups.com/content/us/en/resources/ship/packaging/guidelines/how_to3.html

Can't see any reference to disallowing claims or not shipping items, but they do seem to prefer simple plastic tape.

[tggzzz]

Do not use duct ("duck", "gaffer's", "Gorilla") tape. Many shipping services will not accept such a taped package and will disallow any damage claims. Use only clear plastic packing tape. Lots of it.

Where did you find that out?

https://www.ups.com/content/us/en/resources/ship/packaging/guidelines/how_to3.html

Can't see any reference to disallowing claims or not shipping items, but they do seem to prefer simple plastic tape.

Useful reference, thanks. ISTR seeing it before, and concur with your assessment.

[tggzzz]

Patrick Manning on the Yahoo hp_agilent_equipment has photos showing how he packs several 19" instruments for transport

See http://pmanning.smugmug.com/Electronics/Packing-heavy-instruments-for

[bitseeker]

Patrick Manning on the Yahoo hp_agilent_equipment has photos showing how he packs several 19" instruments for transport

See http://pmanning.smugmug.com/Electronics/Packing-heavy-instruments-for

Yes, good stuff. For additional narration from Pat, back up to reply 70 of this thread:

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/repair/how-do-people-pack-delicate-instruments-properly/msg1003220/#msg1003220

[tggzzz]

Patrick Manning on the Yahoo hp_agilent_equipment has photos showing how he packs several 19" instruments for transport

See http://pmanning.smugmug.com/Electronics/Packing-heavy-instruments-for

Yes, good stuff. For additional narration from Pat, back up to reply 70 of this thread:

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/repair/how-do-people-pack-delicate-instruments-properly/msg1003220/#msg1003220

Hah! You have a better memory than I do! My only defence is that there are more pictures on his smugmug page.

[bitseeker]

Hah! You have a better memory than I do! My only defence is that there are more pictures on his smugmug page.

No worries. It's the collective memory of the EEVBlog!

[sidspop]

Local builders merchants, look for Jablite. Up to 4" thick.
Used for insulation in building trade

[eeverlong]

I usually use bespoke foam packaging cut to size for expensive instruments. Anything electronic make sure to use anti-static foam. Give these guys a shot https://www.gbfoamdirect.co.uk/

[tggzzz]

I usually use bespoke foam packaging cut to size for expensive instruments. Anything electronic make sure to use anti-static foam. Give these guys a shot https://www.gbfoamdirect.co.uk/

Bookmarked; thanks.

Which foam grade have you found to be best, and what thickness would you use for, say, a 25lb/11kg scope? (Assume already wrapped in bubblewrap)

[soubitos]

Back in my years in the Airforce, i saw once a huge aluminum box with a top removable lid which contained an A7 Gyroscope i think... inside the box was a small metalic platform or plate which was suspended by all 8 corners of the box with spring cabling... the gyroscope was sitting on top of this plate and was held in place with a net i think it was.... the idea was that even if you parachute the darn thing, it would not touch either side of the box and would be held in place absorbing most if not all of the energy applied to it by serious fall or hits....

It seemed weird that they got into so much trouble and cost to transport a small box with connectors and knobs or whatever... when i found the gyroscope was worth its weight in gold, i stopped loughing

[tggzzz]

There has been some useful specific information appearing on the groups.io HP-Agilent-Keysight-equipment list, with the subject "Shipping an 8510C".

The key points by Greg Muir include:

The (trademark) "Polyplank" mentioned in my previous post is an engineered closed-cell foam product used for cushioning items for shipment.  It is available in a few types of densities and formulations based upon what load you intend to pack.  I believe that you will find it being used by nearly every manufacturer to ship larger and heavier products.  I have found it in both HP and Tek shipments in the past.  It is a dense form a product with no memory.  It is available from numerous shipping product suppliers on the web.

I have used it for shipping all equipment both locally and overseas.  It is easily shaped with a sharp cutting instrument, bandsaw or whatever.  You can glue pieces together using a hot glue gun on a very cool setting (don't let the glue get too hot or it will melt the foam rather than glue it together).  The same goes for gluing the foam into the crate or box.

It does not shed, retains its shape and comes in convenient large sheets of many thicknesses.  The give is just enough so as to absorb shocks in shipping.

Pregis, the manufacturer (no affiliation) (https://www.pregis.com/us-solutions/by-product/foam-for-fabrication/extruded) has full details on their website.  I like using it because it is so easily available from a large number of sources including locally.

FFI see https://groups.io/g/HP-Agilent-Keysight-equipment/message/101975 and subsequent posts.