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Product quality during distribution.
Real-life testing inside the laboratory
Introduction
The reliable transport of goods forms an essential part of today’s economy.
Dynamic and static loads during transport can reduce the protective properties
of a packaging and can lead to loss of or damage to a product: Fruits and
vegetables are bruised and their shelf life decreases, food products like eggs
and biscuits can break, and vulnerable hi-tech electronics appear to be
malfunctioning after transport. Hence, knowledge about transport-specific loads
must find its way into the design of a product and the sizing of its packaging
Climatic factors
It is well known that besides transport loads climate conditions will have a
direct influence on the shipped product and the packaging performance. The loss
of strength of corrugated containers, for example, can be up to 50% at high and
non-steady relative humidity levels. Thus, climate conditions should be
incorporated when studying distribution processes.
Chain approach
Until now, the product quality during distribution is mostly tested by putting
samples in the actual distribution chain. This trial and error approach is far
from satisfactory since the exact moment when the damage occurred as well as the
influence of mechanical vibrations, static load and humidity which lead to the
damage remain unknown. To avoid damage to your product during transport and to
improve the protective performance of your packaging, it is therefore necessary
to gain detailed insight into the conditions during transport. EC-Pack offers
excellent test facilities to monitor and simulate your distribution process,
which will (a) enable you to predict whether damage will occur and (b) help you
to optimise your packaging concepts.
EC-Pack's testing program starts by
studying the distribution chain. With a vibration environment recorder we are
able to measure all dynamic loads, temperatures and relative humidities during
distribution. These data can be used as an input for the real-life testing
program in the laboratory.
Real-life testing by
EC-Pack
Using measured data or standard data dynamic and static tests can be performed.
Our Lansmont transport simulator can be loaded up to 1800 kg. This load can be
displaced vertically with a frequency between 0 and 300 Hz and a maximum
displacement of 63 mm. The transport simulator is placed in a climate room where
the temperature and relative humidity can be varied between 0°C and 30°C and
30% and 100% R.H. For (long-term) static loads several climate control rooms are
available (with a content up to 600 m3) in order to measure the
static performance as a function of time and temperature.
Hence,EC-Pack can simulate all relevant
dynamic and static transport loads in the relevant climate conditions and is
therefore able to monitor the product quality during distribution.
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