DS-SEP23-PG54_Layout 1 08/09/2023 13:35 Page 1
FEATURE
PRINTING & PACKAGING
Putting Packaging to the test Marcus Sampson,
business line manager for Transport at
TÜV SÜD, examines how environmental testing can improve the
distribution chain and brand loyalty
W
ith purchases increasingly made via the Internet, never before has product packaging – and its successful delivery
through the distribution chain – played such an important role in brand loyalty. Testing packaging efficiency to ensure it can protect the product in the distribution supply chain is therefore vital. Many manufacturers make the mistake of
thinking that ensuring products comply with mandatory tests set out in product standards is enough. However, for many products there are no specified environmental test requirements. Where environmental testing is specified, it often only addresses the operational environment. The threats of the distribution environment are not considered, which is often the most severe environment that the product will encounter.
the right aPProach
So how do you approach environmental testing in the distribution environment? Firstly, you must consider the environments that the product will experience – from being packaged to its final delivery destination. For example, this could include: • Bulk transport • Machine handling • Vibration and shock during transportation (road, rail, air, sea)
• Transportation climatic environment (temperature, humidity, pressure)
• Storage (temperature, humidity, pressure, compression)
• Packages being dropped during handling • Repacking for final dispatch Once a product stops being part of a bulk
consignment, there are a wide variety of transport options that come into play. Vibration, bounce and shock are always experienced during transportation, with the severity varying according to the vehicle used. Similarly, the climatic environment may have extreme temperatures, often combined with humidity and pressure. Even if the product was transported with care, there is always the risk that it might be accidently dropped. If you know the limits of the environmental
threat in the distribution environment and you understand how robust your product is, you can procure packaging that will protect your product. Packaging robustness can be assessed by conducting a fragility assessment. The results can be compared with the known threats in the distribution environment, and the difference between the two being the protection level required.
what do the tests involve?
Temperature and humidity Packages are subjected to controlled conditions of temperature and humidity to establish a baseline condition for subsequent tests. More severe environments are applied to simulate temperature and humidity conditions experienced in the distribution environment.
Compression This simulates the load applied by a stack of packages in storage. Compression tests may be performed fairly simply by the application of weights via a spreader. Where the load is high, the test is more safely performed using a bespoke compression machine. Deformation of the package to an extent
where the product inside starts to support the load would be considered a failure, as would asymmetric deformation which could cause a stack above to topple.
Vibration testing packaging 5 DESIGN SOLUTIONS SEPTEMBER 2023 4
Vibration and bounce Most commonly the final stages of mechanical distribution occur in vehicles, when loosely constrained packages experience bounce conditions and receive a large number of minor impacts to the base and the sides. When secured within the
vehicle bounce is eliminated, but vehicle vibration is transmitted into the package. To ensure test repeatability, bounce tests are
performed on a test apparatus, while vibration is applied to both loosely constrained and secured packages. Both tests can be performed with top loads applied to the packages to simulate transportation of a stack of packages.
Impact Side impact tests are performed to replicate lateral loads which would occur during machine handling. Impacts caused when packages swing from cranes, and minor fork-lift truck impacts, are simulated using a side impact machine. Impacts up to 5mph are produced by running the package down an inclined plane into a well- supported target faced with wooden planks.
Drop Any handling of packages either by hand or machine will occasionally result in the package being dropped. Precision drop test machines are often used to perform the test, although other test facilities may be necessary where the package is particularly large.
Packaging’s wider imPact
At first the connection between environmental testing and brand loyalty is not immediately obvious, but the two key drivers of brand loyalty, service and product quality can both be beneficially influenced by testing. When cultivating brand loyalty, it is easy to focus on product quality and concentrate efforts on producing an exceptional product, but if the product is damaged in transit this quality may never be realised by the purchaser. Packaging that is effective enough to survive
the rigours of an often poorly monitored and hazardous distribution environment has become an essential part of the service provided by the manufacturer. Relatively simple testing will provide the confidence that the packaging is effective, and that the product will arrive securely at its destination ready to exhibit those qualities that produce brand loyalty.
TÜV SÜD
www.tuvsud.com/uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126
