New buffer packaging

The famous computer manufacturer IBM has successfully used cushioning materials to package printers. It also has the advantages of cost savings and environmental protection. With the development of the IBM 4772 new bank printer, the company urgently needed a newer packaging system. Prior to the same specifications, the packaging used by the printers used foam cushions and corrugated components to form a bulky, loose packaging that provided insufficient shock protection during transportation. IBM Packaging Engineers wanted an environmentally friendly approach with the goal of abandoning the use of hybrid packaging (foam and corrugated packaging) to provide a more consistent and uniform protection for the product, using easily recycled materials, and reducing overall processing costs.

For this reason, IBM chose a product called Corrupads. The product is a corrugated liner made from 100% waste paper. Multi-layered materials absorb impact forces and minimize the resilience normally present in resilient foam materials, thereby reducing the degree of vibration experienced by the printer during storage and transportation.

In IBM's packaging product testing, this new gasket surpassed the IBM test specification. The average weight of the printer is 32 pounds, requiring a drop test from the 30-inch drop height to the 8 sides (1 key angle, 1 key edge). At the same time, each axis of the product also undergoes 2-200Hz sinusoidal sweep vibration to determine the resonance point. Then, each resonance point stays in the three axes for 15 minutes each. Finally, the packaged products each received a high degree of safety random vibration of 1.04 G rms in three axes. After these tests, it was proved that the function and appearance of the product meet the requirements.

With Corrupads products, molds necessary for the production of expanded polystyrene parts are no longer needed, so the cost can be directly reduced by more than $20,000. Smaller packaging produces the same cushioning effect as polystyrene or polyethylene foam, so the overall package size can be reduced. This also reduces shipping costs by 10%, reduces storage space by 25%, and maximizes pallet load.