8 May
2008
8 May
'08
10:31 a.m.
Date: Thu, 08 May 2008 10:18:12 -0600
From: Richard
This isn't the first time someone has made a slam
on packing peanuts,
yet I've had plenty of things sent and recieved with peanuts and had
no problems. I think the key is to not just dump the peanuts into the
container, but to physically compress them into the box. The flaps of
the box should require some pressure to fully close around the item.
If done properly, peanuts will not leave a loose void for things to
wiggle around inside.
I'll use peanuts to make a "pillow", placing them inside a sealed
bag, but never for protecting big or heavy equipment. For that, I
use the sheet polystyrene insulation foam sold at home-improvement
stores.
Above all, I've found that if enough rigid foam is used to prevent
the item inside from moving, supporting it on all sides, it most
often makes it to its destination without the slightest bit of
damage, even through UPS ground.
All bets are off, however, if the box gets run over by a forklift, or
falls off the conveyor belt while the aircraft is being loaded. I've
seen both.
Obviously, if there's some loose item in the equipment that will flop
around with mechanical shock, it's better to secure it or remove it
for separate packaging. I'm not beyond unsoldering wires in order to
secure something for shipping if necessary. In my experience, floppy
drives, particularly 8" drives, are best shipped with a cardboard
insert in place of a diskette and the door mechanism secured with a
cable tie. A lot of older hard disks had shipping bolts that could be
installed to keep things from moving around with mechanical shock.
For the last mile, it pays to be on good terms with your regular
UPS/FedEx driver.
Cheers,
Chuck