Why Detail Matters #1

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How Small Changes Drive Big Impact – Offset Slots

In today’s landscape, where sustainability and cost-efficiency are absolutely paramount, it’s crucial to optimise your e-commerce packaging so you can remain competitive as an online retailer. This will become even more relevant with new regulations like PPWR looming in the not so distant future, requiring minimal use of materials and meaning the designing of high performance packaging has never been more important.

What could this mean for ISTA 6 Testing?

For e-commerce, especially when packs are loose-loaded for shipping, items can be placed in any orientation, meaning with corrugated, you only have a one in three chance of it using the flutes full strength. During ISTA 6 Amazon testing, various loads are applied to simulate real-world transit conditions and test the packaging’s strength in the length, width and depth. So, how can you improve this performance without additional costs or reducing sustainability?

Offset Slots in Regular Cases

I developed a new concept box that replicate a bunch of flowers by using angled creases within a basic 0201 structure, but it required a specific compression strength for stacking purposes, as it would be loose loaded during the final mile, this meant that the flutes could not always be in the vertical position.

(left) Shows how a traditional 8mm slot is placed in relationship to the folding crease, whilst (right) highlights where the end panel breaks under compression due to the horizontal flutes and no support from the internal flap

Testing

I took the first prototype samples to the laboratory for hands-on compression testing. I ran theses tests myself, so I could observe the process in detail, giving me insights beyond what any theoretical calculation could provide. I noticed two distinct break points in the results. The first initial failure was when the end panel broke at the very top where the slot was cut, this was then followed by the internal flaps taking on the remaining load before breaking.

This graphic shows an example of a FEFCO 0201 design being compression tested in the width

Small Shift with Big Results

By moving the slot just 4mm, the next test showed a smooth, single increase in compression strength, as the flaps and end panel worked together seamlessly, resisting the force applied as one. This minor adjustment led to a 20% increase in overall strength, enhancing both performance and sustainability, without any additional costs or material shipped to the customer.

Offsetting a standard 8mm slot can help support a single stage compression in the length or width, increasing compression strength
If you are die cutting the design, an offset slit can be even more beneficial, as it will provide a much tighter fit in both the length and width for increased compression all round

So what is the takeaway?

Whilst this one small change might not work for every e-commerce packaging solution, what it does, is highlight a number of things. Firstly, that sometimes the small details are worth sweating and can have a significant impact on performance, as well as sustainability. Secondly, all these small things add up. A tweak here and there transforms your innovation from good to great, optimising production, increasing performance and sustainability, whilst remaining cost-effective.

Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together

Vincent Van Gogh

About the author

By G4v1n

Hello… I am Gavin

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