Design and Production of Damage-Resistant Tray Pack Containers

摘要

The tray pack is a food container that serves the functions of food storage vessel; food heating vessel; and food serving vessel. The lid is drawn from 90-pound per base box (0.010-inch-thick) steel. The bottom or can is drawn from 90-pound per base box (0.010-inch-thick) steel. Both top and bottom have a polymeric inner linear and an outer organic coating. The cause of tray pack damage were determined to be: prestressing caused by vacuum packing and underfilling; hydrodynamic forces induced by relative fluid motion within the tray pack at the moment of impact during dropping; and denting of the thin tray body material. The inability of the tray pack shipping container to withstand stacking loads was determine to be cuased by poor tolerances of the shipping containers and denting of separation pads by the tray lid sealing seam. Test results show that damage can be prevented by avoiding vacuum packing making the tray packs from 98-pound material, using a tray pack design employing reinforcing beads, using pads that nest within the sealing seam of the tray pack, and packing the tray packs so that the lids of the bottom two face down and top two face up. Test results also show that unit loads of tray packs can be stacked four high by using a properly dimensioned telescoping shipping container, the nesting pads and the two-up, two-down packing technique. Keywords: Packaging; Loading(Handling).