Analysis of Packing Materials Jim Fung, Aaron Marroquin, Matt Vaillancourt Engineering 45, Materials Science December 1, 2004 Dr. Younes Ataiiyan

Types of Materials Analyzed  Wadded newspaper.  Bubble wrapping sheets  Styrofoam packing peanuts.  Biodegradable packing peanuts.

Newspaper  Pros - Extremely cheap; many people use newspaper for packaging because of its availability.  Cons - leaves ink residue, poor protection.

Bubble Wrap  Made by layering polyethylene over a large metal plate with wells. Suction pulls the plastic into the wells and another layer is added over the top to trap the air.  Used to package smaller items like CDs.  Relatively expensive to manufacture and purchase.  Good to use for electronics because the plastic can be anti-static to protect the device.

Styrofoam  Made of polystyrene; melted down and has chemicals like hexane dissolved into it and is then extruded and allowed to cool in a reduced pressure atmosphere.  Used in industry to for protecting goods during shipment and is also being used for insulation in houses.  Cheap to buy, easy to shape, good vibration dampening.  Cons - environmentally unsafe (not recyclable); some cities do not allow restaurants to use styrofoam for fear of contaminating food.

Biodegradable Styrofoam  Similar process to making Styrofoam but uses polyvinylalcohol.  Is now used by “environmentally friendly” companies to make consumers feel good.  Environmentally safe; biodegradable.  More expensive than Styrofoam, dissolves in water (rain on boxes can reduce the effectiveness of your packaging)

Apparatus

Spaghetti Graph

Which Type Failed?

Which type to use?  Cheapskate: Newspaper  High Impact: Styrofoam  Durability: Biodegradable for larger items; bubble wrap for smaller items