[R-390] Insta-Foam

[2002tii]

Bob wrote:

>UPS does the "Insta-Foam".  However, you need to either watch them
>do the job, OR, have experience with the "specific" location.  DON'T pay
>them to pack items and then leave it with them to do!
>
>I did that ONE time!  I paid for "Foam in place".  They did it for the
>BOTTOM of the box ONLY!  Then stuffed the top with foam peanuts!

Was this a "UPS Store," or a real UPS shipping depot?  I don't know 
if UPS depots do packing, but if they do, I'd expect them to get it 
right.  "UPS Stores" are just the US outlets of Mail Boxes Etc., 
which UPS bought about 10 years ago.  They generally have nobody 
knowledgeable about packing, and you leave items with them for 
packing at your peril.  (I'm sure there are UPS Stores operated by 
consciencious folks who know what they are doing, but I haven't been 
lucky enough to find one.  The ones I've been in have bored 
high-school kids doing the packing.)

>I'd rather purchase the materials, and do it MYSELF!

Indeed!

The links that George provided to the Instapak Quick RT data look 
very promising (Thank you, George!).  The shipping department at my 
old company often used the Instapak "foam in place" system 
(http://www.sealedairprotects.com/NA/EN/products/foam_packaging/foam-in-place.aspx), 
and as I recall there was a bit of an art with heavy items -- if you 
put them in too early, they would crush the expanding foam so the 
bottom foam would end up too thin.  The packers would sometimes 
suspend heavy items where they wanted them in the box, over the 
expanding bottom foam, and wait for it to fully expand and cure (the 
item being packed sat on wooden dowels of the correct height, which 
they then removed by opening the bottom box flaps).  Some such 
arrangement may be necessary for things like 390s.

Note that there is Instapak Quick RT (RT = "room temperature") and 
Instapak Quick Tuff RT -- the latter is for greater loading (heavier 
smaller items).  The chart at 
(http://www.sealedairprotects.com/NA/EN/products/foam_packaging/instapak-quick_calc.aspx#chart), 
extrapolated to the 390's weight and dimension, appears to indicate 
that the "Tuff" version is not required -- but careful thought should 
probably be given to this, and it may be best to try both.

One last comment on foam-in-place and foam-in-bag packing:  It's 
great, but you still shouldn't let the packing touch the delicate 
parts (front panel controls, meters, etc.) because you don't want any 
shock loads transferred to them.  Therefore, you should use "stress 
re-directors" made of something like construction styrofoam (as 
discussed in one of my previous messages) in addition to the foam.

Best regards,

Don