Shock Packaging: The Secret to Data Center Protection

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You&#;ve thoroughly analyzed the business need, created a design and gotten budget to build or refresh your data center. To speed deployment, you take advantage of new converged infrastructure solutions and fully populated IT cabinets. The company is anxious to reap the benefits that new capacity will deliver. Hopefully, you knew the secret to data center protection and have safeguarded your costly equipment in transit. Here&#;s why.

Imagine it&#;s delivery day; teams are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the pallet. But when the truck backs up to the loading dock and the door lifts, a big pit forms in your stomach. One of the cabinet boxes is on its side. Upon opening, you discover a bent frame and beat up IT equipment.

The IT integrator will likely make good for the damage, but there&#;s no getting back lost time, and your data center project will perpetually be behind. The speed you could have gained from choosing convergence now leaves you at a loss.

Shock Packaging
I&#;ve seen such a loss before, and it basically renders millions of dollars of IT equipment to scrap. On the other hand, I&#;ve also seen companies successfully move existing data center equipment with the right protection &#; packed up properly and shipped across a number of states.

What&#;s the secret to avoiding the bent and broken scenario? In the new hyper-converged world of data centers, shock packaging is a must. That&#;s where the NetShelter SX with Shock Packaging comes in. Recently enhanced, the upgrades address global market trends and the shipping concerns many integrators and providers have brought to our attention.

A typical wooden crate transmits vibrations into (and through) the cabinet during shipment &#; similar to the reverberation of a tuning fork. Every bump in the road creates risk of transferring the impact directly to the equipment en route.

The Secret is Out
NetShelter SX cabinets provide an impact resistant shell of foam padding and doubled-up cardboard wrap, a built-in ramp for safe removal and a multi-layered pallet that absorbs impact and vibrations.

Additional mounting rail fasteners, cabinet elevation brackets and heavy duty casters support the load &#;up to pounds &#; while fixed rear-casters help to guide the cabinet down the ramp during removal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58n_1-AIBZ8&feature=youtu.be

Protecting your IT investment and data center infrastructure starts even before the equipment arrives; time and money can easily be saved working with an expert integrator that understands the importance of shock packaging. Make sure when the equipment shows up, it&#;s operational.

With all the things that can go wrong in a data center deployment, preventing simple shipping accidents can be one of the easiest disasters to avoid.

The choice of protective packaging can make a crucial difference for companies looking to optimize their costs and achieve a more sustainable supply chain. Despite their bad reputation, some expandable plastics are actually sustainable options while providing great performance in terms of protection and supply chain benefits. We analyze the benefits of expandable polystyrene and expandable polypropylene and how companies can make sure they choose the right type of expandable plastics.

What are expandable plastics?

Expandable plastics are a type of plastic resin composed of 98% air. EPS beads contain an expansion agent called pentane. When this agent is heated by steam it increases its volume generating air cells inside.

For instance, some expandable polystyrene and expandable polypropylene solutions are made of up to 98% air and 2% matter. 

Expandable plastics are given multiple uses (from protective packaging to industrial parts and consumer goods) because of their many benefits: a low cost, easy manufacturing processes, and great protective properties are among the main advantages of these materials, which we look into more carefully further down this article. 

You might also be interested in: What is environmentally friendly packaging?

Types of expandable plastics 

• Polyurethane

  (PUR): mainly used as a cushioning and insulation material in the packaging sector, it&#;s a lightweight and durable product. 

• Expanded polystyrene

  (EPS): some common packaging solutions made of EPS include those for the food sector as well as protective packaging for industrial parts. 

• Expanded Polypropylene

  (EPP): presenting similar characteristics as EPS, EPP includes the additional benefit of being included in reusable packaging solutions, due to its high durability.

Which expandable plastics are commonly used in protective packaging 

Both EPP and EPS present outstanding advantages when incorporated into protective packaging solutions. Made of 98% air and only 2% plastic matter, their benefits include:

• Outstanding energy absorption

• Great shock resistance

• Exceptional thermal insulation capabilities

• Water and chemical resistance

• High strength to weight ratio 

• 100% recyclable and a low carbon footprint during their production process

• Lightweights

  
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• Flexible and versatile, it can be incorporated to generate protective packaging solutions that are easy to stack and handle 

Benefits of using expandable plastics in packaging

1. Improve your logistic processes 

Packaging solutions made of expandable plastics such as EPS and EPP represent the right choice for companies looking to enhance their logistic processes. There are multiple reasons for this:

• Their protective capabilities

  minimize damage

  to transported goods and the consequent costly returns from end clients. This includes protection from transport risks (shocks, vibrations&#;) as well as storage (for instance, providing thermal insulation).

• They help

  optimize transport space

  and weight, reducing extra spending on transport and storage. 

• The possibility to easily generate customized, ergonomic solutions means this type of packaging is also

  easy to manipulate

  (both manually or automatically), which in turn eliminates damaged goods and facilitates manipulation during the distribution cycle. Transportation mode shifting is sped up 

• Their

  lightweightness

  guarantees energy consumption is optimized, thus also reducing costs related to transportation fuel.

2. Reduce production costs 

Expandable plastics can be made by joining different pieces together, which saves production needs and consequently translates into minimized costs. 

3. Durable solutions

Both expandable polystyrene and expandable polypropylene represent long-lasting, resistant, and solid materials, which means companies can rest assured the best protection is provided for their packaged goods. 

This is especially true for EPP, which can be incorporated into reusable packaging solutions.

Take care of the environment thanks to recyclable expandable plastics

Despite the recent bad reputation surrounding plastics, some expandable plastics such as expandable polystyrene and expandable polypropylene provide a series of sustainable benefits when incorporated into protective packaging. 

In fact, when analyzing these materials from a whole life-cycle perspective, the following sustainability advantages stand out:

• They

  don&#;t contain pollutants and dangerous chemicals

  such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC).

• When the right systems are put in action, both EPS and EPP are homogenous plastic materials and, as such,

  100% recyclable.

  For instance, at

  Knauf Appliances

  we&#;ve set up our own collection and recycling schemes via our

  Knauf Circular

  program. This system guarantees the recycling of your EPS waste and its recovery into new products.

You might also be interested in: Mono-material packaging, why is it more sustainable?

At the same time, at Knauf Appliances we&#;ve reinforced our commitment towards helping brands fulfill their sustainability goals. This means we incorporate eco-design into our packaging design projects, optimizing our processes so that they are the most sustainable.

Additionally, we are part of an energy recovery project, where we use combustible packaging waste as a means of generating energy. This way, we give a new life to plastic materials after their packaging purposes are fulfilled, and turn them into new energy, all following current European legislation around packaging waste (Law 92-646 of 13/07/92).

All in all, we work to guarantee companies can have access to protective packaging solutions that are both efficient and sustainable, significantly enhancing their logistics and branding. 

Want to learn more about expandable plastics and their role to generate optimized packaging solutions? Download our free Technical manual about expanded foam in the industry and discover how your business can incorporate expanded foam and start enjoying its benefits

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