Packaging for extreme environments is another realm that not everyone thinks about. Military, extreme sports, even aerospace all have packaging that needs to be factored into these extreme worlds.
The main focus is designing a packaging that will withstand the extreme temperatures, mechanical stress, and also pressure so that the items don’t break down, or worse explode as in the case of rockets.
When you are building this level of packaging, you have to be careful and know exactly how things will react, so do your research before designing this, and also look at the current environment you’ll be shipping these too.
The Materials Matter
With this, you don’t want to use just flimsy paper, or even anything that’s flammable really. It also isn’t good to use bioplastics or sustainable packaging for items that are this risky.
What you want is plastic that’s strong, such as reinforced or high-performance plastics. These are made to withstand the extreme fluctuations of temperature and characteristics.
Metal is another. This is especially important for goods that have to deal with extreme heat, or maybe pressure. If the item is also highly flammable, being in a metal receptacle could prevent it from igniting, and thereby creating trouble.
Composite layers are a third material. This is a layer of plastic and metal put together. This combination of this is ideal for items that are really volatile, especially rockets and artillery items.
Overall, you want items that can be protected in these harsh environments, so that it doesn’t cause injury to the person shipping it, or others.
Testing the Packaging
You need to test the packaging too. with extreme environment packaging, never skimp out on this step.
Testing for water is good, because some chemical reactors break down when there’s water, so it might be good to test it. Rust is another common one with metals, as in the case of artillery, so make sure you use that.
UV radiation is another. UV damage is a common issue with packaging, and for those volatile packages, it may reduce or increase the effectiveness of what’s inside. In that case, you need to make sure that you test for this.
Impact is another, because some items, on impact, might reach it or explode. Using packaging that tests for this is good.
Finally, temperatures. Extreme heat and cold can cause reactions to the packaging, so when you test for this, make sure it won’t break down if it gets sent to Antarctica, or gets sent to the equator in the heat of summer.
The Challenges and Benefits
Extreme environment packaging makes sure that the safety of the product and its integrity is paramount. With so many environments that can cause these items to break down, even the smallest of changes may cause a reaction.
Think about it. if you drop something like a volatile bomb too hard, you’re risking the lives of those who are handling it. with this packaging, you can prevent casualties, and also ensure that the packaging is good for the items at hand.
The biggest challenge is the complexity and costs of this, so that you can make packaging that’s durable, and works well.
You want to make sure that if you’re doing this, you test all of them, and optimize the packaging for these conditions. With new additives to one’s packaging being placed every single day, it’s important that you factor in all of these.
Extreme environments are common, and if you work with items that are shipped to these environments, it’s in your best interests to make sure that they’re properly taken care of.
