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#4-2005 evolution.skf.com EVOLUTION 21

>>21 24 28BOXING CLEVER

How SKF put design into

packaging.

LOWER FREIGHT COSTS

New developments in axlebox

design.

technology

PACKAGING SOLUTIONS

BENEFIT FROM SOPHISTICATED

DESIGN APPROACH

Following a review of its packaging for larger bearings,SKF decided to embark upon the development of an

improved design that would meet demands for

robustness, safety and recycling and that would reflect

the high quality of the contents.

By Anders Sahlgren, manager Process Development Support, Industrial Division,

SKF Sverige AB, Gothenburg, Sweden.

DEEP AND COOL

Catering for oil lubrication in

bearing housings.

Both customers and SKF staffwere

involved in the consultation process and

first evaluations of a new packaging

solution, the SKF ProofBox, which took

place in Sweden in mid 2000. The design

team developed a set of broad criteria for

the new packaging that covered safety,

environment, product protection,handling, production and branding.

From a user point of view the new

packaging needed to enable safe handling

with minimal risk of injury to those

handling the package or damage to the

contents. Environmental friendliness and

the ability to recycle and dispose of the

packaging safely was another user require-

ment, as well as tamper detection to

identify if the package had been opened.

To protect its contents, the packaging

needed to be robust and to keep bearing

rollers in place to avoid damage fromvibration during transport. It needed to seal

securely and not include any packing

material that might pollute the bearing with

loose particles. It also had to allow the

bearing to be transported ready for use,

and thus not be wrapped in plastic or

oilpaper. And the packaging had to meet

SKF rust protection demands and stand up

to air transport in a non-pressurized cabin.

The design needed to take into account

movement and storage, including the ability

to transport the package using a forklift

truck, to load it efficiently on a half pallet,

and to stack packages both symmetricallyand asymmetrically. It had to be possible for

the bearing to be safely lifted out of the

packaging by using, for example, a lifting

strap.

Production demands were equally

strict, with the goal of mass manufacturing

series of more than 100,000 per year on

automated production lines. The empty

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technology

of material turned out to be transparent

polypropylene. The material is easy to

inject and is impact-resistant, environ-

mentally friendly and relatively cheap.

Injection moulding is rational and cost-

effective and well suited to mass produc-

tion of this type of product.Through computer modelling, using a

bearing as a template, it was possible to work

out the best packing solution. In addition to

the practical issues, the design needed to

reflect SKFs image and core values. Ideally,

the packaging needed to be as close to the

size of the bearing as possible. Transporting

air is an unnecessary cost, although

approximately 15 mm of air around the

bearing is necessary to provide space for

deformation zones.

Two different appearances were

developed: a circular shape and a squareshape. The most natural shape for a bearing

The features of the new packaging include straps, and a tape that keeps the packaging sealed and indicates whether

someone has opened it. Loose inserts make it possible to handle several bearing sizes with a single shell.

packaging had to be stackable, able to

accommodate some 45 different bearing

sizes in the weight range of 30 to 96 kg and

not create additional waste problems within

the factory.

Finally, the packaging needed to support

SKF branding by reinforcing the groupimage. It needed to create a clear visual

identity of the content and be difficult for

competitors to copy.

The first model was produced on a scale of

1:1 in laser-hardened acrylic plastic. The

model showed clearly the need for a design

to achieve the desired image and the

problems involved in producing packaging

that would be able to accommodate a

number of different bearing sizes. The

packaging principle that satisfied all the

demands presented was a hard, injection-moulded protective shell. The best choice

is a circular packaging, although there w

great deal in favour of square packaging,

such as labelling, closing, etc. Industrial

design is a balance between creativity an

limitations imposed by the requirement

the packaging system.

The packaging was divided into twohalves and joined horizontally using tape

The tape had two purposes: to keep th

packaging sealed and to indicate whethe

someone had opened the packaging. The

labelling was large and clear, to make it e

to read but also to keep the two halves of

packaging together.

Apart from the SKF team, GEJI Indust

AB, a plastics manufacturer, MBS-Plas

a supplier of raw materials for plastics, a

an industrial designer were involved in t

project.The packaging needed to be able to

accommodate around 45 different beari

sizes in the SKF Explorer class, with a

variation in outside diameter of 270 to

420 mm and weights of between 30 and

96 kg. The original idea was to solve this

using different inner shapes for the

packaging. This could be done but requi

the addition of loose inserts to the main

tool. Each bearing size would have its ow

unique packaging.

The problem was to find a package th

could cope with 45 different bearing siz

without the tool costs being excessive. Tsolution was an outer shell with loose ins

that were unique and that gripped the

different bearing sizes. The idea of loose

inserts was based on the fact that it is

cheaper to produce smaller plastic tools

than to produce large, costly ones. It is al

cheaper to injection-mould small parts w

shorter work cycles and at lower pressur

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#4-2005 evolution.skf.com EVOLUTION 23

make it even more difficult for an unau-

thorized person to open the packaging, the

product labels were placed across the tape.

To make sure that the packaging could not

be opened unintentionally, four straps

were placed crosswise around the packag-

ing.With the new packaging it was envisaged

that a packaging line with robots could be

introduced. When samples became avail-

able, it was possible to prepare production

for the introduction of the new packaging.

Before the SKF ProofBox was launched, an

intensive test programme was initiated:

1Rust protection in climate chamber.

1Transportation tests (truck, train, boat and

aeroplane).

1Loading tests.

1

ASTM handling tests by externalpackaging and transportation institute.

A comprehensive life-cycle assessment

was also made by an external packaging

and transportation institute to safeguard

environmental friendliness.

than larger parts. The plastics manufacturer

could use smaller injection-moulding

machines and reduce the manufacturing

cost. The inserts could be designed as a thin

supporting skeleton, with minimum

requirements with regard to finish, and at

the same time low-cost tools could be used.Handling all bearing sizes with a single

shell, however, did not prove to be practical.

By creating three different outer shell sizes,

all size variants could be handled and good

economy could be retained. In the develop-

ment process, the focus was on a packaging

for bearings in the size range of 270 to

340 mm. If the solution functioned in

practice, it would be simple to scale up to a

larger packaging shell using larger inserts

and, in doing so, handle larger bearings.

The evaluation of loose inserts proved

that the idea was viable. The work thatensued was to see if all the demands in the

specification could be met.

One important demand was stacking,

with the requirement of being able to stack

to a height of three packages placed with a

base of four on a half pallet. When stacked,

these could be secured with a strap. The

solution for stacking was the creation of an

indentation in the top half of the package

that fitted into the feet on the bottom half.

In doing so, the packaging on top was

prevented from sliding off. During the

evaluation it was shown that the idea was

functional.

The packaging needed to clearly show

whether someone had opened it, and it had

to be difficult to re-seal. The solution was a

box divided horizontally into two halves in

the middle. These halves overlap and the

slit is sealed with tape. The tape cannot be

removed without it being destroyed. To

The SKF ProofBox has been in produc-

tion since mid 2002. An evaluation has also

been done with a box for large bearings up

to 250 kg. Currently more than 100,000

SKF ProofBoxes are handled per year on

three production lines. The box covers

bearings in the size range of 270 to 420 mmoutside diameter. Forty-five inserts cover

the different bearing sizes.

The project has been very successful.

A survey showed that SKFs customers

are very positive about the new packing

system.

The success of the SKF ProofBox can be

attributed to the fact that SKF set up a

project group at an early stage and brought

in expertise from different sectors, adding

creativity to the process. SKF invested in

tools to test whether the packaging idea

functioned in reality. With the aid of thesample packaging, all the weaknesses could

be traced and rectified before costly

investments were made.

The SKF ProofBox is design protected

in most industrial countries.

SUMMARYA box may seem a simple and logical way of packing products such as bear ings, but when SKF

needed a new packaging design for its SKF Explorer spherical roller bearings, it decided to go

back to basics. It assembled a project team to identify what the requir ements were for the

design of a new packaging solution that could be used to pack a large number of bearing sizes ,

that could be used for automated packing and facilitated handling, that was environmentally

responsible and protected the contents and those handling the boxes and that had labelling

that supported SKFs strong brand values.

The project was a learning curve for all concerned, with testing and refinement until a

packaging solution was arrived at that could meet SKFs strict criteria. The result has been

the successful introduction of the SKF ProofB ox, which can be used to pack and ship 45

different bearing sizes on automated packing lines.