Atmospheric Pre-Conditioning – Lecture 1A – Packing Material Production and Presentation
The importance and performance of packaging products and how they protect and ensure quality delivery of an ordered product.
The ISTA (International Safe Transit Association) has through it many years of field expertise and experience has through its wisdom developed a series of detailed tests and evaluations in regards to the direct performance of packaging products. The ISTA series can be separated into three distinct and equally relevant categories.
The below is a summary of the systems used and why such systems are critical to packaging success.
The details below were taken from the ISTA’S website.
ISTA 1A
Non- Direct Simulation Integrity Performance Tests. To challenge the hardness and durability of the product and package combination. Not designed to simulate environmental occurrences. Useful as screening tests, particularly when used as a consistent benchmark over time.
ISTA 2A
Partial Simulation Performance Tests. Tests with at least one element of a 3 Series type General Simulation performance test, such as atmospheric conditioning or mode-shaped random vibration, in addition to basic elements of a 1 Series type Non-Simulation Integrity test.
ISTA 3A
General Simulation Performance Tests. Designed to provide a laboratory simulation of the damage-producing motions, forces, conditions, and sequences of transport environments. Applicable across broad sets of circumstances, such as a variety of vehicle types and routes, or a varying number of handling exposures. Characteristics will include simple shaped random vibration, different drop heights applied to the sample package, and/or atmospheric conditioning such as tropical wet or winter/frozen.
There can be no mistake with regards to the importance of these tests. The very nature of the understanding to basic science can be traced to the importation of specimen objects that have been used in medicine and in basic scientific research. The oversight of the packaging material is of the upmost importance in the regulation of scientific values and integrity.
If it is questioned, the nature of the shipping material, entire reams of scientific discovery and documents must also be questioned. If there is contamination of a base sample through leaching of shipping material into the scientific specimen then the enquiry of fact must also be thoroughly examined
Further,
Documentation regarding the shipping regulations and the structure of shipment will be examined further through the next few months.
The basics of science must not be construed by the ineptitude of industry in relation to scientific advancements that have been had and what will be had.