Thermal and Climatic Package Testing

Pira operates a range of climatic and environmental test chambers for cold chain testing of thermal packaging and to simulate the range of global shipping enviorments for general packaging applications. Example projects are shown below.

Climatic testing facilities include:

• -70°C to +150°C
• Walk-in pallet scale chamber and storage
• Elevated temperature testing, cold or sub-zero testing and elevated humidity testing
• Many bench-top and floor standing cabinets
• Calibrated data capture systems with over 50 individual monitoring points within packs or palletised loads
• Static, cyclic and automated/programmable test chambers including pallet scale.

In the US Pira is developing its systems and training in preparation for accreditation to ISTA 7E (Standardizing the Establishment of Insulated Shipping Container Performance). Pira's UK lab holds accreditation to ISO 17025, including accreditation for thermal testing procedures and standards.

Thermal Package Testing for Cold Chain

As well as evaluating the physical performance of packaged products, Pira's distribution test facilities are regularly used to undertake insulated shipping container testing or thermal package testing for the cold chain industry. This is commonly undertaken for cold chain pharmaceuticals as part of validation for transportation of temperature sensitive products (TSPs). Pira's combination of mechanical and thermal testing capabilities and experience provides an invaluable, independent resource for users of temperature controlled packaging.

In recent years Pira has supported numerous brand owners with thermal qualification of temperature sensitive product packaging applications including medicines, blood samples and fractions, vaccines and inoculants, and other clinical trials materials. Pira's testing has covered both passive and active cooling systems for the temperature-sensitive mediscience industries.

Climatic Testing of Packaged Products

With more and more products being shipped through longer and extended global supply chains, and with products being shipped through adverse climatic conditions, thermal or climatic testing is a crucial part of ensuring a packaged product is ready for launch on to the market.

For most packaging materials, elevated temperature and elevated humidity are significant factors in deciding material weights and packaging specifications. Much of the pre-shipment testing and packge testing undertaken by Pira involves some form of climatic testing as part of the test procedure.

For paper based packaging, increased relative humidity means increased moisture content within the packaging material, and this normally causes a reduction in performance. For the corrugated container industry, elevated humidity is one of the most significant factors in determining board type and grade for a particular application. For plastic packaging, elevated temperature causes 'creep', the slow deflection of the container while under top-load. Creep damage can introduce instability in a pallet, which can cause damage during road shipment or even collapse of pallets in the warehouse during storage.

Pira regularly undertakes climatic testing on packaging and products for the food sector, for the health and personal care sector, for industrial goods, electronics products and for household goods including detergents, as well as luxury products.

Examples of Thermal and Climatic Testing Projects Undertaken

• Validation of thermal and mechanical performance of pharmaceutical packs (for maintaining product temperature from 2 to 8°C)
• Comparison study between multiple insulation materials for thermal packaging, focusing on thermal protection during cold chain shipments
• Assessment of the performance of cushioned packs for fine art paintings (covering protection from ambient temperature fluctuations and protection from shocks and impacts during distribution)
• Elevated humidty assessments of light weight corrugated packaging solutions for extended supply chain shipments from Europe to the Far East
• Feasibility study focusing on the effects of temperature exposures on PLA corn based plastics.