Parcel - August 2008 - (Page 18) trends SUSTAIN BOTH TEMPERATURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT New types of packaging make it possible By Eric Lindquist magine preparing a shipment of your company’s latest clinical trial. It’s traveling from your headquarters in Boston to a research facility in Dubai — in August — and needs to be kept at 14˚ C. Any deviation from this temperature means you risk losing thousands of dollars in product and R&D time. So, you tape up the box and cross your fingers. This kind of shipment doesn’t have to induce fear or stress. It’s simply a matter of choosing the right packaging solution for your cold chain, with an emphasis on a cooling method, or phase change material (PCM). In addition to factors like price and payload protection, it’s becoming increasingly important to consider what kind of impact your packaging solution and PCM will have on the environment. Some PCMs leave a minimal carbon footprint, while others may be around for generations to come. How It Works: Technically, every object on the earth is a phase change material. Add heat to a solid, it becomes a liquid. Add heat to a liquid, and it becomes a gas. Adding heat to a gas produces plasma (such as lightning). Even rocks, with enough applied heat, turn into liquid — what we know as lava. A phase change material in the packaging industry is defined as an organic or inorganic substance that acts as your payload’s heating or cooling agent. As your payload’s temperature increases or decreases (depending on several factors, from ambi18 August 2008 ent external temperature to the type of insulation you use), your PCM works to maintain a stable, consistent temperature for the duration of its trip. Choosing The Right PCM: There are several commonly used phase change materials within the shipping industry, and each comes with its own benefits and drawbacks. It also should be noted that no PCM alone is effective in maintaining temperature, as they typically come as part of an entire packaging system. As the key temperature regulator for packaging systems, however, it’s important to choose your PCM carefully. Here are five simple categories to keep in mind when evaluating PCMs: 1) Payload protection temperature range. If your sensitive clinical trial needs to be kept at 14˚ C, with acceptable excursions ranging from 11˚ C to 17˚ C, can you be sure your PCM will maintain that narrow temperature range? 2) Time durations. Will your packaging solution maintain a consistent temperature for 24-48 hours? Or with a package going to Dubai, are you safe up to 120 hours? 3) Ease of use. Does your packaging solution provide sufficient room for and protection of your payload for the duration of the trip? For instance, using dry ice as a PCM may be effective for materials that need to be kept frozen (below -18˚ C). Once the ice sublimates, however, there’s now room for the payload to move around and possibly become damaged. 4) Expense. Price alone shouldn’t dictate your choice in packaging solution or PCM — a more expensive option may be the best suited for your shipping needs. Reusable solutions also may apwww.PARCELindustry.com I http://www.PARCELindustry.com
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