Fracture Packaging Report

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1 Fracture Packaging Report PKG4008 Distribution and Transport Packaging April 20 th, 2016 Team Members Group 3 Charles Buckley Luis Chong Bryce Reeves Mary Regan Maxwell Sanders Lucy Toman

2 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION PG. 4 COMPANY S BACKGROUND AND GOALS PG. 4 JIG DESIGN IDEA PG. 4 TESTING METHODS PG. 6 TESTING RESULTS PG. 9 QUALITY MEASURE PG. 11 CONCLUSION PG. 14 REFERENCES PG. 15 APPENDICES PG QUALITY DATA FOR TIME TESTS PG TIME AND QUALITY MEASUREMENTS WITH AND WITHOUT JIG PG MEETING MINUTES PG FINALIZED INSTRUCTIONS FOR JIG USE PG. 21 List of Figures 1 TACO JIG DESIGN PG. 5 2 COUCH JIG DESIGN PG. 5 3 TACO JIG CAD DESIGN PG. 6 4 COUCH JIG CAD DESIGN PG. 7 5 INITIAL WORK AT SHOP PG. 8 6 WOOD USED PG. 8 7 FIRST JIG PROTOTYPE PG. 8 8 FOLDING TIMES FOR SMALL AND LARGE BOXES WITH DIFFERENT SCORING PG QUALITY OF TIME TRIALS USING 7MM AS THE PERFECT EDGE FOLD PG TIME TRIALS OF LUCY FOLDING THE MEDIUM SIZE BOXES PG. 11 2

3 11 QUALITY MEASUREMENTS FROM LUCY FOLDING MEDIUM SIZE BOXES WITH/WITHOUT JIG PG PICTURE OF QUALITY WITH THE JIG PG EXAMPLE OF SLOPING ON SIDES OF BOXES PG EXAMPLE OF SLOPING ON SIDES OF BOXES PG BRYCE MAKING ADJUSTMENTS TO THE FIRST DESIGN PG. 13 List of Tables 1 TIME TRIALS FOR DIFFERENT FOLDING PATTERNS PG. 9 3

4 Introduction COMPANY S BACKGROUND AND GOALS Fracture is a local business in Gainesville, FL that specializes in printing personal photos on glass to frame on walls. They also offer well known picture pieces like Van Gogh s Starry Night painting and a view of the Eiffel Tower ( Pictures come in a variety of sizes through the mail, but often have damage due to rough distribution conditions throughout the transport chain. The objective for the project was to analyze the current packaging method and investigate how speed and quality could be improved. The main method to be investigated for improving speed and quality was to design a jig that would assist in box folding. The areas investigated during the project were as follows: development of jig designs for the side-foldtop box, updates on the folding instructions, and suggestions for changing the method of how Fracture has their boxes scored. All three of these components of the packaging production process would improve upon the current problems that Fracture was facing. The impact of a successful jig design, as well as other improvements on the box folding process is believed to increase box folding speed, make boxes more uniform and neat, give more stability to the box, and decrease damage to the photos. All of these benefits would help Fracture attain their goal of a presentable box filled with an unbroken glass picture to their customers. JIG DESIGN IDEA The first task upon receiving this project was to begin folding boxes so that the team could identify important or problematic folds, as well as gain an initial understanding of the steps involved in folding the boxes. Fracture provided a PowerPoint on exactly how the boxes should be folded so that the employee s process could be matched exactly. One interesting problem that occurred immediately was that the team was folding the boxes completely inside out because that is what the natural scoring of the box suggested. The scoring on the box material immediately became another problem the team decided to look into. After the team folded several sets of boxes and the critical folds to observe the quality were found, jig concept sketches were created for the jig to be made in the wood shop on campus. Two jig designs were developed - a smaller and medium size box jig design (nicknamed the Taco jig) (Figure 1) and a larger 4

box jig design (nicknamed the Couch jig) (Figure 2). The idea of the Taco jig was to have the spine of the box be pressed down between the two sloped sections.

This was done in hopes of eliminating the need to pre-fold every crease and reduce the time required to fold both the small and medium size boxes.

5 box jig design (nicknamed the Couch jig) (Figure 2). The idea of the Taco jig was to have the spine of the box be pressed down between the two sloped sections. At the same time, the outer flaps would be folded upwards. The user would then have to fold the needed flaps into the proper location to finish folding the box. This was done in hopes of eliminating the need to pre-fold every crease and reduce the time required to fold both the small and medium size boxes. The Couch jig would require the base of the box to be pushed down into the jig. The four outer prongs would automatically lift flaps to the proper location, since folding them by hand would require the most time. The final folds required were simple enough that they could be completed by the jig operator swiftly. Figure 1: Taco Jig Design Figure 2: Couch Jig Design 5

6 Testing Methods The team visited the Fracture location and talked to Randy who was the main point of contact throughout the project. The problems found in the scoring of the boxes and the difficulties they created were explained. Randy explained that the main reason this occurred was because only one side of the corrugated box was flat enough to allow printing and that was what the box designer initially created. Furthermore, the box machines used to print and score the boxes operated at the same time, meaning that only one side could be printed on while the other side was scored. To print and score on the same side of the box, a double pass through the box cutting machine would be required, which would result in a lengthier and more expensive process. Randy suggested some tests to be conducted with the jig designs. He also offered some of the employees at Fracture to run tests with the jig to gather data with professional folders. Randy was very willing to give the team any resources needed throughout the testing. The team decided to create computer aided designs (CAD) in SolidWorks of the two jigs (Figures 3 and 4) to better visualize in the woodshop. Since the time required to build a jig was unknown, it was decided that the first jig to be built would be the Taco jig, since it folded two of the three box types given to us by Fracture. If the time restriction of the class and the project allowed, we would attempt to build the second Couch jig for the bigger boxes. Figure 3: Taco Jig CAD Design (dimensions in mm) 6

7 Figure 4: Couch Jig CAD Design (dimensions in inches) The team decided to split into groups to accomplish as much as possible during class times. One half of the team stayed in the packaging lab to run tests while the second half went to build the jig at the wood shop. The team was aided by Billy, who was in charge of the wood shop. Billy, Charles, Luis, and Maxwell collaborated on what the jig was supposed to look like and gave Billy the measurements as well as the CAD design. Following proper laboratory practices to ensure all of our members were safe, Billy laid out some wood (Figure 5) for the team to use and began cutting according to the proposed measurements. The table saw in the wood shop only could turn between a 90 and 45-degree angle while the design required a 35-degree angle. Normally there is a clamp or aid that is attached to the side of the table saw, but Billy could not find anything similar to it in the shop. After cutting some scrap wood with different angles and experimenting with the base of the jig, it was noticed that nothing would work unless the design was altered to allow for a 45-degree angle. A few days later, after some further analysis of the angles and dimensions required, the team returned to the wood shop and settled for the 45-degree angle since it allowed for a final product to be obtained within the current schedule. Using wood glue and nails, the cut sections were assembled and the first version of the jig was finalized. 7

Figure 5: Initial Work at Shop Figure 6: Wood Used Figure 7: First Jig Prototype While this half of the team worked

Tests folding the boxes brown side out and white side out for both small and large boxes were conducted.

8 Figure 5: Initial Work at Shop Figure 6: Wood Used Figure 7: First Jig Prototype While this half of the team worked on the jig in the wood shop, the other half ran tests without the jig. Tests folding the boxes brown side out and white side out for both small and large boxes were conducted. These were to test if the way the scoring was created would have a negative effect on the quality of the folded boxes. Time measurements were taken from start (perfectly flat box sheets with no creases or folds) to finish (fully folded, closed box). The team also took measurements of the thickness of the sides of the boxes after they had been folded, since this proved to be the fold with most error. 8

9 Testing Results Table 1 shows the time it took 3 team members to fold the boxes the way they were instructed from the Fracture presentation (brown side out) versus the more naturally folding orientation of the box (white side out). A graphical representation can be found in Figure 8 and Figure 9 below. Clearly, the data shows that the opposite folding pattern eases the folding and actually shortens the time taken to fold a box by a significant amount; the reason being, because folding with the white side out eliminates the need to make any pre-folds. Table 1: Time Trials for Different Folding Patterns Brown Side Out Small Large White Side Out Small Large Lucy Lucy Mary 1: Mary : : Bryce 1: Bryce :

10 Figure 8: Folding times for small and large boxes with different scoring Figure 9: Quality of time trials using 7mm as the perfect edge fold 10

11 Quality Measure After timing the folding of the boxes, the team decided on a couple of quantitative measurements used to determine the quality of the folded boxes. The two key areas believed to contribute most to box quality were the front gap of the box and the top of the side folds. The front gap of the box is larger if the folds on the insertion flaps were too shallow and would cause the front of the box to bow out. The top of the side folds had a large impact on quality because there was often a variation in the width of these folds and sometimes were sloped to one side. When this happens, the sides of the top of the box slide down because they don t have a solid base. Lucy s small box trials were used as an example and a graph was made of each trial s quality for the brown and white side out trials (A complete list of measured values can be found in Appendix 1). For trial one and two on the graph, the left edge s smallest and largest edge width for taken. For measurements 3 and 4 on the graph, the rights side s smallest and largest widths were evaluated. This led to a total of 20 measurements for 5 boxes to be compared to the standard perfect 7 mm fold. The results from Figure 9 below suggest a greater standard deviation with the brown side out boxes and provide support to change the scoring direction. When the jig was finally made the team decided to use the medium size box as a sample for data collection. There seemed to be a small difference in time between using the jig and not using the jig, but there was noticeably better quality. Figure 10: Time trials of Lucy folding the medium size boxes 11

12 Figure 11: Quality Measurements from Lucy folding medium size boxes with/without Jig Figure 12: Picture of quality with the jig 12

Figure 13.1 & 13.2: Example of sloping on sides of boxes When the team tried running trials with the jig itself, the results obtained were not as favorable as hoped.

When pushing the box down into the jig, it became difficult to get the flaps to come down all the way to the base.

After analyzing the jig, the team noticed that the sides were bigger than the width of the spines from the boxes and flaps of the boxes.

13 Figure 13.1 & 13.2: Example of sloping on sides of boxes When the team tried running trials with the jig itself, the results obtained were not as favorable as hoped. It was originally planned that the sharp corners and dimensions of the jig would eliminate the need for pre-folding once a box was pushed down into the jig. When pushing the box down into the jig, it became difficult to get the flaps to come down all the way to the base. This would make it difficult for the user to bring the sides together and finish assembling the boxes. After analyzing the jig, the team noticed that the sides were bigger than the width of the spines from the boxes and flaps of the boxes. The best solution was to take apart the sides of the jig (Figure 14) and replace them in the correct locations. In addition, the team decided that an insert to push down the box spine into the jig would make the folding process easier. A piece of wood was cut in the ag shop to fit in the spine of the jig. After using the insert to fold boxes, the team realized the insert made the quality of boxes better and assisted in the process of folding boxes. Figure 14: Bryce making adjustments to the first design 13

14 Conclusion In working with the side-fold-top boxes from Fracture, the group was able to create a jig design that produces a better quality of fold for the Fracture boxes themselves. When shipping glass, it is very important to have as much protection on the contents of the box as possible and the cleanest fold lines to ensure the product doesn t break in route to the final destination. Fracture had problems with the quality of their side-fold-top boxes and the jig designed creates a better quality box fold which will protect the Fracture from breaking during shipping. Through time trials and quality measurements, the team was able to analyze the effectiveness of the jig. The time it took to fold boxes stayed nearly the same, but the quality of the folds on the box were significantly better. As shown in the graphs above, the boxes folded with the jig created a smaller standard deviation within the quality data than the boxes that were folded by hand. The final timing measurements did not go down, but the quality of the boxes improved significantly. This was seen as a great improvement. One recommendation would be to investigate further the scores of the boxes. In the experiment, the team realized it was much easier to fold the boxes with the white side out because of the way the boxes were scored. The time it took to fold the boxes white-side out was also significantly smaller because part of the pre-folding process could be eliminated. If Fracture would be interested in investigating alternative ways of specifically shortening the length of time it takes to the fold the boxes, the group would recommend devising a way to have the box company score on the opposite side. Although the group did not test the jig while folding the boxes white side out, using the knowledge that was gained from the jig creation, the team predicts same-side scoring would be the best solution for eliminating time while folding the side-fold-top boxes. 14

15 References Fracture. "Small Format Boxes: Delivery to Delivery (PDF)." N.p., n.d. Web. Bush, Randy. "SFT Packaging Project." Message to the author. 4 Apr

16 Appendix #1: Quality Data for Time Test (all measurements in mm) LUCY Lucy - Small - Brown Side Out Box Box Box Box Box Lucy - Small - White Side Out Box Box Box Box Box Lucy - Large - Brown Side Out Box Box Box Box Box Lucy - Large - White Side Out Box Box Box Box Box

17 MARY Mary - Small - Brown Side Out Box Box Box Box Box Mary - Small - White Side Out Box Box Box Box Box Mary - Large - Brown Side Out Box Box Box Box Box Mary - Large - White Side Out Box Box Box Box Box

18 BRYCE Bryce - Small - Brown Side Out Box Box Box Box Box Bryce - Small - White Side Out Box Box Box Box Box Bryce - Large - Brown Side Out Box Box Box Box Box Bryce - Large - White Side Out Box Box Box Box Box

19 #2: Time and Quality Measurements With and Without the Jig (Medium Size Box) Brown Side Out Without With 38.18s 51.42s 39.28s 59.42s 43.78s 50.67s 45.56s 50.76s 41.78s 50.65s With Jig Lucy - Medium - Brown Side Out (mm) Box Box Box Box Box Without Jig Lucy - Medium - Brown Side Out (mm) Box Box Box Box Box #3: Meeting Notes 3/21/16 This was the first meeting for our group We learned each other s name and created a GroupMe to stay in constant communication We discussed what our project would be based on We collectively decided on a time and date for most of us to visit the Fracture location 3/28/16 19

20 Some of our group members visited the Fracture location o Randy explained some of the problems they were having with the box designs o Randy proposed a jig to be designed to ease the process of folding the side-fold-top boxes o All boxes were folded by hand 3/30/16 Looked at the box layouts that were given to us Attempted to assemble them ourselves by hand to analyze results We realized that the boxes were cut out to fold better on the opposite side The boxes with two tabs on the front as opposed to one seemed to be more stable 4/1/16 Brainstormed ways to create a jig for the different box designs. The group thought it would be possible to create a smaller taco-styled jig for the two smaller boxes. This will lift the flaps up so that the worker has to fold in less items A couch-style jig would be better for the bigger boxes to increase stability on the bottom platform We need to come up with a brief design of the jigs to be able to send it to a woodshop on campus for it to be made. 4/4/16 4/6/16 We had been having some problems with communication of what Fracture actually wants from us and to get the specifications of the boxes from them Went back to the lab to reanalyze the type of jigs we want to use The couch-style jig was modified to an extruded box with prongs sticking up on the outside to help fold the outer flaps first. We sketched both designs and planned to go to the woodshop on Wednesday morning so that Billy can help us get started on the jig The plans changed and we decided to meet the people at Fracture this morning during class time and then reschedule to meet with Billy at the woodshop on Friday. We showed our drawings and ideas to Randy from Fracture and he was very impressed we had such a fast momentum already. He explained that we should do time tests on how long it takes us to fold a certain amount and then do those tests with the jigs too. 4/8/2016 Time tests were taken of Mary, Bryce, and Lucy folding the small and large boxes. Tests for quality were evaluated and we decided to go with comparing the lengths of parallel sides on the box as well as taking pictures of damaged corners. Plan on timing ourselves Monday with folding in opposite direction to evaluate the benefit of different scoring. Chad, Luis, and Max went to the Ag and Bio wood shop to start building the smaller jig. o We finished the bottom base of it as well as the small cubes that are used to stick up the outside flaps when pressed 20

21 o When creating the walls for the taco-style jig, the angles were off so we stopped for the day and told Billy we would try to fix the angles over the weekend. 4/11/2016 Time tests were taken of Mary, Bryce, and Lucy folding the small and large boxes doing the opposite folding approach. Measurements of the gaps at the closing for each box were taken as well as the differences in thickness along the sides of the boxes. These measurements will be put into a cell sheet to analyze at the next meeting. Luis and Max went to wood shop where new angles had to be created in order for the corners of the jig to match up. We had to lose about an inch in height from the jig to compensate for the correct angles 4/12/2016 Luis grabbed some boxes from the packaging lab and took it to the woodshop lab to triple measure all of the length It seemed easier to maneuver the boxes when there was extra space between the two halves of the jigs All of the parts of the jig were glued and nailed to the proper locations and left overnight to dry so that tests can be ran with the jig the following day 4/13/2016 Jig was brought to packaging lab to start time trials Jig edges were shaved down to create smoother edges and an edge on a ramp for a specific fold. Boxes from the 11th were again evaluated to determine if they had sloping edges. 4/15/16 Reevaluated the results we have had thus far and the design of the jig Took apart the four outer slits so that they were closer together and in line with the center of the taco shape Created the idea of making an insert to help push down the boxes to the jig and went to the Ag Shop to build the insert After the modified jig is finished, more tests will be done. 4/17/2016 Met to test the effectiveness of the insert Lucy folded boxes with the insert to get quality and time measurements to compare to base data At the meeting, the contents of the report and the division of writing was established 4/18/2016 The group came to class to fill out peer evaluations and go over the report as it stood then The group decided to write on their own and meet on Wednesday to look over the final project #4: Finalized Instructions 21

This step by step comprehensive guide illustrates the folding procedures for the Fracture Medium size box and its corresponding folding Jig.

22 This step by step comprehensive guide illustrates the folding procedures for the Fracture Medium size box and its corresponding folding Jig. The assembly process is broken down into three equally important parts that provide a consistent quality package: 1. Prefolding 2. Placement in the Jig 3. Folding in the Jig All instructions should be carefully followed to ensure quality insurance and control. Below is the Master key to reference throughout the assembly process. FIGURE 1:

$The pre-fold is a critical component in the assembly process for the fracture boxes.$ Assuring this process is complete before the implementation of the JIG will ensure a

Assuring this process is complete before the implementation of the JIG will ensure a

Figure 2: Fold between tab 1 and 2 back and forth twice until the crease becomes flexible

Figure 3: Fold between tab 2 and 3 back and forth twice until the crease becomes flexible

23 The pre-fold is a critical component in the assembly process for the fracture boxes. Prefolding should be performed with every box before using the folding jig. Assuring this process is complete before the implementation of the JIG will ensure a smooth process through the assembly. Figure 2: Fold between tab 1 and 2 back and forth twice until the crease becomes flexible in both directions. Figure 3: Fold between tab 2 and 3 back and forth twice until the crease becomes flexible in both directions. Figure 4: Fold between tabs 3 and 4 back and forth twice until the crease becomes flexible in both directions. Figure 5: Fold between tabs 4 and 5 back and forth twice until the crease becomes flexible in both directions.

Figure 6: Fold between tabs #6b and #7b back and forth twice until the crease

Repeat this process for tabs #6a and #7a (not illustrated).

Repeat this process for tabs #7a and #8a (not illustrated).

Jig. Once the box is evenly disbursed to fit in the center of the JIG, begin

24 Figure 6: Fold between tabs #6b and #7b back and forth twice until the crease becomes flexible in both directions. Repeat this process for tabs #6a and #7a (not illustrated). Figure 7: Fold between tabs #7b and #8b back and forth twice until the crease becomes flexible in both directions. Repeat this process for tabs #7a and #8a (not illustrated). Figure 8: First place the Fracture box with the white side facing up within the Jig. Once the box is evenly disbursed to fit in the center of the JIG, begin lining up the creases to fit with the alignment stick. Figure 9: Press the the center tabs #3, #7a, and #7b in with the allignmnent stick.

Figure 10: Once the box is set inplace within the Jig, remove the allignment stick from the Jig.

Folding in the Jig is the third and final step.

The Fracture must be set in placed before beginning the fold within the Jig.

25 Figure 10: Once the box is set inplace within the Jig, remove the allignment stick from the Jig. The box is now ready to be folded within the structure. Folding in the Jig is the third and final step. After completing this step the box should perform up to a quality standard. The Fracture must be set in placed before beginning the fold within the Jig. Once in place you may begin with the first fold illustrated in Figure 11 below. Figure 11: Fold both 1a and 1b into tab 1. Figure 12: A map of the next few tabs and their corresponding numbers for the next few steps. Reference this Figure for future folds.

26 Figure 13: Fold both 7a and 7b in towards 3. Figure 14: Hold the fold from Figure 13, make sure 6a and 6b are above 2. Figure 15: Fold 1, 1a, and 1b up. This tab should be inside of 7a and 7b. Figure 16: Fold down 8a and 8b and make sure the insert extention goes through the gap. Figure 17: Close the crease between 3 and 4 to close the box. Figure 18: Fold the crease between 4 and 5. The box is now assembled.

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