Tailor-made packaging for two large semiconductor components

Challenge

This company sets high standards and requirements when it comes to packaging, handling, and transporting their products. One of these standards are that the company has defined several types of packaging for transport, in this particular case there was a need for a Clean Assy (CA) and Send Assy (SA);

• A Clean Assy (CA) is a two layer plastic cover ensuring the products are safe for cleanroom transport.
• A Send Assy (SA) is often a wooden packaging part that facilitates transport to protect contents from function loss resulting from mechanical and climatic hazards.

For our customer, CA and SA were needed for packing and transport of two large components to their plant in the USA, which are a vital part of the customer’s machine. Due to a tight timeframe, a containment packaging was needed. The guidelines for this temporary SA were that it had to be a simple, robust, wooden solution that needed to be re-used 2-3 times for transport between The Netherlands and the US, influencing the choice of hardware. Additionally, it had to be air-cargo compatible and needed to fit on a 20ft ULD pallet for shipments between the US plant and the supplier. The SA had to provide forklift access and the possibility to fixate the product to the SA at the bottom. The CA for this product had to allow room for buffer deflection, and had to be quite large as the component’s size is 5200 x 800 x 2000 mm and weighing 1600 kg. A true packaging challenge!

Solution

This customer and Faes have a long history of working together. As a result of the success of this cooperation, Faes was asked to design and produce packaging for this particular component for the USA – the aorta’s. After a kick-off meeting between the US plant and Faes to discuss the packaging proposal a Design Memo was set up by one of Faes’s dedicated in-house engineers. This design included the semiconductor’s set of requirements:

• The bottom part had to be protected against bending;
• Static deflection had to be reduced to a minimum;
• Clearances and buffer deflection where needed;
• Removable side panels including handles for unpacking;
• Stop blocks to ensure the product was correctly inside the SA;
• Fixation brackets including non-losable bolts enabling re-use;
• Forklift access.

After approval of the Design Memo by the customer, the SA for both components went into production in-house at Faes.

Results

Together with the requested CA, the SA was delivered to the customer, following all the high standards and set requirements by them and within the given timeframe. Shipment of the two 5200 x 800 x 2000 mm components weighing 1600 kg from Reusel to the United States of America was successful and the SA is now in temporary use for shipment between The Netherlands and the company’s US plant. Later on, an improved version of the SA will be designed for sustainable use.

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