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Design Guide for PC Industrial Dunnage and Handling Trays in industrial equipment: Draft, Radii and Draw Ratio

2026-10-02 Plastic News 0 views

Thermoforming rewards designs that respect how a heated sheet stretches. These rules prevent most tooling rework and most thickness complaints.

The notes below come from day to day production and export work with overseas buyers.

Product Overview

This category covers a family of products rather than a single item. In practice a buyer defines industrial dunnage and handling trays by three things: the base resin, the format or dimension, and the performance or certification level it has to meet. Typical options in this category include returnable and reusable designs; stack and nest geometry; custom cavity layouts. Materials most often specified are Polypropylene, High Density Polyethylene, Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, Polyethylene Terephthalate, and the choice between them changes stiffness, temperature resistance, chemical behaviour and price.

In the industrial equipment sector the decision is usually driven by thick gauge capability and flare and fire rating, with paintability as a secondary requirement. Typical end uses include kiosk shells, equipment covers, protective guards.

Key Material Properties

The table below summarises the values that usually decide the material choice.

MaterialDensityTensile strengthService temperature
Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene1.04-1.06 g/cm³30-50 MPa-20°C to 80°C
Polycarbonate1.20 g/cm³55-70 MPa-40°C to 120°C
Polypropylene0.90-0.91 g/cm³25-40 MPa-10°C to 100°C

Polycarbonate is frequently the default selection here: PC replaces glass where impact safety matters, but it needs a hard coat for abrasion resistance.

Design Rules for Thermoformed Parts

A few geometry decisions made on the drawing save weeks of tooling adjustment later.

  • Add ribs, steps or kiss-offs instead of increasing overall gauge to gain stiffness.
  • Use a draft angle of at least 3 degrees per side so the part releases without vacuum locks.
  • Make corner radii at least equal to the sheet thickness; sharp corners are where holes start.
  • Confirm the trim method early: steel rule die, CNC router or press tool each have different tolerances.
  • Keep the draw ratio moderate: deep cavities thin the sheet and force you to start with a thicker gauge.
  • Design uniform wall thickness by avoiding abrupt depth changes in the same cavity.

Send these rules to your designer together with the sheet gauge and the target cycle time; most tooling modifications come from ignoring draft and corner radii.

Common Grades and Variants

  • Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene based: high impact toughness
  • Polypropylene based: lowest density among commodity plastics
  • High Density Polyethylene based: high impact strength even at low temperature
  • Polycarbonate based: outstanding impact strength (250x glass)

Beyond the base resin, most suppliers offer UV stabilised, food contact, flame retardant, anti-static and recycled content versions of the same product. Ask which additive package is included, because it is often the difference between a part that lasts three years and one that lasts ten.

Processing and Finishing Options

Processing method drives both cost and performance, so it should be fixed early in the design.

  • Cnc trimming
  • Thick gauge thermoforming
  • Twin sheet forming
  • Welding

Secondary operations such as printing, welding, machining and assembly are often cheaper to do in the same factory, and they reduce the risk of mismatch between components.

How to Specify Industrial dunnage and handling trays Correctly

These are the criteria that actually predict whether the part will perform in service.

  1. specify ESD grade if electronics are handled
  2. design locating features that survive repeated use
  3. define the number of returnable trips expected
  4. validate washing and drying resistance
  5. check stack load and conveyor compatibility

Send this list to your supplier with the drawing and you will receive comparable quotations from every factory you contact.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you produce industrial dunnage and handling trays in Polycarbonate?

Yes. {mat1} is one of our regular materials for this item, and we can supply virgin, modified and certified grades with full traceability. Material certificates and test reports are issued per batch.

How do you control colour consistency?

Colour is controlled with a masterbatch reference approved by the customer, and every production lot is checked against the approved sample under standard lighting before shipment.

What packing and shipping options are available?

Standard packing is export cartons on fumigation-free pallets, with custom labelling, barcode and retail packing available. We also handle consolidated containers and door to door delivery.

What is the minimum order quantity for industrial dunnage and handling trays?

For standard sizes and colours the minimum is usually one pallet or one production run; for custom tooling the economic minimum depends on the tooling cost amortised over the expected volume. Send us your annual volume and we will calculate the break even point.

How long does tooling and sampling take?

A new tool typically takes 25 to 45 days depending on cavity count and complexity, followed by T1 samples within one week. Existing tools can usually start production within 10 to 15 days of order confirmation.

Conclusion

Our team supplies industrial dunnage and handling trays to industrial equipment customers worldwide, with samples, material certificates and full inspection reports available before mass production.

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