Drop Test
Siripong Malasri, Ph.D., P.E., CPLP Technician
Packaging Department Chair & Healthcare Packaging Consortium Director
Mallory Harvey
Civil Engineering Major & Packaging Minor
Packaging Department
Christian Brothers University
650 East Parkway South, Memphis, TN 38104, USA
Revision: July 7, 2013
© 2013 by Siripong Malasri
Introduction
• There are four major types of hazards during distribution of a
package: drop, vibration, compression, and atmospheric
condition.
• Drop test is specified in various ISTA procedures, including 1A,
1B, 1C, 1D, 1G, 1H, 2A, 2B, 2C, and 3A.
• ISTA specifies drop heights based on package weight. Heavier
packages require lower drop heights.
Drop Test Specifications
•
•
•
•
•
•
Number of drops
Drop height distribution (how many at what heights) – usually
in 6-in increments.
Orientation of drops (corner, edge, face)
Order of drops (which is first, second, etc.)
Number of test cycles (how many times the test series is
performed)
Number of specimens and any conditioning, pre-conditioning,
or other treatment
Drop Heights
Package Weight Range (lb)
Drop Height (in)
0 - 21
30
21 - 41
24
41 - 61
18
61 - 100
12
100 - 150
8
ISTA Resource Book, 2013
Drop Tester
• Free-fall drop machines are usually
used to test small to medium size
packages.
• Could also use slings around the
package and use quick release hooks.
• Free fall and rigid surface are
important.
• Simple “hand” drops (hold and release)
are generally not acceptable.
Quick
Release
Hook
Drop Tester @ CBU Lab
The Lansmont PDT-56ED Drop Tester
features an electric hoist capable of
dropping packages up to 175 lbs (79 kg)
from a height of 11 to 72 inches. The
machine utilizes a high-velocity pneumatic
cylinder and unique brake system for
accurate flat drop testing. The hand-held
controller is microprocessor based, giving
the user the ability to set drop heights, to
move the hoist up and down, and to
return to the set drop height.
Operations of Lansmont PDT-56ED Drop Tester
(Click on the image above to play the mp4 video clip)
Drop Sequence
ISTA specifies specific drop sequence for some test procedures. The drop
sequence used in Procedures 1A, 1C, 1G, 2A, and 2C is shown as an example:
Drop No.
Orientation of Drop
1
Corner (most fragile face-3 corner or corner 2-3-5)
2
Edge (shortest edge radiating from the corner tested)
3
Edge (medium edge radiating from the corner tested)
4
Edge (longest edge radiating from the corner tested)
5
Face (one of the two opposite smallest faces)
6
Face (the opposite smallest face)
7
Face (one of the two opposite medium faces)
8
Face (the opposite medium face)
9
Face (one of the two opposite largest faces)
10
Face (the opposite largest face)
ISTA Resource Book, 2013
Face 1 (top)
Opposite (bottom) is Face 3
Edge 1-2
Face 2 (right)
Opposite (left) is Face 4
Manufacturer’s
Joints
Face 5 (front)
Opposite (back) is Face 6
Corner 2-3-5
Introduction to Drop Sequence
(Click on the image above to play the mp4 video clip)
Terminology: Corner, Edge, and Face
(Click on the image above to play the mp4 video clip)
Drop 1: Corner (most fragile face-3 corner or corner 2-3-5)
(Click on the image above to play the mp4 video clip)
Drop 2: Edge (shortest edge radiating from the corner tested)
(Click on the image above to play the mp4 video clip)
Drop 3: Edge (medium edge radiating from the corner tested)
(Click on the image above to play the mp4 video clip)
Drop 4: Edge (longest edge radiating from the corner tested)
(Click on the image above to play the mp4 video clip)
Drop 5: Face (one of the two opposite smallest faces)
(Click on the image above to play the mp4 video clip)
Drop 6: Face (the opposite smallest face)
(Click on the image above to play the mp4 video clip)
Drop 7: Face (one of the two opposite medium faces)
(Click on the image above to play the mp4 video clip)
Drop 8: Face (the opposite medium face)
(Click on the image above to play the mp4 video clip)
Drop 9: Face (one of the two opposite largest faces)
(Click on the image above to play the mp4 video clip)
Drop 10: Face (the opposite largest face)
(Click on the image above to play the mp4 video clip)
Procedures 1B, 1D, and 2B use the following drop sequence:
Drop No.
Orientation of Drop
5
Face (one of the two opposite smallest faces)
6
Face (the opposite smallest face)
7
Face (one of the two opposite medium faces)
8
Face (the opposite medium face)
9
Face (one of the two opposite largest faces)
10
Face (the opposite largest face)
ISTA Resource Book, 2013
For Procedure 3A, check ISTA Resource Book for more information.
Drop Test of Larger Packages
• Larger items require a big drop
tester.
• CBU Lab has a big drop tester,
L.A.B. Model AD-500., as shown.
It has 500-lb maximum payload
capacity with three tines to lift a
package up to a specific drop
height.
Operations of L.A.B. AD 500 Drop Tester
(Click on the image above to play the mp4 video clip)
Sample Drop Using L.A.B. AD 500 Drop Tester
(Click on the image above to play the mp4 video clip)
Overviews of ISTA Procedures
Procedure
Title & Link
1A
Packaged-Products weighing 150 lb (68 kg) or Less
1B
Packaged-Products weighing Over 150 lb (68 kg)
1C
Extended Testing for Individual Packaged-Products weighing 150 lb (68
kg) or Less
1D
Extended Testing for Individual Packaged-Products weighing Over 150 lb
(68 kg)
1G
Packaged-Products weighing 150 lb (68 kg) or Less (Random Vibration)
2A
Packaged-Products weighing 150 lb (68 kg) or Less
2B
Packaged-Products weighing Over 150 lb (68 kg)
2C
Furniture Packages
3A
Packaged-Products for Parcel Delivery System Shipment weighing 70 kg
(150 lb)or Less
(Click on a link above to view an overview from www.ista.org)
CBU Packaging Lab
CBU Packaging Lab is certified by the International Safe Transit
Association (ISTA) since 2009. Some of its equipment are shown
below:
http://cbu.edu/packaging/packaginglab.html
Healthcare Packaging Consortium
The Healthcare Packaging Consortium was founded on June 1,
2010, at Christian Brothers University by seven founding
members: Evergreen Packaging, FedEx, Medtronic, Merck
Consumer Care, Plastic Ingenuity, Smith & Nephew, and Wright
Medical. Since then, The Pallet Factory, Inc., Olympus Surgical
Technologies America and WS Packaging have joined the
consortium. The mission of the consortium is to advance the
knowledge related to healthcare packaging through education
and research. Our vision is to be a unique world-class healthcare
packaging consortium with member companies from various
segments of the packaging industry.
http://cbu.edu/packaging/healthcare.html
Why CBU Packaging?
http://cbu.edu/images/Documents/Engineering/Packaging/whycbupackaging-2.pdf
For more packaging training materials, please visit:
http://facstaff.cbu.edu/pong/e-Materials.html
Please email your feedback to pong@cbu.edu