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Product damage
during shipping is a serious business menace. It inflates operations costs,
creates irate customers due to delayed deliveries and puts a heavy strain on
inventory – not to mention the doubling of shipping costs to replace damaged
goods. Also, if you are an e-commerce vendor registered with a multi-vendor
e-commerce store like Amazon, eBay, Target, etc., there is a high chance you
will be penalized for poor packing and damaged product deliveries.
The drop test
during inspection can provide a means to predetermine the probability of the safe
arrival of their packaged-products at their destination through the utilization
of tests developed to simulate the shocks and stresses normally encountered
during handling and transportation.
ISTA 1A Drop Test is technique for measuring the
durability of a part or material by subjecting it to a free fall, from a
predetermined height into a surface, under prescribed conditions. The most
common, and often quoted, drop test procedure is the ISTA Procedure 1A 10-drop
procedure.
ISTA Procedure
1A 10- drop procedure includes one drop on a base corner, one drop on each edge
radiating from that corner, and one on each flat face of the package; a total
of 10 impacts. All these drops are from the "design drop height". It
is unknown how the ISTA procedure developed. It is, however, widely used and
widely accepted. Other procedures use different drop heights, number of
impacts, and orientations. Some electronic firms do not specify the exact
corner for an impact; only that it should be the "most vulnerable"
corner.
ISTA 1A 10 times
drop procedure -6 flat, 1 corner, 3 edges
The procedure
for Identification of the faces and corners of the containers shall be as
follows. Facing one end of containers shall be as manufacturer’s joint on the
observer’s left if the container is fiberboard, designates the top of the
container as Face1. The front as Face 2, the bottom as Face 3, the back as Face
4, the left side as Face 5, and the right side as Face 6.
After
the drop test, Examine the appearance of both the products and packing
construction by visual and perform functional check after this test.