Image 1. The new Lansmont TruMotion Unit Load Stability Tester that was installed this semester, Fall 2023, in the innovation space at CPULD labs.
Image 1a. The new Lansmont TruMotion Unit Load Stability Tester that was installed this semester, Fall 2023, in the innovation space at CPULD labs.
Image 1b. The new Lansmont TruMotion Unit Load Stability Tester.
Image 1b. The new Lansmont TruMotion Unit Load Stability Tester.

CPULD is excited to announce the arrival of two new pieces of equipment to expand our testing capabilities!

First was our new Lansmont TruMotion Unit Load Stability Tester (Image 1) that was installed earlier this semester, Fall 2023, in the innovation space at CPULD labs. This unique equipment is the first stability tester housed in U.S. educational packaging program. The stability tester will allow CPULD to simulate over-the-road breaking and turning events and help companies create more stable and efficient unit loads. Due to this equipment, our lab is now able to conduct tests for the EUMOS international stability testing standard.

This new capability is part of our Unit Load Stability offerings that consist of field-testing equipment, vibration tables, stretch wrappers, and environmental chambers. In addition to using this equipment to help industry companies, one of our graduate students, Saewhan Kim, is focusing his Ph.D. research on understanding unit load instability during over-the-road transport. He will be helping to develop a design method that will allow companies to engineer unit loads for stability.

CPULD is also expanding our testing capabilities to offer product level shock and fragility testing. Our new Lansmont Model 65/81 shock tester just arrived (Image 2), and we are looking forward to starting to use it in January 2024! With this new equipment, we will be able to exert as much as 600g shock to products and develop damage boundary curves. Shock events can cause damages to the packaging, and the product or its more sensitive components, and shocks can occur any time during manual handling. Our new shock test system can accurately simulate a range of shock durations and acceleration levels with high repeatability. In addition, the connected Lansmont Test Partner 3 Data Collection System allows us to collect acceleration values from various elements of the packaging system.

We will also use this new capability in our upcoming Advanced Packaging Dynamic (www.unitload.vt.edu/apd) short course that we are offering in March 2024 in collaboration with Lansmont Corporation.

Image 2. CPULD’s new Lansmont Model 65/81 shock tester.
Image 2. CPULD’s new Lansmont Model 65/81 shock tester.