News: Three CPULD students presented at IAPRI this year and CPULD has been chosen to host the IAPRI Member's Conference in 2025

The 31st Annual International Association of Packaging Research Institutes (IAPRI) Members Conference was in Mumbai, India. Established in 1971, IAPRI is a “unique global network which allows organizations to communicate and develop ideas, exchange experiences and in many cases reduce duplication of effort.” CPULD is a longstanding member of IAPRI and is one of its 90-member research/educational institutions from 31 different countries. Three of CPULD’s graduate students presented at this year’s conference.

Saewhan Kim (CPULD, Ph.D candidate) presented on research about “Predicting the effect of pallet overhang on box compression strength.” This research has shown that pallet overhang has a significant effect on box compression strength (BCT); the magnitude of the overhang on the box’s short and/or long side, whether adjacent overhang exists, the box size, and the pallet board type are all statistically significant factors in estimating BCT. Multiple linear regression models indicated a great potential for the prediction model to be able to predict the effect of pallet overhang on BCT as it is refined through future studies.

Mary Paz Alvarez (CPULD, Ph.D candidate) spoke on her research “The effect of wooden pallet characteristics on the compression strength of palletized plastic pails.” She conducted research to investigate the interactions between pails/drums and pallets. She investigated the potential load bridging and unique stress distributions caused by pails and drums, and also explored how a pallet affects the strength of pails/drums; this research could offer significant cost reductions to the industry.

Seth Capizzi (CPULD, Masters student) explained his research entitled “The evaluation of maximum pallet deflection under dynamic forklift handling conditions.” To determine the dynamic load capacity, a calibration study was conducted using plastic pallets that are already safely used in the industry with a defined load capacity. The identified pallet designs were tested using the reported payload with the testing procedure described in ISO 8611. The deflections of the pallets after 30 min. of creep were recorded and aggregated. This aggregated deflection value was then compared to the values listed in ISO 8611. The research revealed that the deflection limits listed in ISO 8611 testing standard are not stringent enough to allow the movement of unit loads that are not stabilized with stretch film. Seth is currently expanding his research to investigate a wider range of boxes with the overall goal of determining the maximum safe deflection limit for the ISO 8611 standard.

CPULD is excited to announce that the 32nd Annual IAPRI Members Conference will be held in Roanoke, VA in 2025, being hosted by CPULD and VT. The title and theme of the conference is “The future of packaging is circular” (Image 2). It will focus on sustainability issues around the packaging industry. Stay tuned for more information to be distributed as it becomes available!