Flexible product packaging does a great job eliminating damage on fragile products if they happen to be dropped while in transit.

There is a science behind the development of flexible product packaging that helps it outperform other packaging types on the market. It’s all based on when an item, packaged into a box, is dropped from a height of a few feet. First, there is an impact, and then the product begins to recoil or rebound. The shorter the duration of time it takes for the packaging to recoil/rebound, the more energy gets transferred into the dropped item; therefore transferring more of the shock to the product and not the packaging. Conversely, the longer the duration of time it takes for the packaging to recoil/rebound, the more shock the packaging has absorbed VS the actual product.

The proper flexible product packaging absorbs this recoil energy transfer as the item comes to a stop. It absorbs the energy and does not transfer back to the protected item. The energy can actually be drawn out on a graph as a bell curve. A bell curve with a nice slow, sweeping curve means that the energy transferred to our item is very low. But a bell curve with a sharp curve, almost like a point, means a lot of that energy was absorbed by the item, which ultimately means there’s more of a chance it could get broken.

The proper flexible product packaging reduces the sharpness of the bell curve. The less cushion there is, the sharper the curve is. The more cushion, the more rounded the curve. This is exactly what shippers want in their product packaging — slow absorption and longer duration of time with packaging rebound where more energy transferred to the packaging and not the product. But many times, they are trying to achieve this by using a lot of the traditional packaging — bubble wrap, packaging peanuts, shredded newspaper, and brown kraft paper — cocooning the packaging, which adds extra weight (and cost) to the package.

Designers and engineers who develop flexible product packaging work to continually create denser, more absorbing packaging products. They want to create lower G-force levels inside the box, because that means a slower absorption and recoiling/rebounding process; higher G-forces means a faster recoil, and more damage. They constantly try out new materials, new methods, new tests, all to create the most efficient packaging they can.

In the meantime, there are several product packaging options available, all that provide a low G-level. The best ones are completely flexible, which allow packers to wrap the packaging around the shipped product, and provide the safest environment possible. Rather than using a lot of bubble wrap, brown paper, and foam packaging peanuts (all of which cannot provide that slower recoil protection) consider using flexible packaging that comes in pads and easily protects items from being damaged.