Shipping PCAs and modules - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: law
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2025, 07:56:11 am
content: Hey,I manufacture modules for robotics applications.The units being sold are either PCAs or small assembled modules - a couple of PCAs with a heatspreader installed. They all have protruding connectors.I'm currently shipping them in ESD bags from Digikey. I put them into the bags, then into a box with packaging material around them.I stuff boards in layers into the packaging material, then into the box, so that the boards don't move around in the box during shipping.This is surprisingly time consuming - I've got sweet dexterity stats, but the bags themselves are actually difficult to open. Then I agonize about the best way to pack them into the box.I've just been looking at Protektive Pak ESD boxes from Digikey (etc), and these look pretty good, but are about 20x more expensive than a bag.But I might save that in time spent packing.Does anyone else have any suggestions?Thanks

author: ajb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2025, 06:08:18 pm
content: Are you shipping a bunch of PCBAs at a time, or only a few?If many, our main CM uses a lot of interlocking cardboard dividers likethese, they get put together in whatever cell size fits one PCBA in a regular ESD shielding bag. They leave some empty space around the edges for cushioning/crush space, with cardboard/foam top and bottom.If only a few, and in different combinations, it's a bit tougher, but the above might still be a good solution. Or if they are mostly flat, maybe just in ESD bags and then sandwich them between egg-crate foam to cushion and lock them in place -- kind of like the protective pax shippers, but at the carton level and assembled from cheaper bulk foam. If the boards are in ESD shielding bags already I don't think the foam needs to be the expensive ESD stuff?

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2025, 08:49:21 pm
content: If its many units, as ajb says, between dividers. Or just straight in ESD safebubble bags or wrap. Depending on the product, the full on metal shielding bags may be overkill.Digikey prices are quite high,ulinemight be a bit less, others less still.

author: law
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2025, 11:36:08 pm
content: I'm shipping a few to a bunch at a time - Anywhere from 10 - 60 per shipment so far.They are all of varying sizes, so that makes life difficult.My thought with the ESD boxes was that I could forgo the bag altogether. I believe it would be quicker to pack.I also just thought that I could possible fit more than one board into a small ESD box, assuming the box would stop them moving around.The cardboard dividers look good. I actually tried a bit of arts and crafts to make something similar the last shipment, but I was in a hurry and gave up.I've been using the metal shield bags ala:https://www.digikey.com.au/en/products/detail/scs/30023/3430453The per-bag cost is not too bad - AUD0.24 each. The problem I found was how fiddly they are to actually open.Thanks for the links for the dividers etc, I have some more to think about.

author: Rat_Patrol
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 20, 2025, 09:33:30 pm
content: A pic would help, but for small runs or low numbers, I just use ESD bags as appropriate and pack with ESD bubble wrap, with at least a couple inches to the actual box worth of padding. So far, so good. Biggest thing I've always said that if you shake the box (all taped up) and anything moves, more void fill.

author: Feynman
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 21, 2025, 12:31:41 pm
content: If you don't want to use shielding bags, these might be an alternative:- Shielding card board boxes:https://shop.warmbier.com/en/safeshieldr-shipping-boxes.html- Conductive Boxes + Anti-Static Dividers:https://shop.warmbier.com/en/conductive-1.html+https://shop.warmbier.com/en/tote-boxes-dividers-for-pcbs.htmlThe Conductive Boxes + Anti-Static Dividers probably only make sense if your customers are willing to ship the empty containers back to you.Quote from: thm_w on June 19, 2025, 08:49:21 pmThose pink anti-static bags alone arenotESD safe as they don't provide any shielding. They are just anti-static, i. e. they themselves don't pose an ESD threat. If you want to be ESD safe, there is no way around some sort of shielding.Quote from: law on June 19, 2025, 11:36:08 pmYou can use bags without the zip mechanism and just properly use adhesive warning labels to close the bag:https://shop.warmbier.com/en/self-adhesive-packaging-warning-labels.htmlIt depends on what's cheaper, all things considered.

author: law
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 24, 2025, 10:26:45 pm
content: Thanks for those links!Also> You can use bags without the zip mechanism and just properly use adhesive warning labels to close the bag:I cant believe I didnt even think of that....For some pictures of the boards head to:https://arbite.io/collections/allThanks again

author: tinfever
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 25, 2025, 12:54:54 am
content: Apparently Raspberry Pi ships their stuff in antistatic coated cardboard and nothing else. Even the compute modules, which I doubt have ESD protection on every single mezzanine connector IO, don't ship in an ESD bag. I wonder if it's possible to get away with no antistatic protection at all.https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/sustainable-solutions-with-raspberry-pi-reducing-packaging/

author: Feynman
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 25, 2025, 06:43:22 pm
content: You can get away without ESD protection for sure. There is no law that requires you to ship sensitive devices in properly shielded packaging. The only legal obligation might arise from a contract with your customer. After all, it's just a business decision.It might be totally fine to ship a Raspberry Pi without ESD protection. But shipping without ESD protection is probably not ok for a safety-relevant device that is required to deliver its specified performance for at least 10 years .