Assembled PCB packaging for shipping? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Rat_Patrol
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2021, 06:35:15 pm
content: Going to be supplying a customer with mostly assembled PCBs (SMD only) for them to finish and sell.The biggest component are some SMD can capacitors, so nothing huge. Will be shipping them in lots of 50 or so.Other than custom die cut foam for spacers, what are some other cheap options in small quantities to keep the PCBs safe for travel? Shipping the spacers back and forth would be less than ideal, so cheap/disposable would be best.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2021, 09:26:30 pm
content: I've only ever seen: silver anti-static bags and pink anti-static bubble wrap, or just non-anti static foam at that point.Unless the boards are heavy and you expect the SMD caps to get sheared off somehow.In that case you might use something like this for very fragile items:https://www.uline.ca/Grp_48/Anti-Static-ShippersVery expensive vs bubble wrap.

author: phil from seattle
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2021, 09:38:51 pm
content: I use padded mailers to ship an 80x100mm SMD PCB + assembly kit (TH connectors and a trimmer pot in a zip lock plastic bag). Never had a complaint in almost 500 shippings - about half were international. I tested it out by mailing to a couple of friends across the country and had them mail it back unopened. Nothing broken or bent. And I regularly get rave product reviews so it is clear that the padded mailer isn't seen as a negative.I wrap the PCB in bubble wrap, then make a bundle of the PCB plus the assembly kit with more bubble wrap and slide it into the mailer. I pre wrap the PCBs and make up the assembly kits ahead of time. I make up about 50 assembly kits and wrapped boards at a sitting. Time to fulfill an order, including printing packing list and label, is about 3 minutes.I've used a number of different mailer brands but this isthe best I've found. The mailer is a little less than one ounce and the complete package is a bit shy of 4 ounces. Shipping costs can be a killer - that's why I avoid those fancy (and heavy) boxes.

author: Rat_Patrol
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 15, 2021, 08:05:44 pm
content: Just to update this,I ended up designing and 3D printing some 2 piece stackable transport trays. They use the PCB mounting holes to hold the board in place, and have enough clearance for some squish on the boards to hold them down. They stack indefinitely so I can stack as many as appropriate for shipping. Simply place the assembled PCB in the bottom tray, put the spacer on top of it (also uses the mounting holes for locating/squish) and put the next tray on top of that. The top spacer and bottom tray will be thicker than the rest for strength.Once the stack is done, I'll use elastic/velcro straps to squeeze it into a single block, then put that into a regular shipping box (using foam/bubble wrap for cushion of course). The customer will simply ship back the transport trays to use again.It ends up being 15mm of Z per board. Considering each board is 10.6mm in thickness, it seems like a highly compact system.