I need better packaging

I'm have a real problem with my FUD prints being damaged in transit by the stiff zip-lock bags. FUD is soft when I receive it, I assume due to the remaining solvent from the wax removal process. This allows the bags to deform the prints while in transit. Then it quickly becomes brittle, often breaking when I try to strong-arm the prints back into shape. Can this process be improved?

Don't strongarm the prints. The material soften in hot water, sometimes it will go back to it's original shape by itself and sometimes it needs holding in place as it cools.

It doesn't seem reasonable for me to ask my customers to put their items in hot water with the hopes that they return to shape.

Reshaping stuff isn't really that new. I know it has long been common for resin products. I expect to have minor warping of thin parts, and the process of reforming it is pretty straight forward. I know I have never put together a resin train car kit (or tank, plane, boat, figure...) that did not have at least one warped part that needed heating and straightening.

Brittleness isn't something that I have experienced, at least not from thicker parts. Exceptionally fine details (0.3 mm diameter wires for example) are definitely delicate - but no more so than any other plastic of similar size.

Amen:

https://www.shapeways.com/forum/index.php?t=msg&th=7484&a mp;start=0&

The new bubble wrap is way too rigid and ends up warping thin parts - especially when two or more items are shipped together.. Shapeways needs to go back to using peanuts and more flexible bubble wrap or try placing all the small delicate items (each one in individual bubble wrap envelopes) inside a chipboard box like this:

https://www.uline.ca/Product/Detail/S-5801/Specialty-Boxes/3- 1-2-x-10-x-2-Business-Card-Boxes

then wrap the new rigid bubble wrap around the box. As long as there's enough bubble wrap inside the box to keep the parts separated and in their initial position they should arrive in better shape.

The websites you have mentioned are good one, I am thinking to add my experience in this as I have found an other channel for business card boxes (see: https://www.thecustomboxes.com/business-card-boxes/) and give me your feedback, I want to know how they are in printing and packaging.

As billbedford mentioned, DO NOT strong arm FUD! It is a very delicate material and can be broken easily.

Warping is pretty common in FUD due to the post production processes. The best bet is to make the walls a bit thicker to prevent this from ocuring -

that said, here at SW we're always trying to improve our post production processes and prevent warping and reprint your products when they do not turn out as expected. I'll bring this thread to the attention of the PP team and see if they have any additional comments.

Also, would love to see your design!! Post a pic if you have a chance

I had some delicate full color plastic parts come back once with thin arms bent like it was tortured by jailers. The next time they shipped they used a single peanut to stabilize the item prior to bubble wrapping which did reasonably protect it. But it's probably a hit or miss depending on who is doing the packing. What the world needs is some kind of safe minimally expanding foam that such parts can be covered in prior to packaging, and that foam needs to dissolve in water when it gets to the customer. Does something like that exist?

If you place FUD in water heated to 150F for 10-15 minutes, it will "relax" some and allow you to straighten the parts.
Then, all you need to do is hold them straight while they cool, probably at least for a couple hours.

Your models are printed "pefectly straight" in the printer, but because of the (heated) cleaning process, they can warp if they are excessively thin.
It's the same effect that happens in a thermometer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bimetallic_strip

The other suggestions are good too: thicken the model, add some cross-bracing supports, or use 150F water to allow you to bend them back into place.

Oh, and.... yes, Shapeways, PLEASE find some other solution than the zip-lock bags for delicate models!
Years ago, I begged, pleaded and cajoled for models under a certain size to be wrapped in tissue paper. It worked, protected the models well, and the practice ended in less than a month.
I even offered to purchase at my expense and send in 10,000 sheets of tissue paper to help support the effort... <link>

Oh, FUD. It can be quite difficult to package, and I know for a fact that the factory is always looking for best practices when it comes to packaging FUD.
Actually, when the factory opened up in NYC I was the sole person responsible for post processing, packaging and shipping FUD (think, end of 2012 to early 2013) - back then we had tissue paper and small-bubbled wrap and we took each model and wrapped it accordingly.

The factory has scaled up since then, so it's been a unique challenge to get everyone aligned on the same processes. I like the idea of putting FUD in charmin or even tissue paper - but I know for a fact that the TP would begin to desolve if it touched any solvent that remained on the surface of FUD, and it would create a not-so-great experience for our newer customers (think: wet tissue paper in the mail!).

We'll keep looking into different solutions for this though. I've fwd'd this forum to the PP team lead!

I'm getting reports from customers that the FUD parts are wrapped in bubble wrap fine, but they have so many layers of tape on them, they are breaking the part trying to cut the many layers of tape off..

Seriously, would you receive a damaged good from anyone else (Amazon, Ebay, Car Dealership, etc.) in a damaged condition because the handler could not be more gentle, or much less even THINK about repairing it yourself???

We are paying top dollar for these prints, and aside from some shipping mishaps (not packing) they should arrive as pristine as when they were cleaned.

Why should we expect anything less?

This is a very recent post of mine, maybe I put it in the wrong place, but take a look at these parts. Fortunately these were for a customer but they are cleaned and packaged by me first as opposed to being sent directly to the customer, then to have SW members tell me that I need to improve my design? All of these were reprints, think of how much cost could be avoided by SW if packing were better, or just a little more care were taken when wrapping the parts. These parts are not burritos at Taco Bell, they are delicate, intricate design that deserve to be treated as such.

https://www.shapeways.com/forum/t/packing-fails-is-it-just-me.95752/