Industrial products such as paneling, steel coils, and piping are shipped in large quantities, as they are used in large scale construction projects which require several pieces for completion. A major concern for any industry that manufactures and ships large quantities of industrial products is making sure the bundles stay together throughout transport. Not only will the bundles have to remain as a cohesive unit during transport, but the packaging material used must be put on the material in such as way that it does no damage to the exterior of the product. When it comes to a product such as panel board, much of the packaging will be done in house by the mill that produces the plywood. These mills will usually have a packaging station which utilizes several components for an integrated packaging system. At the most basic level are the wire straps used to bundle the package together. These straps are generally composed of thin but strong metal which won't break easily and yet is simple to remove with basic wire cutters. The higher quality boards are always packed in between boards that don't measure up, or cover boards, in order to prevent the metal edges of the strapping from cutting into the side of the better boards. The package is created at a strapping station, which includes a machine that draws power through air compression. This machine catches one side of the strap and with the press of a button, will cinch the load up tight by drawing in the slack. Leftover pieces of the coiled strapping are placed into an eater which assists in recycling the material, reducing waste and cutting costs. Products such as steel coils are packaged in much the same way, although the shape of this particular product calls for a surface which can more readily keep the products in position while the strapping is cinched. For smaller operations, there are hand-held cinching devices that require a lot more manual power than strapping machines, but cost much less. These tools lie on top of the material in formation, and the strapping is placed in a groove. A hand lever is then worked back and forth to draw the strapping tight. Once this is achieved, a twist of the tool will allow a blade to cut off the excess strapping. With the strapping in place, the load is ready for transport. Once the product leaves the packaging station, it will be subjected to a multitude of forces as it makes it way in the world to its final destination. At any point along the way, inadequacy of the strapping system could have disastrous results; failure is not an option.
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