Shipping a 70lbs microscope (Olympus AX70)

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microb
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Shipping a 70lbs microscope (Olympus AX70)

#1 Post by microb » Thu Dec 02, 2021 8:13 pm

Ok. So maybe when packaging an Olympus AX70 frame, maybe this might be a bit excessive. But the person who wants it, is on the other side of the planet. And their previous experience with some local seller resulted in a smashed AX70 with actual cracks in the aluminum cast frame. Plus the turret cartridge was proven to be a weak point.

So I’m assuming that all Australian shippers tie packages to the smooth riding platform of a kangaroo for final delivery, after dragging the lot behind a Jeep over rough terrain.

(Of course It gets wrapped in plastic before going into the box.)
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75RR
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Re: Shipping a 70lbs microscope (Olympus AX70)

#2 Post by 75RR » Thu Dec 02, 2021 9:19 pm

.
That looks as if it might work well. What do you place in the cavities (between the microscope and the sides of the box) ... Styrofoam chips?

I find if you place them in plastic bags i.e. make pillows, they stay where you put them and offer more protection than loose ones do.
Zeiss Standard WL (somewhat fashion challenged) & Wild M8
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microb
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Re: Shipping a 70lbs microscope (Olympus AX70)

#3 Post by microb » Thu Dec 02, 2021 9:39 pm

In testing this crate; the corners, the double corrugated cardboard sides, and the lid are rather strong. So putting some vertical triangular columns inside around the edges makes it even stronger to deal with a shipper stacking something on top. Worst case is a heavy pressure right in the center.

Most people would bubble wrap the microscope and put it into a single layer box, but any weight on top goes onto the frame. Yes the padding distributes, but the weight is there on the wrong places. Plus the box is not double layered, or they allow the unit to slide around inside damaging itself, or they actually use paper wads -- which is a filler to prevent shifting, not padding to prevent damage.

Anyways, I think for future boxes, I'd do the four corner columns as shown, the double side panels, glue the corners to the narrower panels like I did here. The whole thing comes apart and goes together rather easily with the top and bottom lids holding the crate together when strip-taped all around. But next time, I'll do triangular columns in the corners and maybe sides to prevent weight pushing in from the top. The microscope frame would be bubble wrapped to a point it can't move. Smaller items get boxes to put inside, which would also prevent movement.

For a robot arm I packaged, I stretched plastic over it so dust from the foam peanuts don't get inside the workings. Then a bunch of foam peanuts was dropped into the box. A carboard crash frame like the images show, prevented things from moving around, including the foam bits.

So that's my thinking right now. All the delicate stuff was taken off this frame and already shipped ahead. This is basically a hunk of metal that just needs to not move around in the box, and it should be fine. For the Leica DMRs I need to ship, I'm going to try the sturdy crate, and bubble wrap approach. I found a supplier that sells really large rolls for cheap.

MichaelG.
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Re: Shipping a 70lbs microscope (Olympus AX70)

#4 Post by MichaelG. » Thu Dec 02, 2021 10:15 pm

That’s looking good, microb
… nice to read that you have already shipped the delicate parts separately.

The only point I would add is that if this were ‘military’ packaging, then your box would be fitted into an outer box [probably, these days, with eight foam corner packers between them] such that in the event of a ‘drop’ the shock-load would be dissipated by movement before reaching the contents.

A reasonable approximation of the ‘design’ drop-height is 36”
… equivalent to the tailgate height of a truck. :o

MichaelG.

[ been there; tested and broken lots of expensive kit ]
Too many 'projects'

Dubious
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Re: Shipping a 70lbs microscope (Olympus AX70)

#5 Post by Dubious » Thu Dec 02, 2021 11:38 pm

microb wrote:
Thu Dec 02, 2021 8:13 pm
Ok. So maybe when packaging an Olympus AX70 frame, maybe this might be a bit excessive.
...
I don't think you can be excessive in packing a microscope :) I've generally been lucky in my purchases, but that luck ran out when a Leitz Laborlux (I have several) arrived essentially in pieces. The Ebay seller had not really disassembled anything and had put the microscope in a big box with insufficient packing. The result was that the scope rattled around, punching holes in the sides of the box and knocking parts off itself that then rattled against each other. The attached EPI unit was damaged, the rack and pinion had popped off, spraying bearings everywhere, the X-Y stage had come apart losing its even tinier bearings, the condenser was in pieces, etc. After getting a partial refund from the seller, who was nice about giving me what I requested, I actually did reassemble most of the scope, minus some bearings that I could not find, although it will never be the same. I'm sure harsh handling was partly to blame (ground shipping, from the other side of the country), but it was a good illustration of why shippers should detach and wrap separately what can be detached and, especially, should use enough packing such that things do not rattle around inside the box.

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