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The Challenge

A leading manufacturer of diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) tanks, faced a significant challenge. Their tanks, though rugged in design, featured long, thin necks prone to easy damage. This fragility posed a risk of malfunction, making secure packaging crucial for safe transport from the manufacturing shop to repair facilities. The challenge was finding a low-cost, highly protective solution to ship these tanks without compromising their integrity.

The Solution: Expanded Polystyrene Foam Packaging

American Foam Products, renowned for its expertise in custom packaging solutions, stepped in to address the manufacturer’s challenge. Recognizing the vulnerability of the tanks’ necks, American Foam Products proposed a customized Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) filler housed in a standard cardboard box.

Using the manufacturer’s designs, our engineering team developed a custom-fit filler in CAD. This filler was made to snugly fit the additive tank, with notches and slots cut to fit the fragile neck of the tank. This CAD design was then used to computer hot wire cut the filler in expanded polystyrene foam (EPS).

Our team opted to recommend EPS because it is a firm foam that retains its shape exceptionally well. This property helps to ensure that as the package is moved around, the additive tank doesn’t move around.

The Outcome

The result was a cost-effective and highly protective expanded polystyrene foam packaging solution that met the manufacturer’s needs. They were pleased with the outcome which ensured their DEF tanks could be safely shipped to repair shops and aftermarket part warehouses.

Expanded Polystyrene Packaging Benefits

This case study underscores a key use case for EPS foam in packaging applications, keeping products stationary within the packaging. Its relative rigidity ensures that even heavier products stay securely in place, preventing components from jostling inside the packaging as it is moved around. Further, it is typically one of the more cost-effective foam materials, mitigating higher packaging costs.

• Interested in custom packaging solutions for your unique items? Contact us to initiate the design process and discover the American Foam Products difference.