Custom Foam Packaging Prototype

Making custom foam packaging using our CNC router allows for a lot more options than doing the same using our laser, but you do lose sharpness that’s limited by the bit diameter, unlike the laser.

There are many different foam types, colors and densities to choose from, what ends-up being used is whatever best suits the application the CNCROi.com customer has in mind, sometimes the sharpness afforded by the laser works great, and other times, the pocketing capabilities of our router are best suited.

The two lines you see at the beginning of the video are just pocketing lines used to test settings, feeds and speeds with our router, so that the results are to the quality and within spec the customer wants, this is an initial prototype so these were modified throughout production just to further hone settings across the board.

When it comes to custom foam packaging made using our CNC router, we are able to do something that isn’t possible with our laser, and that’s pockets, meaning, from one solid piece, being able to carve out different depths within the foam accurately without having to use multiple layers of foam to accomplish said goal.

Unlike CNCROi.com‘s CNC laser, our router always knows where it is not only in length and width but also depth, so if we want to carve out a pocket that’s half an inch deep into the material, this isn’t possible using our laser as it doesn’t have that critical z or depth capability.

Of course, we have worked around this many times by simply using multiple layers of foam that are cut through and then glued-up back together, but using the router, we can accomplish in one solid piece literally endless depth parameters that aren’t easily accomplished if at all possible using the laser.

CNCROi.com is only limited by the bit diameter when it comes to cutting and carving out foam, of course, the smaller the diameter, the more time required to do any given operation and as a result, the more expensive production is.

Generally what I tell my custom foam packaging customers is that we want to try to get away using the largest diameter bit possible, it saves us time and them money so everybody wins!

You can see the results of the custom foam packaging production are relatively clean, this is foam after-all, and not a hard plastic, so there will be fuzzies but nothing that isn’t crazy nor can cause issues with parts or shipping.

For these applications which CNCROi.com is involved in, customers generally don’t care about aesthetics, what is important is making sure the parts fit nicely, securely and most of all, DO NOT GET DAMAGED IN TRANSIT to and from their plant of operations.

The foam used in this specific application can be had in a variety of colors but it will cost more and take longer to procure, and there may be volume requirements at well by CNCROi.com‘s supplier.

Foam has a wide array of applications, from packaging to sorting out tool drawers so tools and items missing are identified right away.

For this custom foam packaging prototyping run, the results all came out spectacular, I was very pleased sending these off to the customer for review, they run a CNC milling operation and need these to hold parts to ship back and forth for external processing.

What I found most interesting is that the cardboard box used to ship these out weighed more than the foam contents, so they add almost zero to the shipping weight while providing incredible protection to the parts they are holding.

I was trying different settings while doing this custom foam packaging job, but once I had things down pat, then the production went incredibly smooth from start to finish, as it should always be at CNCROi.com.

For an actual production run of these custom foam packaging, I’d have the dust boot on the router, so all those little pieces of foam are sucked-up and away as they are being produced, rather than open as you see in in this video and photos.

The nice thing about routering foam is that it’s incredibly easy on the bit, so it will pretty much last forever, unlike some of the other projects we do at CNCROi.com that essentially chew bits for breakfast.

Laser cut foam has its advantages, the parts can be tighter, the results are sharper and the foam can be easily stacked using different colors.

The nice thing about this custom foam packaging is that you can further mark it easily with a permanent marker, which are now available in a variety of colors as well for ultimate personalization and notes between departments.

The holes you see in the top and bottom of these custom foam packaging inserts is actually a way to tie them up when not in use or together in a box to lock their placement in.

For these custom foam packaging inserts, the requirement was to have pockets half an inch deep in the one inch deep foam but if you wanted something thicker and varying depths pocket wise, that’s not a problem either.

This production of prototype custom foam packaging inserts is done and ready for shipment, this material is very malleable and flexible design and production wise which makes it a great choice for this application.

Need custom foam packaging inserts? Contact CNCROi.com right now!