Application Description

A leading manufacturer of automotive braking systems and components for the automotive aftermarket has started using skin packaging with film of Surlyn® for a new product line, and is so pleased with the results that it plans to use skin for other applications.
Brake Parts, Inc., a division of Echlin Corp., makes everything from drums to rotors to pads and shoes and is at the forefront of research and development in brake technology for the automotive aftermarket. Brake Parts products are sold through the company's distribution channel throughout North America. Retail outlets include Pep Boys, Western Auto, NAPA, Federal Auto Parts, Goodyear, and Chief Auto Parts.
Its new line of street-performance Raybestos® brand BRUTESTOP™ disc brake pads is licensed as "The Official Brake of NASCAR." BRUTESTOP™ pads are designed for performance production cars and light trucks, including street rods, muscle cars, and custom cars.

Packaging Engineer Chooses Film of Surlyn® and Zed Equipment

Tim Bell, packaging engineer for Brake Parts, researched different types of packaging and determined that skin packaging with film of Surlyn® would be best for BRUTESTOP brake pads. Although the pads, which are sold in sets of two, weigh up to six pounds, he realized that skin packaging could provide advantages over other types of packaging.
Bell selected an Auto Skin-Trim (AST) machine, manufactured by Zed Industries of Vandalia, Ohio.
Package Developed for Protection With the help of Henk Hoogendoorn of Zed, Bell developed a package that would protect the brake pads during shipping and enhance their appearance in the retail environment. The brake pads are placed on an E-flute corrugated board that has a preprinted 4-color coated liner displaying the company's logo. Ten-mil film of Surlyn® holds the pads securely to the board. Zed's AST trims and perforates the finished packages simultaneously. The board is creased along two perforations. The "wings" formed by the folded board hold the finished package snugly inside a colorful corrugated carton that further protects the product.
Although consumers can easily open the outer carton, the strength of film of Surlyn® prevents them from tampering with the brake pads. The film also keeps the gold paint on the pads from chipping.
Bell says that Brake Parts is pleased with the new package, and hopes to use more skin packaging in the future. He is currently investigating the use of skin packaging for the new BRUTESTOP™ line of high-performance brake rotors.

One Size Fits All

The brake pads range in size from 3-8 inches in length by 2-3 inches in width, but the board size and carton size are the same for all 31 different types of BRUTESTOP brake pads-saving the company money and making the packaging operation more efficient.

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