Analysis and Conceptual Development of a New Packaging Material—Air Pack

The packaging industry, besides motivation, usability and appealing to the costumer, considers the protection of products a necessity and obligation for its success, contemplating all the necessary steps to reach the desired goal. The current paper presents the research and development work, conducted in the scope of the Master Program in Product and Industrial Design of University of Porto (MDIP), in partnership with Bosch Security Systems. The main objective was the study and development of a new material—Air Pack—for the packaging industry. Firstly, several studies of the material were carried out in order to characterize its operation and benefits, more focused on the industry but with big impact in the research field. Two solutions were developed for the company products, taking into account their complexity, shape and implementation on the manufacturing process. Principles such as consumer usability, the nature of packaging, technical protection aspects and methods of transport were well established in both projects. The new material allowed the company and the university to cooperate with each other, granting the student space to understand the business world but also indispensable research. Finally, the material is a good improvement for the packaging industry, where mechanical properties are sometimes better compared to materials such as EPS. The two solutions developed showed that the material can be shaped for a specific product. This material offers a more cost competitive approach to packaging materials and a significant reduction in volume and storage space occupation.