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So, its been getting fairly hot here on the left coast. 108F in my area . Hot enough that a hot car will warp a PLA part in less than an hour.

Has anyone shipped with dry ice? if so how long does it last? Yall have any other recommendations for protecting PLA parts from heat while its shipped or sits on the customers porch during a hot day?

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Hi @PalmersPursuit!

I would not suggest shipping with dry ice; the extreme temperature difference could damage the print, and the shipping precautions necessary to ship dry ice legally would not be easy to comply with on every print.

Instead, I would suggest shipping your prints similar to how you would ship a live animal in the summer, with cold packs and insulation. You can use any cold pack sold specifically for shipping purposes (like these http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/691588/Ice-Brix-Cold-Packs-6-oz/), and line the inside of your shipping box with 3/4" insulation board or styrofoam. Wrap the cold pack with newspaper or paper towels to absorb most of the condensation that will occur during shipping, and place the print itself in a ziploc bag with some dessicant packages to prevent the print from getting wet and warping.

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Maybe Aluminum Foil is a better idea for not letting them to get that hot. It’s cheap, easy to wrap and no shipping problems.

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Hi, PLA’s glass transition temperature is somewhat over 60C (140F) so I imagine if your parts are becoming soft, the environmental temp is quite a bit higher than 108F.

I don’t think there is a practical way to send parts that may be subjected to extreme temps. Maybe this is a case where you need to advise the customer if high temps were anticipated.

Regards

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Well that’s two packages this week. Seams USPS here in California is letting the packages cook in a truck somewhere or its the customers mailbox. During the summer, a PLA part will warp in a hot car in under two hours. Cardboard braces seam to help but if the part is thicker on one side, then warp is hard to control. Looks like first class mail should not be used during hot weeks.

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Above all, I’d really just suggest letting customers know this a known issue and giving them the options. If they’re willing to pay for it to be shipped with cold packs, do that. If not, let them know what can/will happen if the package is exposed to high heat on the route and require they ship via Priority Mail.

I’ve had electronics cook over the summer months due to USPS so you’re not the only one!