Drawers foam liner 2

[gbernier]

Hi!

I'm not sure if I'm in the good forum, but anyway, here's my question.

I’m currently designing a new trolley for Pratt & Whitney Canada. The trolley will be used for storing and handling a whole engine (sub-assembly and/or parts). I would like to use a foam liner in the drawers, with every part profile, so we could easily identify the place of each part/sub-assembly. (see this picture to understand what I mean :

http://www.listaintl.com/images/foamliner2.jpg

)

The problem is that after the disassembly, the engine parts are dirty (oil, soot, dust). Once the parts have been cleaned, we need to put them back on the trolley. So it means that the parts profiles of the trolley must be clean too.

So, my question is : Do you know a material (foam) that can be easily cleaned, and that doesn’t absorb oil?

 

[EdStainless]

How about a film of plastic that lays in the drawer and can be removed and thrown away after each use.
Maybe 20 layers of plastic and the top dirty one can be pealed off and tossed, like the face plates for dirt bike racers.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Corrosion, every where, all the time.
Manage it or it will manage you.

http://www.trent-tube.com/contact/Tech_Assist.cfm

 

[MintJulep]

Foam is inherently difficult to clean. It's foam - stuff with air space between the stuff. Closed-cell would be better, but it still has a pitted surface.

Does it have to be foam? Why not a thermoformed plastic, or a solid chunk of polycarbonate?

How about a two-sided tray insert. One side for dirty, the other for clean.

 

[ZiggyK]

All polyethylene foam and co-polymers of polyethylene foam will absorb oil. The University of Toronto has a lab, directed by Dr. Chul Park, that has polycarbonate foam and many other materials.

 

[unclesyd]

While watching a TV program on building boat parts with vacuum box forming had one of them brain things. Eveidently there is a heavy plastic available that is very ammendable to vacuum forming over components. It works like the blister packaging used all over the palce.
Put all the parts in a box the size of a cabinet drawer and pull the plastic in to conform to the part. Use one for each drawer. If you use thin plastic you could make and stack them like the tear offs mentioned by EdStainless.

 

[unclesyd]

Another one if you are still around.

Take a look at the options presented here for packaging or in your case storing. The gray film is grease resistant.

http://www.sealedair.com/products/protective/instapak/quick/quick.html