Not all dunnage tray failures come from poor design—most come from incomplete inputs defined too late in the process.
If you’ve already read our breakdown of early design decisions, this version takes it a step further.
Below is the fullDunnage Tray Design Guide, including real-world examples, application visuals, and engineering considerations that are easier to understand in context.
You can scroll through the guide directly, or download the full PDF to reference during your next project.
Dunnage trays—also referred to as assembly trays, shipping trays, or handling trays—play a critical role in protecting parts, improving efficiency, and supporting automation. However, when tray design is treated as a late-stage decision, it often leads to costly redesigns and performance issues.
Above: ESD thermoformed dunnage tray safely transports sensitive electronics
Key Design Inputs for Dunnage Trays
In many manufacturing environments, thermoformed dunnage trays are developed after product design and primary packaging decisions have already been established. While this approach may seem efficient, it often introduces challenges later in the development process. In practice, treating dunnage trays as a late-stage packaging decision is one of the more common sources of avoidable redesign.
When designing a dunnage tray, several critical factors should be defined early in the process:
Product geometry, tolerances, and surface characteristics
Packaging constraints, including container size and bagging requirements
Desired part density and shipping configuration
Part orientation and handling requirements
Automation and material handling considerations
Structural performance and material selection
Dunnage trays are not simply protective packaging components. They function as part of a broader material handling and manufacturing system, influencing product protection, transport efficiency, automation compatibility, and overall cost. When key design inputs are not clearly defined at the outset, these factors tend to surface later as revisions, delays, or performance limitations that are more difficult to resolve once production is underway. Effective tray design begins with a clear understanding of the application requirements—not just the geometry of the part.
When developing thermoformed assembly trays, a detailed understanding of the robotic platforms that will be handling the trays must be ascertained. These include specifics on the robotic fixtures, tray locators, pinchers, and tray orientation and loading system. If there is no existing fixture, collaboration between the equipment maker/customer/ thermoform tray supplier will determine the most efficient design to facilitate the goals of the automated parts assembly operations.
Dordan is featured in Plastics Today's article on developments in thermoforming, which compares the cost, trends, and applications of heavy-gauge forming, injection and blow molding, twin sheet forming, and thin gauge thermoforming.
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