LAPIDUS TROPHY FOR “BEST OVERALL” ENTRY

 ENTRY IN CATEGORY 1 – LONG LIFE PACKAGING, ENTITLED:

Improved Packaging for 30mm x 173mm Ammunition

 Entered by: 
Jason Runnell, Mechanical Engineer
US ARMY RDECOM, Pkg. Div., Picatinny Arsenal, NJ

This prestigious trophy, awarded annually to the "Best of Show" entry in the NIPHLE Design Competition, will be proudly displayed in the offices of the US ARMY ARDEC, PACKAGING DIVISION in Picatinny, NJ, until new awards are made in Spring, 2009.  The award, instituted in 1998, is named for Herbert M. Lapidus who was the first civilian chairman of the Navy Packaging Board and a charter inductee into the Military Packaging Hall of Fame. Mr. Lapidus is widely considered by his peers to be one of the pioneers in the field of Military Packaging.

Trophy History The award, instituted in 1998, is named for Herbert M. Lapidus (pictured) who was the first civilian chairman of the Navy Packaging Board and a charter inductee into the Military Packaging Hall of Fame. Mr. Lapidus, a retired USAF Colonel whose career efforts in packaging gave our military the protected products they needed in critical war environments, is widely considered by his peers as one of the fathers of Military Packaging.

The 2008 winners in the 2 categories of the design competition were:

CATEGORY 1 — LONG-LIFE PACKAGING

IMPROVED PACKAGING FOR 30mm x 173mm AMMUNITION

Objective: Redesign the current packaging which fails to adequarely protect the links and projectiles of the 30mm x 173mm round against the Army rough-handling conditions demanded by the Future Combat Systems program.

Solution: The design replaces the current foam dunnage in a M592 ammunication can with an assembly consisting of an injection molded high density polyethylene (HDPE) stand-off, Nylon support plate, HDPE restraining plate, and a Homosote filler pad. The design process followed a multiple-phase protocol using Design for Six-Sigma Framework princpiles.

Successful qualification testing was conducted using the Rough Handling requirements of MIL-STD-1904 with both inert and live rounds.  The system is being tested by the US Navy for use with the PABM-T Air Burst Cartridge.  Unit cost for anticipated volumes is projected to be about $10 less per container than the current dunnage, although the saving is slightly offset by a shipping weight increase of about four pounds.

Entered by:
Jason Runnell, Mechanical Engineer
US ARMY RDECOM, Pkg. Div.
Picatinny Arsenal, NJ

Other contributors:
Ricardo Villela, Pkg. Engineer
US ARMY RDECOM, Pkg. Div.
Picatinny Arsenal, NJ

Niral Patel, Mechanical Engineer
US ARMY RDECOM, Pkg. Div.
Picatinny Arsenal, NJ