Is a custom dunnage separator more expensive than a generic one?

The initial cost can be higher, but it's offset by fewer parts rejected for scratching and by the multiple use cycles a separator designed for closed-loop operation can sustain.

How long does it take to design a custom separator?

It depends on the part's geometric complexity, but the process starts from the real part or its blueprints, not a generic template, to make sure the cavity fits correctly from the first prototype.

Does a dunnage separator work for parts other than automotive ones?

Yes. Any part that needs surface protection during transport, such as electronic components or parts with a sensitive finish, can benefit from the same custom-design principle.

What Is a Dunnage Separator and Why Are Your Painted Parts Arriving Scratched?

The container arrives from the paint plant and when it's opened, two out of every ten parts have a fine scratch line where one part touched another during transport. Quality rejects the lot, the assembly line stops waiting for replacements, and no one can say for certain whether the problem was handling, the route, or the packaging, because the separator used was never designed with that specific part in mind.

The Scrap No One Connects to Packaging Until It Gets Expensive

When a scratch shows up on a painted part, the first check usually points to operator handling or the transport route. Those are reasonable hypotheses, but they leave out the most common cause in automotive: a generic separator that wasn't designed for that part's exact geometry, allowing direct contact that the right design would have prevented.

Why a Generic Separator Doesn't Solve the Problem

A standard dunnage separator can hold the part in place for part of the trip, but if it isn't designed to fit its geometry, it leaves rigid contact points between parts or between the part and the separator itself. That contact, repeated with every bump or hard stop during transport, is what causes the scratch.

What a Dunnage Separator Actually Is and How It's Designed

A dunnage separator is a packaging piece manufactured to the exact dimensions of a component, with cavities and supports designed to immobilize it inside the container without direct contact with other parts or rigid surfaces. It's designed from the part's real geometry, the point where its surface is most sensitive, and the type of handling it will receive during transport.

Why Corrugated Polypropylene Is the Right Material for This Application

The separator is manufactured in corrugated polypropylene, a material that doesn't scratch a painted surface the way a wood edge or a poorly cut cardboard edge can, and that withstands multiple closed-loop use cycles without losing its shape or holding capacity.

How a Well-Designed Separator Translates Into Less Scrap

When the separator is designed to fit the part, surface contact disappears, and with it the most common cause of scratching disappears too. At Cassium Transformaciones we design custom dunnage separators based on the real part from your operation, with cutting and folding processes that make it possible to fit each cavity to the exact geometry you need to protect.