Monitoring and optimizing transport and packaging processes
Sensitive goods such as precision machines, measuring instruments or industrial equipment must be precisely monitored during transportation. The aim is to assert liability claims or optimize the transport process. Our MSR data loggers offer a comprehensive solution for this.
Our data loggers use shock measurements to record improper handling such as impacts or hard contact. An integrated light sensor detects whether a container has been opened or whether perishable goods have been exposed to excessive light.
In addition to detecting vibrations, the integrated air pressure sensor provides information about the height profiles that have been passed through. This is particularly relevant for sensitive goods that react to certain altitudes.
A 3-axis sensor continuously tracks the position of your goods. This allows you to prove whether the goods have remained too long at certain locations such as customs offices, container ports or interim storage facilities, or whether they have been affected by excessive ship fluctuations.
Important questions that can help you choose the right MSR transport data logger:
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Which parameters must be recorded during a transport?
Sensitive goods such as precision machinery, chemicals or electronics are exposed to a variety of risks on their way to the customer. Whether by road or rail, water or air - there is a risk of impact and tilt events both in loading situations and on the way to the destination. Fluctuating environmental conditions can also damage the transported goods. Data loggers use sensors to monitor various environmental parameters such as temperature, air pressure, humidity, lighting conditions and/or mechanical-dynamic loads such as shocks and impacts.Acceleration (shock, impact) is considered to be the main cause of transport damage
Shock events during transportation can have a very negative effect on the mechanical construction of any industrial or consumer product. The damage is not always visible from the outside, which makes the data recorded by the acceleration sensor all the more important, as it can be used to conclusively clarify liability and quality assurance issues. In addition, even if the transported goods are insured, the insured damage is often only a small part of a possibly much larger overall loss. Consequential damage caused by faulty transportation, such as losses due to missing goods, unplanned post-production, delays or business interruptions, must also be taken into account. The choice of the appropriate shock data logger depends on the goods to be transported and the purpose of the recording. Do you want to use drop tests or a test shipment to measure the load on a load in order to optimize the packaging? Is the aim to record the transport preventively in order to detect any damage to the freight at an early stage? Do you need to document a transport that takes weeks in order to comply with standards and regulations?Temperature and humidity as important parameters in cold chain monitoring
If the freight involves perishable or highly regulated goods such as frozen products, medicines, organs or even plastic elements, temperature and humidity limits and standards must be observed and fully documented during transportation and storage.Relative humidity is closely linked to temperature via the dew point parameter. The moisture content must also be recorded, for example, in order to quickly identify the cause of corrosion on metal parts or moisture and mold damage to organic materials.
Light (lux) is also an important physical influencing factor, for example for foodstuffs and chemical substances, as solar radiation often has a damaging effect on sensitive goods. However, the parameter "light" is of particular importance when detecting unauthorized tampering with normally closed containers: Incidence of light indicates opening, which may allow conclusions to be drawn about a planned or executed act of theft.
Air pressure is also a significant value that can influence the properties of deformable goods, for example. In this context, hollow bodies made of plastic should be mentioned, as well as deformable containers filled with gas or liquids. This parameter is particularly important for air freight transportation, where the internal pressure in the aircraft must be monitored precisely.
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How long does the transport take? How long must the data logger be able to record?
One of the most important questions of all. If a transport by truck over a bumpy land route lasting weeks has to be monitored or if sea freight is to be accompanied for months, a significantly higher storage capacity is required than for a short air freight transport.
The achievable recording duration of a data logger is determined by its storage capacity and the set measurement rate.
Calculation example of recording duration for a climate measurement
To determine the recording duration of a climate measurement (temperature, relative humidity, air pressure), the storage capacity (number of measured values of the data logger) is divided by the measuring rate.Assumption: A temperature data logger has a storage capacity of 2 million measured values. If the temperature values are measured and stored twice per minute, the storage capacity of the logger is sufficient for up to 2 years.
2,000,000 measured values / (2 measured values ∙ 60 min ∙ 24 hours) = 694 days
Storage of shock events
Data loggers differ in terms of data storage. For this reason, it is not possible to create a generally valid formula for calculating the recording duration for shock events. In shock mode, the number of recorded events depends on the length of the shock events as well as the storage capacity and storage mode of the data logger. Below we compare the MSR data loggers on a *table*1) Shock recording simultaneously with ±15 g and ±200 g.
2) Typical shock length 200 ms at maximum sampling rate.
3) With GPS up to 55 days, without GPS up to 1.5 years.
Additional recordings such as climate values (temperature, humidity, air pressure, light) reduce the measurement duration.
*Table as of March 2023, subject to change and/or error.
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What kind of goods are transported (measurement sensitivity)?
This question is important because each object reacts specifically to the stresses acting on it. The stress acting on a transported item is directly dependent on the item itself. If, for example, a sensitive precision medical device is being transported, even minor impacts are critical, whereas the threshold is higher when transporting machine tools. For an impact to become critical, it must have a certain minimum acceleration and a minimum duration in the impact event. What is critical for a transport good is different for each transport good and depends on its respective condition.
In principle, the mechanical load and the actual effect on the object should be determined experimentally using acceleration sensors during the actual (transportation) load.
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With which means of transportation is the transport carried out (load multiple below ±15 g or max ±200 g?
Is the freight to be monitored transported by rail, road, water or air? Depending on the means of transportation, different accelerations act on the freight. If a transport by truck over a bumpy overland route has to be monitored over a period of weeks or if sea freight is to be monitored over a period of months, a significantly higher storage capacity is required than for a short air freight transport.A sensor with an appropriate measuring range must be selected so that the data logger can document the load multiple in a meaningful way. The measuring range indicates the maximum values that can be recorded (e.g. ±15 g or max ±200 g). Shock loads are specified as a multiple of the acceleration due to gravity (g= 9.81 [m/s²]).
A ±15 g sensor is usually sufficient for monitoring pallet displacements, for example, i.e. for measuring light impacts. For intensive shocks, such as those that occur when unloading/reloading onto a truck or during ship transportation, a data logger with a ±200 g sensor and a high measuring rate is generally recommended in order to record shocks with a higher resolution. The measurement or sampling rate is the number of g-value measurements per unit of time (usually per second - unit Hz). The measuring rate predetermines the accuracy with which the acceleration event is recorded.
In order to be able to record transport loads precisely, it has been shown that data loggers should record well over 10,000 times per second in order to be able to map the g-value curves well. Basically, the higher the measurement rate, the more accurately the actual curve and peak values are mapped. The whole thing is of course in three geometric spatial axes (x, y, z) in order to obtain acceleration values in all directions.- +
What is the minimum number of shock events that the data logger must be able to record and store?
This question is related to the previous questions about the type of goods, the duration of transportation and the means of transport. Accordingly, a data logger must be selected that has a sufficiently high storage capacity so that it does not miss any critical impacts. This is the only way to ensure that the measurement data is meaningful at all. Below we compare the MSR data loggers in a *table:- +
What information do I get from the shock events?
When choosing a data logger, special attention must be paid to the evaluation software. An evaluation software must be able to process millions of data quickly. It must be possible to determine relevant shock events quickly and easily, and it must be possible to examine and export the data curves or measuring points of each individual shock.
In the case of a shock, for example, knowing the peak value for the acceleration is often not enough; the associated duration of the shock is just as relevant, as this can be used to determine the intensity of the shock directly or in comparison to other shocks on the object. Two impacts with the same intensity can have different effects on the object, as the absolute values for impact duration and acceleration always determine the effect on the object.
In the MSR ShockViewer software supplied with the MSR165, MSR175 and MSR175plus acceleration data loggers, it is possible to filter shock events using the values for intensity (IoT) and pulse time (Tot) in order to concentrate on the most serious events in the analysis. Spectral analysis data of a selected shock event can also be displayed and exported either in a table or in a diagram. Several types of spectral analysis (e.g. Magnitude, Power Spec and many more) as well as several types of weighting windows (e.g. Rectangle, Gauss, Hamming and many more) are available.
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Do I want to be able to record vibrations as well as shock events?
Vibration measurement with MSR165 data logger
If you also want to use your data logger for vibration measurements, we recommend the MSR165 data logger. In addition to recordings in shock mode, the MSR165 can also be used to permanently record vibrations. In order to record vibrations correctly with the aid of acceleration sensors, correspondingly high measurement rates that match the vibration must be selected for the measurements. Due to the large amount of data, the duration of the recording is limited. You can increase the storage capacity of the MSR165 (≥ 2 million measured values as standard) to over 1 billion measured values using a microSD card.The following *table shows the approximate duration for the two data logger variants MSR165B8 (LiPo battery 1000 mAh) and MSR165B52 (Li-SOCl2 batteries 3.6 V, 2 x 7700 mAh), depending on the sampling rate.
Additional recordings such as climate values (temperature, humidity, air pressure, light) reduce the measurement duration.
Further information can be found in our basic paper on acceleration measurements.
*Table as of March 2023, subject to change and/or error.
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What sampling rate do I need for my measurement task? Does it have to be freely adjustable?
The sampling or measuring rate is the number of g-value measurements per unit of time (usually per second - unit Hz). The measurement rate predetermines the accuracy with which the acceleration event is recorded. The higher the measurement rate, the finer the actual course of an acceleration event can be resolved. In order to be able to precisely record transport loads, it has been shown that a data logger should record well over 10,000 times per second in order to be able to map the g-value curves well. Of course, this should be done in three geometric spatial axes (x, y, z) in order to obtain acceleration values in all directions.
The disadvantage of high measurement rates is that a very high volume of data is generated, which means that the memory and performance limits of the logger are quickly reached. The continuous measurement and processing or storage of the data also results in high power consumption, which limits the mobile operating times of the logger. Event-based measurement allows targeted recording of surges that exceed a critical duration and/or strength. In addition to providing a better overview for long-term measurements, this also offers the advantage that only relevant events are recorded and therefore energy and storage capacity are used more effectively.
Set threshold values
If the focus of the measurement task is not on short-term shock analyses but on long-term monitoring, setting threshold values allows targeted recording of shocks that exceed a certain preset g-value (threshold) and a minimum shock duration (ToT). This procedure saves storage capacity as only relevant events are saved. It makes sense to also save some g-values before and after the event in order to be able to evaluate the data for the entire event. With MSR transport data loggers, 32 measuring points per axis before the event and 100 measuring points per axis after the event are saved automatically.Information on the MSR transport data loggers
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Do I need a GPS tracker?
If you want to know and, if necessary, prove where your transported goods have been and for how long, a data logger with GPS tracking can be helpful, as the recorded data can be used to quickly localize critical transport events.
Like a "black box", the MSR175plus data logger records problematic events such as impacts, shocks, temperature overshoots or undershoots or impermissible humidity values and records their geographical position using GPS and a time stamp. The logger is equipped with a GPS/GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver, which allows it to record the satellite-based position data.
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Is the data logger approved for air freight transportation?
All data loggers containing lithium polymer batteries are subject to certain IATA (International Air Transport Association) regulations when transported by air freight. MSR transport data loggers meet stringent aviation safety requirements.
In our FAQ you will find the documents provided by MSR Electronics GmbH for download. Please contact your freight forwarder directly for information on local regulations.
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Determining the cause of transport damage
In globalized markets, industrial goods and goods of all kinds have to be shipped all over the world. And a lot can happen during such shipments - especially when they span several continents: High temperatures, unacceptable humidity levels or mechanical shock events are just a few examples of damage incidents that cause annoyance as well as expense. However, compact miniature data loggers can help to precisely analyze the causes of transport damage or track down those responsible.
Theft protection during transportation
In addition to logistical challenges, global transportation routes also harbour risks for criminal activities. With the mini data loggers accompanying the goods, cases of damage can be reconstructed and tampering proven.
Transport monitoring of short-pulse lasers
Short-pulse lasers are products with the value of a small car. Anyone who buys one wants to know that transportation is in good hands. Data loggers are therefore used for transport monitoring, which accompany the laser on its journey and record information such as temperature, humidity and acceleration. And what secrets does such data analysis reveal?
Quality monitoring during road transportation of highly sensitive medical technology
Uroviva Services AG, which specializes in transporting medical devices, uses data loggers for quality assurance. Uroviva uses state-of-the-art transport logistics to record the loads on medical devices.
Transparent transportation
The MSR data loggers provide complete information about the transportation circumstances of a consignment of goods. The recordings of the miniaturized measuring devices are not only used to determine any damage, but also form the basis for design improvements to the exported goods themselves.
Blood samples in pneumatic tube transport
Pneumatic tube systems can shorten transportation times for blood samples. However, due to temperature, humidity, acceleration forces and pressure, the quality of samples can be affected during transportation. The MSR145 mini data logger was used to determine the G-forces and prove that the use of a "single sample" pneumatic tube system does not affect the blood analysis results
Prevention strategy for the transportation of fragile paintings
The data loggers were used as part of a research project to assess the risk of transporting fragile paintings. The results provided new insights into the optimization of vibration protection and the problems of existing transport packaging.
CERN documents physical parameters during transportation with MSR175 and MSR175plus data loggers
CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, located near Geneva, is one of the largest and most renowned centers for fundamental physics research in the world.
Our transport data loggers
Shock & vibration data logger MSR165
- Ideal for long-term measurements of shocks, impacts and vibration
Acceleration sensor Two 3-axis accelerometers (±15 g and ±200 g) Shock measurement rate up to 1,600 / second Memory capacity Up to one billion measured values Shock data logger MSR175
- Cost-effective transport data logger for shocks and impacts
Acceleration sensor Two 3-axis acceleration sensors (±15 g and ±200 g) Shock measurement rate Up to 6,400 / second Memory capacity up to two million measured values Shock data logger with GPS signal - MSR175plus
- For applications that require a GPS signal
Acceleration sensor Two 3-axis acceleration sensors (±15 g and ±200 g) Shock measurement rate up to 6,400 / second Memory capacity Up to two million measured values Vibration tests of packaging
What mechanical influences affect packaging during transportation and how should it be designed? Neupack has answered this question with two MSR165 data loggers equipped with 15 g acceleration sensors for vibration tests. The vibration tests proved the theoretical assumptions and serve as a basis for future packaging developments.
Plastic films on the test bench
Plastic films used in medical products have to meet stringent legal requirements. In addition to biocompatibility, water impermeability is an important criterion. At Furtwangen University, a test stand for measuring water vapour diffusion barriers was set up as part of a project. Reliable temperature and humidity sensors played an important role here - precisely and economically.
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