Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to honeycomb assemblies and packaging thereof, such as packaging of honeycomb bodies, such as hex- or rectilinear cellular ceramic bodies, or otherwise structured substrates, filters, partial filters, catalyzed substrates, and/or associated components that may be used in filters or emissions control devices, such as catalytic converters for diesel engines or other combustion engines.
Honeycomb bodies for emissions control devices may be designed with intricate internal structures, such as including many, very narrow and elongate flow paths for fluid, such as exhaust. The flow paths may be blocked with filters or may be open to through flow. The exterior shape of such honeycomb bodies typically conforms to the shape or design of the overall emissions control device, such as a cylindrical geometry with the flow paths extending at least partway between ends of the cylinder. Internal walls of the flow paths may be designed to be relatively narrow to increase the volume of fluid flow that can pass through a given substrate. However, as a result of the narrow structure, the substrates may be susceptible to damage if not handled or packaged properly. Because the substrates are often coated with precious metals, such as platinum, damaged substrates can be very costly if the precious metals are wasted.
To mitigate risks of damaging ceramic substrates during shipping of the substrates to coating facilities, manufacturers of substrates have developed elaborate packaging systems to protect the substrates and prevent inadvertent damage. Such systems may include individually wrapping the substrates in soft, cushioning materials such as foam, locating the cushioning material in rigid shells, and spacing the substrates far apart from one another in a package such that a package of ceramic substrates may overwhelming filled by packaging material (e.g., cardboard, foam, tape, paper, plastic, etc.) in terms of volume. Such packaging systems may serve to keep fragile substrates protected, but Applicants have found that relatively large volumes of packaging materials increases shipping costs and may be wasteful in terms of space in shipping and in terms of garbage.
A need exists for a packaging system for honeycomb assemblies, such as delicate ceramic substrates, that protects the substrates but does not waste space in shipping.
In addition to the above shortcomings of conventional packaging systems, perfect confidence in the structure of each individual ceramic substrate may not be achieved. For example, even with ideal performing manufacturers of substrates, some substrates may, from time to time, have defects or imperfections, such as due to mishandling, that could possibly lead them to crack or otherwise fail when fully assembled in the respective emissions control devices. As mentioned above, such failures tend to be very costly if precious metals are wasted.
A need exists to check honeycomb bodies, and to do so in close proximity to or as part of the packaging process, to reduce chances of shipping defective substrates.