[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":104},["ShallowReactive",2],{"copy:\u002Fcrating\u002Fmachinery":3},{"path":4,"h1":5,"metaDescription":6,"kicker":7,"lede":8,"panel":9,"spec":22,"drawing":42,"photo":43,"sections":44,"faqs":80,"related":93,"sources":100},"\u002Fcrating\u002Fmachinery","Machinery crating for truck, sea and air","Crates for industrial machinery: skid-base construction, bolted-down frames, VCI rust protection and sling marks, built from inside dimensions and gross weight.","Machinery","A machine tool, press or packaging line is crated on a skid-base crate: the frame is bolted to a heavy skid, wrapped in VCI film, and enclosed in a braced box that carries its own weight on the runners. Send the inside dimensions, the gross weight and the destination country and we write the crate spec from them.",[10,13,16,19],[11,12],"Best for","CNC, presses, packaging lines",[14,15],"Construction","Skid-base, braced box",[17,18],"Rust control","VCI film, desiccant",[20,21],"Lifting","Forklift pockets, sling marks",{"rows":23},[24,27,30,33,36,39],[25,26],"Base","Skid with runners sized to the gross weight",[28,29],"Hold-down","Lag bolts or through-bolts into the machine feet",[31,32],"Walls","Sheathed panels on framing, braced at the corners",[34,35],"Lining","VCI film, barrier bag, desiccant",[37,38],"Marks","Centre-of-gravity mark, sling points, ISO 780",[40,41],"Quote needs","Inside dimensions, gross weight, destination, quantity","skid-base",null,[45,50,60,65,70,75],{"h2":46,"paragraphs":47},"How a machine is fixed to the skid",[48,49],"Machinery moves by being part of the skid, not by sitting on it. The mounting feet or base frame of the machine are drilled to the skid with lag bolts or through-bolts, so a hard stop on a trailer or a roll in a seaway cannot slide the load across the deck. Where the base has no feet, we build a bolt-down plate or a pair of steel angles that grip the frame.","Blocking and bracing do the rest. Hardwood blocks sit against the base on all four sides, nailed to the skid, and diagonal braces run from the load to the corner posts. The aim is a load that cannot move even if the box around it is lost.",{"h2":51,"paragraphs":52,"list":55},"What gets removed or protected before the lid goes on",[53,54],"Anything that projects past the machine's body is a casualty waiting to happen. Pendant controls, light towers, door handles, guards and spindle covers are taken off, tagged with the machine's serial number and packed in a labelled box inside the crate. Cables are coiled and secured so no connector hangs free.","Fluids are a separate decision. Hydraulic oil, coolant and way lube are normally drained or the reservoirs sealed and topped to a level the builder specifies. Tell us what the manual says, since a machine with a sealed gearbox is packed differently from one with open reservoirs.",[56,57,58,59],"Machined surfaces and ways coated with rust-preventive oil","Spindles and taper bores capped","Control cabinets sealed against dust and condensation","Glass doors and displays covered with rigid board",{"h2":61,"paragraphs":62},"Moisture, rust and shock protection",[63,64],"Bare steel rusts fast in a sea container, because the air inside swings between day heat and night cold and the roof drips. We wrap the machine in VCI film, close it as a barrier bag, and seal it with tape at the seams. A calculated quantity of desiccant goes inside, hung away from electronics so a leaking pack cannot wet a board.","Shock is handled by where the machine touches the crate, not by foam alone. Foam or cork pads sit under precision parts such as scales, encoders and glass linear scales. A tip indicator and a shock indicator on the outside panel tell the receiver whether the crate was dropped or laid on its side.",{"h2":66,"paragraphs":67},"Construction that suits a machine",[68,69],"Most machines go in a skid-base crate: a structural base, framed side panels, a braced top and a lid. Heavy loads get the runners laid across the skid for forklift access, and a base deck of plywood or boards between the runners to spread the weight. The full build is on our skid-base crates page.","Very large frames, such as a press with a tall column, may need a strongback spanning the top to hold the walls in line, or an open-sided frame where the load will be craned straight off. If the machine will travel by air, we build lighter and quote the crate against dimensional weight.",{"h2":71,"paragraphs":72},"Lift points and marks",[73,74],"A crate should tell the rigger how to pick it up. We stencil forklift entry on the skid sides, mark sling points where a sling may bear, and paint a centre-of-gravity mark on two faces. The mark matters most on loads that are heavier on one end, like a lathe with the headstock on the left.","ISO 780 pictograms go on the outside: this way up, fragile, keep dry, sling here. Where the buyer wants the machine's name, serial number and a consignee reference on the crate, we paint those too. Our guide to crate markings shows the pictograms in the order they usually appear.",{"h2":76,"paragraphs":77},"Export, ISPM 15 and the paperwork",[78,79],"Machinery leaving the country goes on solid wood skids and runners that must be heat-treated and carry the IPPC stamp. Plywood is exempt from ISPM 15, so sheathing can be plywood while the skid and framing are stamped lumber. Check the destination country's plant-protection authority and USDA APHIS before you commit to a spec.","We keep the finished crate spec on file. A repeat order for the same model ships the same way, with the same bolt pattern, the same VCI layers and the same marks, which also keeps the packing list consistent for customs.",[81,84,87,90],{"q":82,"a":83},"Do I drain the machine before it is crated?","Usually yes, or the reservoirs are sealed to the builder's instruction. Send us the manual's transport section and we follow it.",{"q":85,"a":86},"Can you crate a machine that is already on a pallet?","Yes. We unbolt it, or build a skid-base crate over the pallet when the pallet is rated for the weight. The bolt-down is checked either way.",{"q":88,"a":89},"What do you need to quote a machine crate?","The inside dimensions L x W x H in inches, the gross weight in pounds and the destination country, plus quantity and date needed.",{"q":91,"a":92},"Is a crate lighter than a skid with shrink wrap?","Not lighter, but it is protected. Wrap on a skid does not stop forklift tines, stacking or crane strops from damaging a machine.",[94,95,96,97,98,99],"\u002Fcrating","\u002Fcrates\u002Ftypes\u002Fskid-base","\u002Fguides\u002Fcrating-machinery","\u002Fguides\u002Frust-prevention-vci","\u002Fcrates\u002Fheavy-duty","\u002Fcrating\u002Fpumps",[101],{"label":102,"url":103},"NELMA: wood packaging inspection programs","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nelma.org\u002Finspection-programs\u002Fwood-packaging\u002F",1794178337195]