So I’ve been lurking for awhile and I think it’s time to finally pull the trigger on an XL Shapeoko. I have a business flight coming up in May and given my airline status I can carry 3 x 70 lbs bags. The machine is listed at 100 lbs so I’m not concerned about the weight. I am however worried about any damage that might be caused as it’s thrown around by airport personnel. This is an international flight (in case that matters somehow).
It seems to me that everything besides the XYZ beams can be put inside a suitcase with enough padding to secure it from any potential damage. The beams themselves I was thinking to just send as is and hope for the best.
What are you guys thinking in terms of pulling this off?
At least one machine has been packed into suitcases in this fashion and shipped successfully (sans wasteboard).
There is some additional packaging in the box which should be workable for using to package things. You could also cut up the outer boxes — there’s a over-wrapper box as well as a nifty pair of nesting top and bottom which make the inner box.
Wrap the extrusion well and carefully — put the two matching pairs together and put the sides with the V-rails on the inside. Wrap the long X-axis one up w/ a couple of extra layers of cardboard and additional packaging around the V-rails.