As a DIY system builder and reviewer I frequently have packages arriving at my doorstep that are packed with sensitive hardware that can easily be destroyed. With so much hardware coming in the chances of damaged hardware arriving are high, and from the looks of some of the boxes that are delivered it appears as if UPS/FedEx are running them over with their truck before carelessly tossing them at my front door. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard the thud of a product hitting my door rather than the carrier knocking.

To protect the goods inside of the box companies rely on bubble wrap, foam, or paper. Out of these foam has the most protective properties, but it is more expensive and the manufacturing of foam is bad for the environment. A team at ExpandOS, has a new packing product though, that is said to be 20% less expensive than bubble wrap, environmentally friendly and up to 40% faster to use than foam-in-place packaging.

The new product are 3-D cardboard paper pyramids that are specifically designed to cling together using all three sides, all six corners and all thirty-eight fingers. Other cushioning elements include a network of circular holes that minimize added package weight and enable the elements to further interlock. After the space-saving paperboard sheets are converted to the small paper pyramids and fed into the shipping box, it’s like they are “activated”, and they immediately seek out the product surfaces and each other to stabilize the product in a turbulent shipping environment.

To test the product ExpandOS has sent potential customers a box containing a brick, coffee mug, and lightbulb, and so far have only had one broken mug reported. “We call the stuff paper cement,” said the companies CEO. “When you pile it out, things stay exactly where you put them.”