CaseTech Cases 101

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	Cases 101™ An Introduction to reusable shipping cases Case Construction:
	Fabricated: Fabricated cases are actually made to order. The basic ATA case is a plywood base with an ABS — a plastic type material — laminate to seal the exterior, or a lighter weight material Anvil calls XLT-1. It is 20-30% lighter than the plywood base (sizes are limited). Extruded aluminum angle is used for joining the top, bottom and side walls to one another. Corners are made of steel — ball corners, square corners, or stacking ball corners. Vacuum Formed: "form" or mold. They are molded cases, generally with metal valances and cannot be made airtight or water tight. They are lighter weight than the fabricated case, but also less rugged. Injection Molded: Injection molded cases are just that — a poly/plastic material, heated and injected into a mold. It creates even case walls and corners. They are an excellent value, but have fewer sizes than our vacuum formed and roto-molded cases. Rotationally Molded/Roto-Molded: Rotationally molded cases (Roto-Molded) are made of mid-density polyethylene. The process takes dry pellets of polyethylene, it is poured into a mold, and moved into the oven where it spins to evenly mold the case. A key advantage to the Roto-molded cases are corners that are 20% thicker than case walls, stronger where they need to be. Hardigg is the case for very rugged requirements. Case Performance Terms/Standards Mil-Specs: These are specifications put together by the military for certain performance criteria. ATA: The ATA is the Airline Transportation Association and they set the performance standards for an airline approved case. Most of our cases are ATA, but not all are. Manufacturers Hardigg — roto-mold, highly custom and engineered Storm by Hardigg — injection molded, empty, foam filled and custom foam Pelican — injection molded, foam filled or empty only Anvil — fabricated, highly custom interiors Parker Plastics — vacuum formed, empty, foam lined, foam filled
	Common Case Options: Wheels (with or without brakes) Locks Cardholders Airtight/PRV Foam fill, foam line, custom foam
	Foam: Polyurethane — the soft stuff Polyethylene — the stiff stuff X-Link — clean room foam — low particulating Anti-static — dissipates charge 3M Spray 90 — foam "glue" or bonding agent
	Rack/Shock Systems: "U" or rack space — 1.75" EIA — Electronics Industry Association Shock rack — protects against shock and vibration with elastomeric shocks or foam Hard Rack — rack channels are hard mounted to the case wall — no cushioning
	Common Rack/Shock Options: Airtight/PRV Drawers Locks Sliding rack glides Adjustable side supports Storage pouches Measuring and Weights: Dimensions are given in this order: left to right (length), front to back (width), top to bottom (height) — L x W x H Weight of equipment is important to determine case construction/type, foam type, and wheel type. Case Use: Shipped common carrier or as checked luggage Local transport by user only