Container Selection Process

These notes are strictly for guidance only, for an accurate assessment of the type, size and design of case you should contact a member of QED staff. We can also advise on the internal layout, offering ideas to reduce the overall size or increase the level of protection.

Main criteria

When calculating the required internal size of a case to house equipment there are three main elements to consider:- Equipment Size, Weight and Fragility.

Equipment Size

For single item case, use the overall external dimensions of the item as the starting point. For multiple item cases lay out all the items to be housed with at least 10mm gap between each item. For large items, heavy items or very delicate items increase the gaps between each up to 50mm then measure the overall layout size.
For an item or set of items take the overall size / weight / fragility, compare with the lists below and add the shown amount of extra cushioning at each stage to your item/items dimensions to give the overall cushion size / internal size of the case.

All dimensions are shown in millimetres (Length x Width x Height)

Size

Weight
For single item cases or multiple item cases calculate the overall weight of the contents.

Fragility
When calculating the fragility of the item/s to be house consider how many ‘G’ they can see before they suffer mechanical failure, as a guide use the following table.

Size Guide Example

We have a set of items that, when laid out with appropriate gaps between all the items measure 550 x 390 x 180mm. The total weight of the items is 12kg and the items are mass produced electronic assemblies. They are for long term storage of spares and deployment into the battle field.

To calculate the internal dimensions of the case required we start with:-

As you can see many contributing factors influence the choice of container size. Remember this is a guide only, for more detailed assistance contact a member of QED staff.

Operational environment

The type of operational use the containers are likely to see will have an influence on the type of container to be selected, the following is a rough guide to the styles of container and the typical environments in which they work well.

QED Instrument cases
Light weight plastic cases, commercial standard. Ideal for light tools and instruments, good seal, easy handling, scratch resistant material, low volumes from stock.
Size range 285 x 182 x 185mm to 661 x 458 x 225mm - See full list under Instrument Cases.

Peli cases
Medium weight plastic cases, heavy commercial standard, Ideal for medium weight standard & semi rugged items. Good seal, pressure relief valve as standard, limited colour range, mostly available from stock.
Size range 187 x 124 x 77mm to 740 x 525 x 448mm - See full list under Peli Cases.

QED Hi-K cases
Heavy duty sandwich construction cases, ideal for heavy commercial and military deployable applications, gives very good protection in rugged environments even for fragile equipment. Scratch resistant material, good seal, and many custom options. Small numbers from stock.
Size range 245 x 235 x 170mm to 1200 x 600 x 325mm - See full list under Hi-K Cases.

Roto moulded containers
Very heavy duty plastic cases, ideal for the harshest applications, military or industrial, 50 plus sizes, Automatic pressure relief valve as standard.
Size range 140 x 140 x 238mm to 1321 x 1219 x 458mm - See full list under Roto Moulded Containers.

Aluminium containers
Light weight durable range of standard size aluminium containers, suitable for all applications. Good seal, any paint finish available – at extra cost.
Size range 350 x 250 x 310mm to 1650 x 750 x 670mm - See full list under Aluminium Containers.

Fab & weld Aluminium containers
Various levels of construction according to use, any size, shape and quantity usually available on short lead time after design approval. Good seal, any paint finish available – at extra cost.