Case Study: One Case For An Airframe, Four Batteries And A Ground Station
A zoned drone case interior: airframe cradle, individual battery pockets, suspended gimbal and a lid layer for the controller.
A survey operator needed a single case for a folding quadcopter, four batteries, a controller, filters and spare propellers, that would pass as cabin baggage.
Customer requirement
One case, air plus road, that a single operator could carry through an airport.
Equipment dimensions
Folded airframe 380 x 240 x 220 mm; controller and batteries determined the layout.
Protection requirements
Gimbal unloaded, batteries isolated with terminals protected, propellers countable without removing anything.
Case selection
A 7-series shell chosen against the external footprint of the cabin allowance rather than the internal volume.
Interior design
Three zones: airframe cradle, battery bank, accessory tray, with the controller in the lid layer.
Foam solution
Soft closed-cell PE against the airframe, a firmer carrier under the battery bank, and a shallow tray for propellers and filters.
Customisation
Dark grey shell, printed accessory map on the lid, and a seal-compatible latch.
Production
Forty-five days from approved layout.
Packaging
Carton with published dimensions for the operator fleet order.
Delivery
EXW Zhongshan, collected by the operator forwarder.
What came out of it
- The original design failed because the batteries shared a cavity with the connectors; separating them fixed the damage without changing the shell.
- Battery carriage rules remained the operator responsibility; the case only had to meet the dimension.
Client names, order values and programme details are withheld where the customer requires it. The dimensions and construction described here are the ones we produced to.