Foam Thickness And Density
Thickness sets the stopping distance and therefore the peak force transmitted during an impact. Density and grade set how much the foam recovers under a sustained load. A case can have plenty of thickness and still fail if the foam creeps under the equipment mass over months, and it can have the perfect density and fail because there was only 20 mm of it.
Key points
- Doubling thickness roughly halves the peak force for the same event, up to the point the foam bottoms out.
- A firm carrier under a soft contact layer outperforms either grade used alone.
- Creep under static load is the failure mode in storage; peak force is the failure mode in transit.
A worked comparison
For a 15 kg assembly, a 20 mm base layer is close to fully compressed in a modest free drop, which means the equipment is effectively hitting the shell. A 50 mm base layer under the same mass keeps some compression in reserve, and the difference in what the equipment experiences is far larger than the difference in cost.
Where the case will be stored loaded for months, the same 50 mm must also be a grade that does not creep, otherwise the reserve is gone before the first drop.
Applications
This matters most where the case is part of a movement chain rather than shelf packaging. In electronics & instruments and medical & laboratory the same shell is specified differently because the handling, the environment and the verification requirement differ.
- Electronics & Instruments — Electronic assemblies rarely fail from a single large impact. They fail from repeated small shoc…
- Medical & Laboratory — Medical cases are audited. Whatever goes inside has to be verifiable at a glance, cleanable, and…
Customisation
Everything described above is configurable on a standard shell: interior layout (pick-and-pluck, die-cut or CNC-cut), foam grade and thickness, colour, logo method, latch and lock count, pressure-equalisation valve, cable ports, document holder and identification plate. A bespoke exterior geometry requires a new mould — 125 days, from 3,000 units per moulded component.
Procurement considerations
| Question | What to send us |
|---|---|
| Which shell fits? | Equipment L × W × H as packed, plus required clearance per axis |
| What does it cost? | Order quantity and estimated annual quantity — the two drive different answers |
| Is tooling needed? | Whether an existing shell clears the envelope with usable foam depth |
| Lead time? | Your required delivery date, not just the order date |
| Certification? | The exact standard your tender names — we will say whether we can test to it |
| Freight? | Destination and preferred terms; carton and pallet data supplied with the quotation |
Comparison and selection guide
The tables on this page exist because a protective case is chosen by comparing three things: the envelope, the environment and the handling chain. Where no table applies, the rule below is.
| Situation | What To Do |
|---|---|
| Benchtop mass | Firm base carrier, 50 mm minimum, with a soft contact layer. |
| Optical head | Suspend the body and clear the lenses entirely; never let foam touch a coated surface under load. |
| Field kit | CNC base for the instrument, pluck-foam top for probes and consumables. |
- Size on internal dimensions plus clearance, never on a product name.
- Choose the carrying method before the shell: it changes the series, not just the price.
- Specify the interior last, and decide up front whether the end user will reconfigure it.
Foam Thickness And Density relates to Foam Insert Guide. Related families: Instrument & Equipment Cases / Custom Protective Cases. Related sectors: Electronics & Instruments / Medical & Laboratory. Continue in the Foam Insert Guide cluster.
This page is written from our own production data. If your requirement differs, send the dimensions and we will tell you which of the 155 models fits, or whether a custom route is needed.
