Can an ABS Plastic Protective Case stay outdoors permanently?

Answer: Not in standard grade. Six months facing south gives ΔE 4 to 5, a year brings chalking; specify a UV grade or ASA cap with a 1000-hour xenon report.

Does higher Rockwell hardness mean better drop performance?

Answer: No. Grades above R115 lose about half their notched impact, down to 12 kJ/m². A case absorbs energy through impact strength, not hardness.

What colour difference is acceptable within one lot?

Answer: ΔE 1.0 is the usual line; 1.5 is visible in daylight. Hold grade, masterbatch lot and four hours of drying at 80 °C.

Is −20 °C workable?

Answer: Yes, with conditions: 40 percent retention, drop height cut from 1.2 m to 0.8 m, and 45 N at the latch with a 40 Shore A gasket.

How much regrind is safe?

Answer: Up to 10 percent in-house sprue costs about 8 percent impact; at 20 percent the loss passes 15 percent. Unknown purchased regrind does not belong in a load-bearing ABS Plastic Protective Case.

ABS Plastic Protective Case: Five Selection Criteria

Quick answer: Judge an ABS Plastic Protective Case by stiffness, then surface, then colour: flexural modulus above 2100 MPa, Rockwell R105 to R112, under 3 mm lid deflection at 25 kg, and notched impact of 22 kJ/m² at 23 °C that falls to 8 to 10 at −20 °C.

What an ABS Plastic Protective Case Must Settle First
Hardness, Impact and the Conditions Behind Them
Texture, Gloss and Colour Consistency
Weatherability, UV Stabilisers and ASA
Low-Temperature Impact and Latch Force
FAQ

1. What an ABS Plastic Protective Case Must Settle First

Buyers open with colour and castors, which matter least. Stiffness decides whether the lid sags and a stack of three leaves a permanent set; surface decides whether two cartons from one run look alike.

Stiffness in an ABS Plastic Protective Case comes down to three numbers on a drawing: flexural modulus 2000 to 2400 MPa, Rockwell R105 to R112, walls 2.5 to 3.2 mm. Near-identical figures still feel different, because wall uniformity and rib placement dominate. Surface is a process question: 10 °C of mould temperature moves gloss three points, and regrind above 15 percent pushes lot colour difference to ΔE 1.5.

Criterion	Number to demand	How to check
Stiffness	Modulus above 2100 MPa	25 kg on the lid, measure deflection
Impact	22 kJ/m² notched at 23 °C	4 h at −20 °C, then drop
Surface	0.04 mm grain, ΔE 1.0 within a lot	Two panels side by side in daylight

2. Hardness, Impact and the Conditions Behind Them

Hardness is the most misused figure. A high Rockwell R says the surface resists scratching, not that the case survives a fall. Grades above R115 give up impact, sliding from 22 kJ/m² to about 12, and a knocked corner on an ABS Plastic Protective Case whitens at once.

Impact needs its conditions: Izod type A notch, 3.2 mm specimen, 23 °C, 24 hours conditioning. On a 6.4 mm specimen the same compound reads 30 percent higher. After four hours at −20 °C impact falls to 8 to 10 kJ/m², about 40 percent retention; at −30 °C the fracture turns from white to flat, which is brittle failure.

3. Texture, Gloss and Colour Consistency

Texture on an ABS Plastic Protective Case is etched into the cavity, not sprayed on. On the VDI 3400 scale, grade 21 is about 0.02 mm deep, grade 27 about 0.04 mm, grade 33 up to 0.08 mm. Deeper grain hides wider scratches; a polished face keeps fingerprints.

Grade 27 is the compromise for side panels: slight drag under the hand, clean release, good ink adhesion. Weld lines are what texture cannot hide, so gate position and 70 °C mould temperature decide whether the line fades or becomes a deliberate 0.3 mm groove.

Surface	Mould work	Depth	Hides scratches
High gloss	Polished to Ra 0.02 µm	none	poorly
Fine grain	VDI 21 etch	about 0.02 mm	fair
Medium grain	VDI 27 etch	about 0.04 mm	good
Coarse grain	VDI 33 etch	about 0.08 mm	very good

4. Weatherability, UV Stabilisers and ASA

The butadiene phase carries double bonds, and double bonds are where ultraviolet enters. Facing south, an ABS Plastic Protective Case yellows to ΔE 4 to 5 in six months at about 70 percent impact retention, then chalks at a year.

Stabilisation pushes the curve outward rather than removing it: 0.3 to 0.5 percent hindered amine with 2 to 3 percent rutile titanium dioxide holds ΔE under 2 after 1000 hours of xenon arc. ASA, with no double bonds in the backbone, holds ΔE ≤3 after 2000 hours at 15 to 25 percent more cost.

5. Low-Temperature Impact and Latch Force

Cold arrives earlier than sunlight. At −20 °C retention is about 40 percent, at −30 °C only 20 percent, and a corner-first drop cracks the shell. A latch designed at 25 to 35 N needs over 45 N once the gasket stiffens, which is unworkable in gloves.

The hinge is the forgotten part: a moulded living hinge survives 5000 warm cycles and about 800 at −20 °C. Below −25 °C, a blend with 20 percent polycarbonate lifts −30 °C impact to 10 kJ/m², but needs 260 °C melt.

Conclusion

The decision comes down to four numbers: flexural modulus, notched impact with its retention curve, texture depth with colour difference, latch force. Put all four in the drawing and the acceptance clause. An ABS Plastic Protective Case specified this way stacks three high without sagging and still opens bare-handed at −20 °C.

This article discusses only the container (case body) side of specifications and design intent, and does not cover any handling, loading or use of the contents.