Do I need an appointment for a Case Factory Tour?

Answer: Yes. Three days notice with headcount and camera scope keeps a press running.

How many presses should a Case Factory Tour cover?

Answer: Three: the largest, the workhorse, and one mid-changeover for real skill.

Can a Case Factory Tour include cavity detail?

Answer: Rarely. Mold number, shot counter and parting-line condition usually date the tool.

What cycle time is normal on a Case Factory Tour?

Answer: 210 to 240 seconds for a 620 mm body on a 1600 tonne press. Below 180, ask what was cut.

What should I carry on a Case Factory Tour?

Answer: Caliper, tape and a torch. Measure one wall and one rib height.

How long should the visit run?

Answer: Three hours: 60 minutes at the presses, 70 on the line, 40 at assembly, 10 for review.

Skip the Nameplate: a Case Factory Tour Counts Cycle Time

Quick answer: A Case Factory Tour is a timing exercise: 3 hours of drying at 90 degrees Celsius, 210 seconds per shot on a 1600 tonne press, a 4 mm wall, 90 seconds on the leak bench. Follow one cycle and capacity stops being a claim.

Cycle Time Before Equipment
Four Stages From Pellet to Lid
Wall, Ribs and Parting Line Live in the Mold
Three Fits at the Assembly Bench
Leak, Drop, Packing: Where the Numbers Land
FAQ

1. Cycle Time Before Equipment

Most visitors photograph nameplates first. A nameplate states a ceiling, never a habit, so a Case Factory Tour should start at the cycle: how long one body takes from hopper to carton.

A 1600 tonne press running a 620 by 420 mm body cycles at 210 seconds. Subtract changeovers and stops and an 8 hour shift yields about 130 units; a 45 minute changeover twice a day drops that to 110.

Step	Time per unit	Pass mark	Warning
Drying	90 C, continuous	Under 0.02% moisture	Caked resin
Moulding	210 seconds	Drift under 5 seconds	Cycle cut to 180
Extraction	8 seconds	No sticking	Manual prying
Trimming	30 seconds	Nail passes clean	Knife needed
Assembly	95 seconds	Three fits seated	Hammer used
Leak test	90 seconds	Drop under 0.02 bar	Visual check

2. Four Stages From Pellet to Lid

On a Case Factory Tour, drying comes first. Polypropylene picks up water, and above 0.05% the wall shows silver streaks; three hours at 90 degrees Celsius is the setting, and a 5 degree gap between hopper and dryer display invites a question.

Case Factory Tour: a close view of an orange handle root, the parting line around its edge, a grid of stiffening ribs behind

Injection follows at 210 to 230 degrees Celsius melt, 45 to 60 mold, 90 to 120 bar. Clamping force runs 400 kg per square centimetre of projected area, so a 620 by 420 mm body needs 850 to 1,200 tonnes.

Cooling takes 60% of the cycle, and a 3 degree spread bows the body; trimming closes the loop, where flash a fingernail passes means the faces still seat.

Stage	Parameters	Normal band	Where to read it
Drying	90 C, 3 hours, 0.02%	Caked resin	Hopper glass
Injection	210 to 230 C, 90 to 120 bar	Short shots	Press screen
Cooling	Water delta	Under 3 C	Return line
Trimming	Flash	Nail passes clean	Parting line

3. Wall, Ribs and Parting Line Live in the Mold

A Case Factory Tour will show 4 mm as the standard wall. At 3 mm the corner cracks first in a drop, at 6 mm sink marks follow, and variation should stay inside 0.2 mm.

Ribs are not a quantity contest: thickness at 0.6 of the wall, about 2.4 mm, height 18 mm, draft 1 degree. Too thick sinks the outer face; too dense traps air, so corners scorch through 0.03 mm vent grooves.

The parting line is fixed in steel, mid-wall trimming cleanly while a radius leaves a scar. The tool weighs 6.5 tonnes in 718H with a 300,000 shot life.

Feature	Value	Why	Failure sign
Wall	4 mm, 0.2 mm tolerance	Drop strength against cooling	Whiten at corners
Ribs	2.4 mm by 18 mm	Stiffness without sinking	Dents outside
Draft	1 degree	Clean release	Scuffing
Parting line	Mid-wall	Easy trimming	White scar

4. Three Fits at the Assembly Bench

On a Case Factory Tour, assembly decides how the case feels. Get latch, hinge and gasket right and a body takes 95 seconds.

Case Factory Tour: an orange case standing open, two latches raised, a row of metal hinge pins, an orange moulded tray

Latch force is a number: six M5 screws at 2.5 N·m, torqued diagonally, hold a lid shut above 40 N of pull. Hinge play comes next: 0.15 mm between pin and bore stops the lid rocking.

Gasket compression closes the list: 30% to 35% squeeze seals the joint, past that it lifts the lid, and a 65 Shore A compound holds its memory.

5. Leak, Drop, Packing: Where the Numbers Land

On a Case Factory Tour, leak, drop and salt spray are where every parameter lands. Leak testing means 0.3 bar held 90 seconds with a drop under 0.02 bar, and salt spray runs 72 hours.

Drop testing covers 1.5 m on six faces: no crack, no latch release, no liner shift, all three or the lot stops.

Packing is measured too: 25 units per 1200 by 1000 mm pallet to 1.3 m, where three tiers put 46 kg times three on the bottom body.

Test	Condition	Pass mark	Shortcut
Leak	0.3 bar, 90 seconds	Under 0.02 bar	Visual check
Drop	1.5 m, six faces	No crack, no release	One face
Salt spray	72 hours	No red rust	Cut to 24 hours
Stacking	3 tiers at 46 kg	No permanent set	Single tier

Conclusion

Time one cycle, trace it through the stages, watch the numbers land on the test bench: a Case Factory Tour then produces evidence, not photographs. Presses can be bought; a steady cycle cannot.

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.