Is a 12-cell Case Internal Divider enough for an inspection case?

Answer: Twelve cells cover a daily kit of twelve probes. Beyond that the cavity passes 130 mm deep and the centre of gravity sits too high, so go to two layers.

Why 3 mm of clearance around a probe rather than a snug fit?

Answer: A snug cell leaves only the cable to pull on. Three millimetres suits two fingers and covers shrink, since a 25 mm cell loses 0.06 mm at minus 20 C.

How much weight should one of the 24 cells carry?

Answer: 1.5 kg. A 6 mm slat over 45 mm deflects 0.8 mm, elastic even with a factor of three for shock; at 3 kg it bows 3 mm.

Which dimensions change for cold-weather transport?

Answer: Add 0.4 mm to slot width, 1 mm to slot depth, take 1 mm off slat height, and the Case Internal Divider pulls near 40 N.

What if one shell has to carry two different kits?

Answer: Make the cross slats removable and keep the long slats fixed, so pulling one row doubles the cell width. Mark slat ends in three colours.

Case Internal Divider in 4 Field Setups: 12 and 24 Slots

Quick answer: Sort the field setup by access rate first. A case opened over 20 times a day runs 12 cells at 25 mm square with 3 mm of clearance; one opened weekly runs 24 cells at 45 mm. Sharing a shell widens the slot from plus 2 mm to plus 2.4 mm so a Case Internal Divider still enters at minus 20 C.

Sorting Field Setups by Access Rate
Probe Bays: 12 Cells at 25 mm Square
Spare Bays: 24 Cells at 45 mm
Long Haul and Cold: Pull Force at Minus 20
FAQ

1. Sorting Field Setups by Access Rate

One 400 by 300 mm shell carries probes in one job and spare parts in another, with a different Case Internal Divider layout for each. Three facts decide it: how often the lid opens, how square the longest item in a cell is, and whether the case travels upright.

Tier	Opens per day	Cell	Slat	Seating
Hand-carried	Over 20	25 by 25 mm	4 mm twin-wall	4 mm groove, 10 mm EVA pad
Handover	4 to 6	60 by 40 mm	6 mm twin-wall	Cross slats, wall pockets
Stores	1 to 2 a week	45 by 45 mm	6 mm twin-wall	Long runners, split cross slats
Fixed	Rarely	Routed per item	Solid EVA block	Block drop-in, lid ribs

A 400 mm cavity at 45 mm cells with 6 mm slats gives a 51 mm pitch, and 400 divided by 51 is 7.8, so 7 cells with 18 mm at each end. Start from a cell count and the same shell stretches to a 312 mm cavity, past the width one hand carries.

Tier mismatch is the main cause of rework.

2. Probe Bays: 12 Cells at 25 mm Square

The probe is 22 mm across and 120 mm long. Each cell is 25 by 25 mm, 3 mm larger, so it sits without rattling and two fingers still reach it. Depth is 120 mm over a 10 mm EVA pad, so the nose lands on foam.

Case Internal Divider: blue, red and green moulded cases on pure white, all lids closed, handles pressed into their recesses, ribs at the corners

Twelve cells is 4 columns by 3 rows at a 31 mm pitch in a 124 by 93 mm cavity. One 6 mm sheet runs full length as the long slat, cross slats drop in as segments, each half-lap notch cut to half height. Long slats go in first: reverse it and the continuous slat has nowhere to land, so it is forced in at an angle and the notch edges crush.

Clearance opened to 6 mm is the common mistake, since the probe then swings and haze wears into the lens edge. Leave a 5 mm deep, R8 finger notch per row too.

3. Spare Bays: 24 Cells at 45 mm

The spare-parts shell has a 312 by 210 mm cavity cut into 6 columns by 4 rows for 24 cells at 45 mm on a 51 mm pitch. Forty-five millimetres takes a boxed filter element with room for fingertips.

Assembly and acceptance run in this order:

Deburr the wall pockets, 0.5 mm by 45 degree chamfer, or a ragged edge shaves the sheet.
Enter the long slat at an angle, straighten it past half depth, push on the end grain only.
Add cross slats one at a time, checking each half-lap bottoms out.
Run a straightedge over the tops and pull any slat more than 1 mm proud.
Line up the two 8 mm base ribs; one rib off tilts the whole row.
Close the lid; the rib should bear on slat tops, not on parts, then hold 1.5 kg on three random cells for 24 hours with deflection under 1.5 mm.

Each cell is rated 1.5 kg, so 24 cells come to 36 kg against a 2.4 kg shell and the closed weight stays under 40 kg, where the handle boss is still the weaker part.

4. Long Haul and Cold: Pull Force at Minus 20

The same slats pull at 35 N warm and need 50 N after four hours at minus 20 C, because 2 mm of root interference acts as a press fit rather than an elastic one and ten insertions leave white crazing at the mouth.

Case Internal Divider: a red moulded case in front, blue and green ones behind on white, handles flat, two feet under each base

The fix is not a thinner slat: widen the slot to plus 2.4 mm, drop interference to 1.6 mm, and pull returns to about 40 N. Heat fails the other way, with 10 mm EVA at 60 C for 72 hours taking 8 percent compression set.

Verify warm assembly, 24 hours at minus 20 C, then 24 hours back at room temperature, checking for white slat ends or mouth cracks.

Conclusion

Starting a Case Internal Divider from access rate saves two rounds of rework. The hand-carried tier runs 12 cells at 25 mm with 3 mm of clearance, the stores tier runs 24 cells at 45 mm at 1.5 kg each, and a temperature band adds 0.4 mm. Line those numbers up and one shell family covers most jobs, which is where a Case Internal Divider becomes a step on the line.

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.

Case Internal Divider in 4 Field Setups: 12 and 24 Slots

Table of contents

1. Sorting Field Setups by Access Rate

2. Probe Bays: 12 Cells at 25 mm Square

3. Spare Bays: 24 Cells at 45 mm

4. Long Haul and Cold: Pull Force at Minus 20

Conclusion

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