Can a dental portable treatment equipment case travel in a car boot?

A: Yes, with two checks. Four 8 mm pads under the base bite into carpet, and a 55 ℃ boot makes about 8 kPa, which stays under the 15 kPa valve and is carried by the latches.

Is a 3.0 mm wall enough, and why not 2.5 mm?

A: The 520×420×230 mm shell measures about 0.78 m², and a 2.5 mm wall whitens at the corners after a 1.2 m drop. A 3.0 mm wall shortens the flow path 16% and lifts weld-line strength a grade, at 0.4 kg more empty.

How often does the gasket get replaced?

A: Count cycles. Twelve openings a day reaches 5000 in about 14 months; once permanent set passes 15% the pull rises from 45 N to 52 N, and the gasket is changed rather than the case.

Will a 15 kPa valve leak inside a car?

A: No. The disc needs 15 kPa to crack and a 30 ℃ interior step makes about 6 kPa. Mounting it face down is the real risk, since oil and dust push cracking pressure past 20 kPa.

Is 25 mm of foam enough?

A: For 6.2 kg, yes: the foam compresses to 8 mm on a tip-over and keeps 17 mm of travel. Going to 35 mm cuts clear depth from 135 mm to 125 mm.

Dental portable treatment equipment case

Quick answer: A dental portable treatment equipment case typically runs 520×420×230 mm outside, 470×370×180 mm inside and 6.2 kg empty, on a 3.0 mm wall with 25 mm EVA under the load. The three chairside positions differ by 130 mm of lid clearance, a 28 mm fold-flat handle and a 15 kPa valve.

Dental portable treatment equipment case at three chairside positions
Working back from counter height to outside and cavity
Gasket and valve split the job under daily wipe-down
Wall, corner brackets and foam hardness
Handle, castors and a three-high stack
FAQ

1. Dental portable treatment equipment case at three chairside positions

The chairside trolley is where a dental portable treatment equipment case spends most of its life. The frame leaves 430 mm of clear width outside the arm, so a 420 mm body sits flush against the uprights and the base ends up 620 mm off the floor. The tight number is the lid: at 100° a 230 mm tall body sweeps 230×sin10°, about 40 mm, and the hand adds 90 mm, so 130 mm has to stay clear.

A surgery cupboard applies a different limit. The shelf gap is 300 mm, which a 230 mm case clears, but the door opening is 400 mm and a fixed handle catches the frame on the way out. A 150 mm strap that folds to 28 mm passes at any angle from 0° to 35°.

The car boot is the third position. The sill sits at 700 mm, and 6.2 kg has to clear it before travelling 900 mm into the well.

Position	Binding limit	Shell response
Trolley side	130 mm to the chair	100° lid, 40 mm sweep
Surgery cupboard	400 mm door opening	handle folds to 28 mm
Car boot	700 mm sill, 900 mm depth	6.2 kg empty, lift points both sides

2. Working back from counter height to outside and cavity

The outside of a dental portable treatment equipment case starts at the counter. Worktops sit at 750 mm, and with the lid at 100° the assembly tops out at 630 mm, so a seated clinician reaches in. That fixes 520×420×230 mm outside, a 22 mm tongue and a 3.0 mm wall, which lands the cavity at 470×370×180 mm with 25 mm per side split between gasket groove and latch seat.

Dental portable treatment equipment case in blue on a snow slope, telescopic handle raised, four ribs down the side, wheels sunk in snow

The 180 mm cavity depth is the compromise at this size. Egg-crate foam takes 20 mm, 25 mm of EVA sits under the load, and 135 mm of clear depth is left; going deeper pushes the body to 260 mm and raises the bending moment at the trolley arm from 40 N·m to 55 N·m.

Four vertical ribs run down each side, 5 mm proud at 85 mm pitch. Hanging on a trolley, the case touches the uprights on two ribs only, around 2600 mm² of contact, which spreads 6.2 kg to under 0.03 MPa.

3. Gasket and valve split the job under daily wipe-down

Wiping is unavoidable. At six passes a day with 0.5% sodium hypochlorite, an EPDM gasket at 70 Shore A rebounds best between 25% and 30% compression; below 20% the corners open and water tracks in.

The valve opens at 15 kPa. A 31 L cavity moving from a 5 ℃ surgery to a 35 ℃ car makes about 6 kPa, which never lifts the disc; altitude does, since pressure drops roughly 11 kPa per 1000 m.

Wipe-down tests the rubber. EPDM soaked 72 h swells under 5% and loses 3 points of hardness; nitrile swells 12% and lifts out of its groove.

Elastomer	72 h swell	Hardness change
EPDM 70 Shore A	under +5%	−3 points
Nitrile 70 Shore A	+12%	−8 points
Silicone 60 Shore A	+3%	−2 points

4. Wall, corner brackets and foam hardness

A 3.0 mm wall takes four stainless corner brackets, eight M4 screws, 1.2 mm bracket stock. The brackets steer impact from the corner into the side ribs; without them a 1.2 m drop puts everything into a 30 mm corner radius and the plastic whitens before it splits.

Dental portable treatment equipment case in black open on a workbench, grey foam in the lid, divided tray below, a second case at right

The load sits on 25 mm EVA at 65 kg/m³. Softer foam bottoms out at 8 mm when a 6.2 kg case tips sideways; above 90 kg/m³ it stops springing back and fingers need a 10 mm gap to lift anything.

Lid and base need not match. The lid carries 25 mm egg-crate, which recovers after 50% compression; the base carries 25 mm flat EVA, which stops at 15% and bears the load.

5. Handle, castors and a three-high stack

The handle is 28 mm wide, which spreads 6.2 kg to about 0.11 MPa over a ten-minute carry; at 20 mm the same load reaches 0.15 MPa.

Castors are φ50 mm, two front wheels braked. Floors step 2 mm at thresholds, and a 50 mm wheel lifts the body about 3 mm, which the base foam absorbs; at φ35 mm the same threshold lifts it 6 mm.

Three high is normal in a store room. Three cases put 18.6 kg on the lid, about 0.004 MPa, and the centre deflects under 1.5 mm; a fifth layer takes it to 31 kg and the lid edge lifts off the gasket.

Load case	Value	Shell response
One-hand carry	6.2 kg, 28 mm handle	soft overmould, 0.11 MPa
Threshold crossing	2 mm step, 50 mm wheel	braked front pair, 3 mm lift
Three-high stack	18.6 kg	4 mm lid rib, 1.5 mm deflection

Conclusion

Three positions reduce to one set of numbers: 520×420×230 mm outside, 470×370×180 mm inside, 130 mm of lid clearance, a 15 kPa valve. Once a dental portable treatment equipment case is drawn to those figures, handle width, foam hardness and bracket count all follow. A chairside day is harsher than a datasheet suggests.

This article covers the container side only, meaning shell specifications and their design consequences, and does not address handling, loading or use of anything carried inside.