Should a robotic packaging case be sized on the working pose or the transport pose?

Answer: The transport pose, arm folded and wrist turned. The working pose adds 300 to 400 mm.

How much static load should the base carry for a 180 kg arm?

Answer: About 420 kg static and 320 kg dynamic, from 260 kg all-in at a 1.6 factor.

Timber crate or moulded case for a robotic packaging case?

Answer: Timber wins for one export; from three reuse cycles the moulded case wins at 40 percent less weight.

How much desiccant for 45 days at sea?

Answer: 600 g of molecular sieve in a 1.2 m³ cavity. Above 60 percent on arrival, open the case.

How many trips will one case survive?

Answer: The shell lasts five years or more; gaskets and latches go first.

How to Choose a Robotic Packaging Case: Five Criteria

Quick answer: Check a robotic packaging case in five steps: cavity, load and lifting, damping, sealing, then a check sheet. The first two decide whether it lands inside; the last two whether it survives road and sea.

Sizing the Cavity Around the Transport Pose
Load Rating and the Lifting Path
Damping That Survives Road and Sea
Sealing, Pressure Relief and Ocean Transit
Putting the Five Criteria on One Sheet
FAQ

1. Sizing the Cavity Around the Transport Pose

A six-axis arm ships folded. A 1400 mm reach, 180 kg machine envelopes about 1150 by 900 by 780 mm in transport pose, so a robotic packaging case needs a 1350 by 1050 by 900 mm cavity: 100 mm per side, 60 foam and 40 strap channel.

Machine	Transport envelope (mm)	Suggested cavity (mm)	Clearance (mm)	Interior build
700 mm reach, 45 kg	620×520×480	780×680×600	80	One EVA cradle, two ribs
1400 mm reach, 180 kg	1150×900×780	1350×1050×900	100	Two cradles, strap slots
2000 mm reach, 420 kg	1600×1200×950	1800×1400×1100	110	Timber pallet, four eyes

Sizing on the working pose adds 400 mm, paid twice over. Depth is the other trap: a 900 mm cavity gives 120 mm of flange relief, 15 mm of arm sag and 40 mm of lid foam, so 725 mm touches the machine.

2. Load Rating and the Lifting Path

A 180 kg arm with pallet and foam is 260 kg, so rate on shipping weight: the floor of the robotic packaging case carries 420 kg static and 320 kg dynamic at a 1.6 factor. Fork pockets are 120 mm clear, 90 mm off the ground.

Robotic packaging case: a dark grey open case, convoluted foam in the lid, grid-cut foam, black handle, two latches

Lift on four eyes, slings at 60 degrees or steeper. At 45 degrees sling load rises 40 percent, which is how a two-tonne sling fails at a corner. Eyes are 5 mm stainless on M12 bolts at 45 N·m, proof-loaded at 1.5 times working weight.

3. Damping That Survives Road and Sea

One 0.5 g shock can deform a harmonic reducer rated at 0.02 mm repeatability. EVA at 30 kg/m³ compressed 25 percent sits near 8 Hz, between the 3 to 5 Hz truck chassis mode and the 12 to 16 Hz ocean band.

Mode	Dominant frequency	Peak acceleration	Damping approach
Road, full truckload	3 to 5 Hz	0.8 g	EVA 30 density, 25 percent
Rail	6 to 9 Hz	1.0 g	10 mm rubber pad
Ocean	12 to 16 Hz	0.5 g	Cradles, straps, desiccant

Drops run at 1.2 m on a corner and 0.9 m flat. Corner drops concentrate energy along one edge, so ribs on a robotic packaging case must follow it, and an R25 radius cuts local stress by 30 percent. Two millimetres of pre-compression is enough; at 10 mm the foam is bottomed out.

4. Sealing, Pressure Relief and Ocean Transit

On deck the air reaches 60°C by day and 5°C at night. A double-lip gasket with 3 mm lips and a 0.2 bar relief valve holds a 55°C swing under 0.15 bar.

Robotic packaging case: a dark grey closed case on a scarred wooden bench, grained shell, two latches, shelving behind

In a 48 hour salt spray the hardware fails first: latches, eyes, hinges. Rotomoulded HDPE resists salt but not ultraviolet — a yard summer chalks a 5 mm wall to 0.1 mm, or 0.03 mm with 2 percent carbon black.

5. Putting the Five Criteria on One Sheet

Criterion	Weight	Pass line	Usual failure
Cavity	30	80 mm or more per side	Measured on the extended arm
Lifting	25	Four eyes, slings at 60 degrees	Fork pockets, no eyes
Damping	20	Outside 3 to 16 Hz	Foam packed solid
Sealing	15	IP65 with a relief valve	Rating printed, no valve
Verification	10	One sheet per machine	Counting from memory

Below 70 out of 100 it is not fit for sea freight; below 55, in-plant only.

When criteria collide, keep cavity and damping: thin foam kills damping, while eyes and valves bolt on later. A robotic packaging case is scored before the order, not after a damaged reducer.

Conclusion

The cavity decides whether the machine fits, the lifting gear whether it moves, sealing whether it powers up at the other end, and the check sheet whether it repeats on machine two. Score the five first, and a robotic packaging case stops being a cosmetic choice.

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.