How much clearance should each compartment in a robot equipment case have?

Answer: 10 mm around the largest item. Thirty lets tools rattle, five blocks a gloved hand.

What should a loaded case weigh?

Answer: About 18 kg. One hand tops out at 15 kg, two at 22 kg, so 18 kg suits an 80 m walk.

How many latches does a robot equipment case need?

Answer: Four on a 520 mm lid. Two leave the middle bowing about 1 mm and the gasket unseated.

How strong must the lid be for a three-high stack?

Answer: 150 kg static; three cases at 18 kg put 54 kg on the bottom one.

What floor suits a wheeled robot equipment case?

Answer: A flat floor with 75 mm castors or larger; smaller ones jam on thresholds.

How to Choose a Robot Equipment Case: Five Criteria

Quick answer: Judge a robot equipment case on compartments, carrying weight, latches, stacking, then a written checklist. Compartments decide whether the tooling fits and stays accounted for; carrying decides whether anyone lifts it at all.

Compartments Come From the Tool List
Carrying Weight and Handle Position
Latch Count and Cycle Life
Stacking, Twist Locks and Transport
Putting the Five Criteria on One Sheet
FAQ

1. Compartments Come From the Tool List

A robot cell ships with a list, not a pile: pendant, cable, end effector, pin, hex keys, servo cable. A robot equipment case is laid out backwards from that list. A pendant is typically 300 by 220 by 80 mm and 1.2 kg, so a 520 by 380 by 220 mm cavity holds twelve compartments, one for the pendant alone.

Item	Size (mm)	Weight (kg)	Compartment	Divider
Teach pendant	300×220×80	1.2	Single, 320×240	8 mm EVA facing
End effector	180×120×140	3.4	Double, 400×140	15 mm rigid divider
Pins and hex keys	260×90×30	0.9	Six slots, 20 mm wide	3 mm foam on walls
Spare servo cable	200 coil	1.8	Vertical well, 210 mm	Drain hole in the base

Allow 10 mm around the largest item, not 30: too much and tools rattle, too little and a gloved hand cannot reach in. Dividers should be removable inserts, so a new end effector costs an insert, not a mould.

2. Carrying Weight and Handle Position

One hand tops out near 15 kg, two hands near 22 kg. Above that the case stays in the van. Loaded at 18 kg, it sits where one person still carries it the 80 m from tool room to cell.

Robot equipment case: a black case open on a workbench, zigzag lid foam, egg-crate base, two latches on the top edge

Handle position matters more than handle shape. Keep the handle centre within 20 mm of the loaded centre of gravity, or the case hangs nose-down on every trip, and give it 28 mm of clear width for a gloved hand. Fix it into a through-bolted block; four self-tapping screws in a 3.5 mm wall tear out by the third lift.

3. Latch Count and Cycle Life

The case opens ten times a week, 2,600 cycles in five years. Rate the latches at 3,000 and expect the spring behind the tongue to soften first.

Two latches and four differ in lid deflection, not sealing pressure. A 520 mm lid clamped only at its ends bows about 1 mm in the middle, and dust enters at the bow; four latches cut the unsupported span to 170 mm. Check them at 24 hours of neutral salt spray: the body survives, the rivets and springs do not, so specify 304 rivets and zinc-flake springs.

4. Stacking, Twist Locks and Transport

Three high at 18 kg means the bottom robot equipment case carries 54 kg, so the lid needs 150 kg of static rating. Recessed lid pockets take the feet of the case above and stop the stack walking.

Robot equipment case: a grey case open inside a van, egg-crate lid foam, grid base, a black strap to a floor ring

Twist locks at 400 mm centres engage with a 90 degree turn. Straps alone let upper cases slide forward under braking. Drop testing runs at 1.5 m on a corner and 1.0 m flat: an empty case must not crack, a loaded one must not spring a latch.

5. Putting the Five Criteria on One Sheet

Criterion	Weight	Pass line	Usual failure
Compartments	30	10 mm clearance, removable dividers	One oversized bay
Carrying	25	18 kg loaded, handle within 20 mm	Screws into a 3.5 mm wall
Latches	20	Four, 3,000 cycles	Two, bowed lid
Stacking	15	Three high, 150 kg	No pockets, stack walks
Checklist	10	One tool list per case	Counting from memory

Below 70 out of 100 it should not follow a moving cell; below 55, stay on a shelf. Compartments carry 30 because a new tool means a new layout.

When criteria collide, keep compartments and weight: a poor layout turns every count into a search, and an overweight case stays in the vehicle. Tape the sheet inside the lid and the robot equipment case has a fixed inspection routine.

Conclusion

Compartments put every tool in place, carrying weight decides whether the case leaves the store, latches and stacking whether it stays tight after three relocations, and the checklist whether the next person runs it the same way. Score the five first, and a robot equipment case becomes a measured 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.