Which document opens the Protective Case Customization Process?

The 2D drawing. Without geometry, card and sample cannot be defined.

Will the factory add draft if the drawing omits it?

Yes, and it picks the amount. Two degrees per side shrinks the cavity floor below drawing.

Is a Pantone number enough for the color card?

No. Resin, texture and gloss travel with it, or the same number lands a shade away.

How many approval samples are needed?

Two, one per side. With a single part, disputes fall back on photographs.

Which returned document matters most?

The first article report. It carries every toleranced size, so production cannot start on unexplained values.

Protective Case Customization Process: Drawings, Color, Samples

Quick answer: The Protective Case Customization Process asks the customer for three documents: a 2D drawing, a color card, an approval sample. Geometry is fixed at ±0.5 mm, color at ΔE 1.5, and the sample comes in two pieces, one per side. Four documents come back signed before steel is cut.

The Three Documents the Process Asks For
Six Dimensions on Every 2D Drawing
Pantone Numbers and Color Difference Tolerances
The Approval Sample and Its Card
Four Documents the Factory Signs Back
FAQ

1. The Three Documents the Process Asks For

The Protective Case Customization Process starts on paper: drawing for geometry, color card for appearance, sample for the physical reference. Drawing and card come first, the sample after the first build, or the cavity ends up 1 to 2 mm off.

Document	From	Minimum content	Check
2D drawing	Customer	Three views, six dimensions, tolerances	No closed dimension chains
Color card	Customer	Pantone number, resin, texture	Number matches the chip
Approval sample	Both	Two sealed parts, one signed card	Twelve fields signed
Change note	Either	Revision, changed feature, batch	Old revision withdrawn

2. Six Dimensions on Every 2D Drawing

Drawings go out at 1:1 with details at 2:1, third angle. Six items are mandatory in the Protective Case Customization Process: external size, internal cavity, wall, draft, radii, hardware holes.

For the Protective Case Customization Process, external size sets shipping volume at ±0.5 mm. The cavity needs 0.2 mm and a split between theoretical and usable space after radii. The main wall is 3 mm, the corner 3.5 mm, called out separately. Draft is the item most often missing: past 120 mm of depth, 1.5 degrees per side is the floor, or the wall scuffs on ejection. Holes need centre distance, diameter, counterbore at ±0.2 mm.

Item	Value	Cost of leaving it out
External size	±0.5 mm	Carton will not fit
Internal cavity	±0.2 mm	Liner will not drop in
Main wall	3 mm, ±0.1 mm	Sink marks, weak corners
Draft angle	1.5 to 2 degrees	Scuffed walls
Internal radius	R3 in, R5 out	Corner cracking
Hole positions	±0.2 mm	Latches misalign

3. Pantone Numbers and Color Difference Tolerances

A color card is a data set in the Protective Case Customization Process: Pantone number, resin, texture, gloss. The same reference in ABS and PP gives two colors, so the card reads moulded chip, ABS, MT-11010.

Tolerance is tiered: part against card at ΔE00 1.5, within one batch 1.0, repeat orders 2.0, beyond which the eye finds the seam under D65. Olive drab and sand are hardest, and a polished chip without a texture number runs about 30 percent glossier.

Check	Criterion	Method
Part against card	ΔE00 ≤ 1.5	Spectrophotometer, D65
Within one batch	ΔE00 ≤ 1.0	Five parts, worst value
Repeat order	ΔE00 ≤ 2.0	Against first-article chip
Texture and gloss	Same texture, gloss ±5	Standard light booth

4. The Approval Sample and Its Card

In the Protective Case Customization Process the sample turns almost right into this one. Two pieces, one per side, from the same shot and resin lot. Its card carries twelve fields and expires at 12 months, because tool wear pulls weight down. Seal it and check it after every tool repair.

5. Four Documents the Factory Signs Back

Four documents come back through the Protective Case Customization Process. DFM feedback lands within 5 working days and names what cannot be moulded: short draft, a wall step steeper than one in three, holes clashing with a slide, a cavity too deep to core.

The mould drawing in the Protective Case Customization Process covers layout, gate, cooling circuit φ8 or φ10, ejectors, parting line. Trial reports run three shots from T0 to T1; the first article report is full dimensional plus five pieces.

Document	Issued	Must contain	Verification
DFM feedback	5 working days	Issue, cause, proposed change	Countersigned line by line
Mould drawing	Before steel is cut	Layout, gate, φ8 circuit	Ejectors clear of holes
Trial report	Every shot	Sizes, weight, defects	Weight spread under 1.5 percent
First article	Before production	Full dimensions, five pieces	Every starred size in limit

Conclusion

Three customer documents lock geometry, appearance and the physical reference; four returned documents carry the factory's reading back. Every sheet carries a revision and a signature, which is what makes the Protective Case Customization Process traceable from drawing to shipped part.

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.