Standard foam compresses easily

The principal advantage of this type of foam is that it is very flexible. The principal disadvantage of this type of foam is also that it is very flexible—perhaps too flexible to properly protect your gear should you drop your case. The image at right shows just how easily such foam can be compressed (here by a spring-driven hand clamp.) The result is that heavy pieces of equipment will have a tendency to bottom out if they are not surrounded by large amounts of foam. Another potential problem with this type of foam is that its open-cell structure can absorb moisture, say, if you lift the lid of your case in the rain. (The foam acts, in essense, like a big sponge.)

Recognizing these concerns, one might rightly ask: Why have manufacturers chosen to employ this type of foam on stock carrying cases? The short answer is that they have no better alternative. Given that most case owners will have great difficulty cutting the foam precisely to fit their gear, case manufacturers must make sure that the foam is soft enough that ill-fitting pockets will still work. And although many cases come with foam that is scored over a grid so that a user can simply pluck out pieces, the resulting pockets will rarely match exactly the equipment they are supposed to house. A foam of great flexibility is thus needed, despite its rather obvious drawbacks.

Doing One Better

Unlike most individuals, equipment manufacturers can (and almost invariably do) use firmer foams for packaging their products. The reason, of course, is that they can precisely engineer their packing materials, which are usually a combination of styrofoam inserts and a corregated cardboard box. Similarly, custom-designed equipment cases often contain foam inserts that are much more resilient than polyurethane packing foams. The makers of custom carrying cases know that firmer foam provides better protection. This option was not, however, open to individuals who purchase general-purpose equipment cases—that is, until CaseCAD came along.

Premium-quality foam Click to enlarge

Because the CaseCAD software allows you to design your case insert with great precision, and because we offer an integrated fabrication service that cuts the foam for you, we can offer a more resilient foam than you are probably used to: our case inserts are constructed of a premium-quality foam made of polyethylene. Because this foam is of closed-cell construction, it doesn't absorb liquids at all. And what's more, the variety we use is engineered to present a surface that is soft and smooth to the touch, rather than the rough one that is characteristic of other packing foams.

Premium foam is highly resilient

This foam (Pactiv PolyPlank® SFT weighs just 2 pounds per cubic foot, but it is much firmer and more durable than the usual polyurethane that one finds. So with a CaseCAD insert, you'll be treating your equipment better—and treating yourself to the pleasure of seeing your gear housed in an enclosure that is truly of professional quality.

Greg in Culver City, Calif. writes:

Love the foam...it's awesome! It is exactly like I designed it, including a minor error that I made in my drawing, but nothing I couldn't correct with a razor blade. Thanks again!