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Protection solutions for professional equipment
CONTENTS
1. What makes the PPE ideal for professional equipment carried by the user?
2. Main EPP applications for portable professional equipment
- Transporting professional drones and their accessories
- Protection for professional photographic and audiovisual equipment
- Protection of measuring instruments and technical equipment
- Transport of medical equipment
3. PPE advantages over other solutions for professional equipment manufacturers
4. Development process with Knauf Industries : From concept to final solution
5. Frequently asked questions about packaging and protecting electronic equipment with EPP
High-tech, portable professional equipment such as ultrasound scanners, spectrometers or film cameras are particularly fragile. Even a slight shock, variations in temperature or humidity, or slight vibrations can alter their performance. Padded cases are therefore essential for safe transport and storage. To help you meet these challenges, Knauf Industries offers reusable PPE solutions for portable professional equipment.
This article in brief:
- Expanded polypropylene (EPP) offers optimum protection for professional portable equipment thanks to its excellent shock absorption, light weight and resistance to extreme conditions.
- Durable and reusable, it retains its properties over time (shape memory, resistance to humidity, static electricity and thermal variations).
- It enables the design of customized solutions, adapted to each type of sensitive equipment.
What makes the PPE ideal for user-carried professional equipment?
Expanded polypropylene (EPP ) is a single-material foam whose mechanical properties offer unrivalled protection for portable professional equipment.
- Shock and vibration damping: essential to protect equipment from vibrations during transport, especially on uneven terrain.
- Shape memory: the material returns to its original shape after impact, vibration or even simple deformation when the device is removed.
- Resistance to extreme conditions: protection against humidity and condensation due to temperature variations.
- Lightweight: this expanded material is made up of closed cells containing 95% air. This minimizes packaging weight and facilitates handling.
- Ease of molding: allows the creation of a custom design that conforms to the shape of the device and immobilizes it.
- Durability: despite its lightness, it’s a highly resistant material, making it possible to manufacture technical packaging that can be reused for many years.
- Elegance and professionalism. Quality doesn’t compromise safety, but it inspires seriousness and rigor when the package is opened.
- Fully recyclable, both mechanically and chemically. At Knauf Industries, we have also developed the RELOOPP® alternative (alternative material derived from mechanical recycling) for industrial applications such as packaging or protection.
Main EPP applications for portable professional equipment
Technological advances have made it possible toreduce the weight and size of many precision instruments, facilitating their mobility and nomadic use. To guarantee safe transport and packaging of these devices, we design reusable PPE personal protection solutions, now used in many sectors:
Transporting professional drones and their accessories
These devices are used for filming, topographic surveying and traffic monitoring. Our PPE packaging protects the fuselage, motors, propellers and sensitive electronic components: our carrying cases for professional drones also feature compartments for extra batteries, remote controls and other accessories.
Protection for professional photographic and audiovisual equipment
Our PPE covers protect cameras, lenses and other audiovisual equipment needed for film and TV productions, as well as outdoor and studio photo shoots. Reusable, they protect equipment from shock, dust and humidity.
Protection of measuring instruments and technical equipment
3D laser scanners (LiDAR) are used for topographic measurements prior to certain engineering or urban planning projects. These high-precision devices require precise calibration to avoid measurement discrepancies with potentially disastrous consequences. Our PPE packaging for this technical equipment absorbs vibrations during transport, preserving the precision of the instruments. They can include specific compartments for probes and other components.
Transport of medical equipment
Portable ultrasound scanners use piezoelectric crystals in the transducer. These elements are extremely sensitive to shocks and changes in calibration. They are used for operations in isolated rural areas, as well as in humanitarian disasters. Our PPE solutions not only guarantee the integrity of this equipment, but also comply with regulations governing the transport of medical equipment, particularly in terms of hygiene and cleaning after use.
PPE advantages over other solutions for professional equipment manufacturers
Many types of professional equipment require materials that are resistant to repeated use, humidity and static electricity, for safe packaging and transportation. Knauf Industries meets these challenges with PPE solutions offering undeniable advantages.
Comparison of protective materials :
| Critère | Polypropylène expansé (PPE) | Polystyrène expansé (PSE) | Polyuréthane (PU) | Polyéthylène (PE) | Plastazote® (polyéthylène réticulé) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Résistance aux impacts répétés | Excellente | Usage unique | Non | Élevée | Excellente |
| Mémoire élastique | Oui | Non | Non | Oui | Oui |
| Facilité de moulage | Élevée | Élevée | Élevée | Faible | Moyenne |
| Durabilité | Plusieurs années | Usage unique | Faible | Élevée | Plusieurs années |
| Adapté aux objets lourds | Oui | Oui | Non | Oui | Oui |
| Résistance à l’humidité | Élevée | Élevée | Faible | Élevée | Excellente |
| Protection contre les variations thermiques | Élevée | Élevée | Faible | Oui, dépend de l’épaisseur et de l’étanchéité de la valise extérieure | Moyenne à élevée (sauf versions haute densité) |
| Protection contre l’électricité statique (ESD) | Excellente | Faible | Non | Non (peut générer un effet triboélectrique) | Élevée |
| Prix | Moyen | Faible | Faible | Moyen | Très élevé (réservé à des usages aérospatiaux) |
Development process with Knauf Industries: From concept to final solution
Would you like to have customized personal protection solutions designed for your professional equipment? Our R&D department and in-house design office can work together to help you design packaging that meets all your challenges. We’ll work with you throughout the design process to ensure maximum adaptation and optimization of the packaging for these portable devices.
Our process consists of 5 steps:
- Equipment analysis: Assessment of dimensions, weight and critical points requiring extra protection, such as optical components.
- Compartment design: This phase determines the location of each component, taking into account ergonomics and space optimization.
- Prototyping and testing: Crucial phase for checking product ergonomics and detecting potential defects.
- Finishes and branding: Once the safety design has been defined, it’s time to choose the aesthetic options. Knauf Industries offers packaging in your corporate colors, with logo engraving or screen printing.
- Made-to-measure modeling: Production of customized interior cases, perfectly adapted to each device and its accessories. Mass production. All that’s left to do is produce each model in the quantities specified by the manufacturer.
Frequently asked questions about packaging and protecting electronic equipment with EPP
Does the PPE lose its protective capacity after repeated use?
No. Thanks to their shape memory, PPE equipment returns to its initial shape after each impact. They withstand multiple uses while retaining their protective properties against impact, humidity and static electricity.
What’s the difference between PPE and PSE for equipment protection?
PPE is the ideal material for the manufacture of protective cases for the storage of frequently used instruments, such as drones or cameras. EPS is ideal for the manufacture of transport solutions for bulky professional equipment. Both offer excellent protection, but for different applications.
Can the design be customized for different product models?
Absolutely. PPE molding enables us to manufacture custom compartments that are perfectly adapted to each equipment model and its accessories. Each design is developed specifically according to the dimensions and protection requirements of the particular product.
Can the PPE be recycled at the end of its life?
Yes, PPE can be recycled by mechanical recycling, the method with the lowest environmental impact. To further contribute to the circular economy, our engineers have developed RELOOPP®, an alternative material to PPE with identical properties, but made from post-consumer recycled materials.
How resistant is PPE to extreme temperatures?
PPE retains its protective properties over a temperature range from -40°C to +130°C. This property is essential when instruments are used outdoors or in variable weather conditions (industrial inspections, topography, precision agriculture).
How much extra weight does the EPP add to a piece of equipment?
PPE is very light, although the strength of the final product depends on the density of the material. Compared with rigid plastic cases, it can reduce weight by up to 50%.
Conclusion
Would you like to find out more, or discuss a project to design customized personal protection solutions for your portable professional equipment? Contact our teams today.
