Camera Case Foam Design

[Transposure]

Hey Guys...
I thought I would share a really great find. It has to do with the way we store and transport our gear.
I use Pelican cases for all my gear. I have about 20 of them. My medium format case has used the pick-n-pluck foam from Pelican. Anyone that has used this foam knows that it degrades with time. It is a polyurethane foam I believe. I have some cases that use polyethylene foam and it is a higher end foam that has a much higher stiffness and strength. Well, with the XF and Credo combo, I decided they needed some higher end digs... LOL
I did some searching the other night for a custom foam insert for my medium format case and I found this website www.mycasebuilder.com I clicked through and they have this amazing online design suite wherein you can design your own insert with real-time 3d modeling!. Super cool. You can make general geometric shapes, or you can use their library of product shapes or you can use a photo of an item and then trace around it and provide overall measurements from which it scales the trace and makes a template. Wicked cool! I made a template of my XF with 110mmLF attached and my Really Right Stuff L bracket attached as well. I used their premade lens template and battery template and battery charger template. You can rearrange, rotate, add, subtract, change depth, etc. Incredibly versatile.
So, after I was done, I saved my design, and clicked order. Voila! I will have it in hand in a week. I attached a screen capture of the 3D model. Hope this helps some!

 

[Godfrey]

Hey Guys...
I thought I would share a really great find. It has to do with the way we store and transport our gear.
I use Pelican cases for all my gear. I have about 20 of them. My medium format case has used the pick-n-pluck foam from Pelican. Anyone that has used this foam knows that it degrades with time. It is a polyurethane foam I believe. I have some cases that use polyethylene foam and it is a higher end foam that has a much higher stiffness and strength. Well, with the XF and Credo combo, I decided they needed some higher end digs... LOL
I did some searching the other night for a custom foam insert for my medium format case and I found this website www.mycasebuilder.com I clicked through and they have this amazing online design suite wherein you can design your own insert with real-time 3d modeling!. Super cool. You can make general geometric shapes, or you can use their library of product shapes or you can use a photo of an item and then trace around it and provide overall measurements from which it scales the trace and makes a template. Wicked cool! I made a template of my XF with 110mmLF attached and my Really Right Stuff L bracket attached as well. I used their premade lens template and battery template and battery charger template. You can rearrange, rotate, add, subtract, change depth, etc. Incredibly versatile.
So, after I was done, I saved my design, and clicked order. Voila! I will have it in hand in a week. I attached a screen capture of the 3D model. Hope this helps some!

That looks nice! I've had a new pick'n'pluck in my Pelican case for a year, trying to find time to get a round tuit and make a configuration for the Hassy setup. This might mean it actually gets done!

thx,
G

 

[jlm]

funny coincidence, i just today sent them a CAD drawing to fit my actus kit in a guru gear bag

 

[Transposure]

Hey Guys,
Well, my case foam design arrived today and I have to say, OMG!!! It is absolutely fantastic!! I was a little nervous about the cutout for the XF with the 110mm LF lens on it. In order to create that cutout, I took a side view photo of it and then used their ancillary program to trace the shape of it and add in a length and height to properly scale it.
I just added my gear and it is nothing short of PERFECTION!!
I am now going to design a second one dedicated to my RZ67 Pro IID and its related lens and accessories.

In a nutshell, highly, HIGHLY, recommended.

From the green, online, 3D design to the actual product in about a week!! Wow!

 

[mjr]

That looks really good Ken!

Mat

 

[Transposure]

That looks really good Ken!

Mat

I am blown away by the quality and the fit. Could not be happier.

The funny thing was when i went to fit the XF + 110 into the case, and the 80mm as well, they were tight. It was looking disappointing. But then I realized the lenses weren't racked all the way in. Did that and voila! Perfection.

 

[aztwang]

I am blown away by the quality and the fit. Could not be happier.

The funny thing was when i went to fit the XF + 110 into the case, and the 80mm as well, they were tight. It was looking disappointing. But then I realized the lenses weren't racked all the way in. Did that and voila! Perfection.

Going to have to check it out. Hey Ken, what type of hand strap is that on the XF?
You like it?..Comments??...Thx!

 

[Transposure]

Going to have to check it out. Hey Ken, what type of hand strap is that on the XF?
You like it?..Comments??...Thx!

Don,
I posted a separate thread on the strap. Here is the link to the thread...

http://www.getdpi.com/forum/medium-...gital-backs/57998-handstrap-phase-one-xf.html

And, to answer your question...I love it. If you want to talk further about it, post on the other thread and we can discuss.
Best,
Ken

 

[tcdeveau]

That looks great!

 

[Christopher]

As I'm currently working on my own case I wanted to reach out and see if there are more experiences out there.

My first question would be foam. You used the BlackPE Foam (Polyethylene), correct ?

Is there a reason why ? I'm asking as I was under the impression that for camera gear, Charcoal Ester Foam (Polyurethane) would be a better fit, as it would
cushion shocks better.

In your design there is an addition to the XF I guess it is a L-bracket ? I did you add the cutout at the bottom ? just a new shape with more depth ?

Last question, as anyone so far designed a foam for the F-Stop ICU units ?

Thanks for any insights.

 

[mathomas]

This is super-cool!

 

[Transposure]

Chris,

It has been awhile and I don't recall having a foam choice. I was simply enamored by them having the stiffer foam (compared to the Pelican Case foam). My understanding is there are two common types, PU (Polyurethane like Pelican Pick-n-pluck) and PE (Polyethylene like this). As I have other cases for a variety of things, I have always liked the PE foam MUCH better.

My XF cutout is my own. I did not use the template they had. I photographed my camera side view and used their program to scale and create it. This is because I leave my 110mm on it rather than their template's 80mm. The extra lower cutout is for the RRS L bracket. That extra lower cutout was a new shape with more depth as you assumed.
Ken

As I'm currently working on my own case I wanted to reach out and see if there are more experiences out there.

My first question would be foam. You used the BlackPE Foam (Polyethylene), correct ?

Is there a reason why ? I'm asking as I was under the impression that for camera gear, Charcoal Ester Foam (Polyurethane) would be a better fit, as it would
cushion shocks better.

In your design there is an addition to the XF I guess it is a L-bracket ? I did you add the cutout at the bottom ? just a new shape with more depth ?

Last question, as anyone so far designed a foam for the F-Stop ICU units ?

Thanks for any insights.

 

[Transposure]

So, I am resurrecting an old thread. LOL

I was so enamored with the online design program and the resulting quality from Custom Foam Case Inserts - MyCaseBuilder.com that I will think of any excuse to design a new foam insert! The design process is a lot of fun!

In any case, I use a Wacom Cintiq 27" display/tablet as a matter of course for photo retouching, creative photoshop use and as a tethering monitor. It is a fabulous product for which I cannot say enough good things. It is not cheap and when you add the ergo stand, it is quick cumbersome, yet incredibly stable and well designed. I use it at two locations, my studio and my home. I didn't want to buy two of them, so I opted to port it to both locations as needed. I move it into the vertical position to serve as a tethering monitor and roll it down into the sloped position to serve as the retouching tablet. Awesome!
Well, to move it back and forth, I tried a large (read...enormous!) Pelican case. Here are two photos, and remember that the display is 27" for visual reference!





The display/tablet weighs 20 pounds, the ergo stand weighs 60 pounds (!!) and the Pelican case weighs 30 pounds. That is 110 pounds to move. Umm, not happenin'. So, I did that a few times and said screw this. I bought another ergo stand so I have one at the studio and one at home and I now bring only the 20 pound display and mount it (5 minute process) to the stand at each location. Yay!



I bought a soft-sided case for the display and just designed a new foam insert for it...





Cost to revamp the method and logistics with this.......priceless!!

 

[algrove]

I had no idea I could use my Wacom as a tethering monitor. Great to know. To bad it only is Windows compatible, but know why.

 

[Transposure]

I had no idea I could use my Wacom as a tethering monitor. Great to know. To bad it only is Windows compatible, but know why.

Only Windows compatible?

I don't know which one you have, but I use mine with a Phase One XF and one of two separate Mac laptops depending on circumstances.

 

[algrove]

Good to know. Exactly which model # do you have? Touch screen & pen?

 

[Transposure]

Good to know. Exactly which model # do you have? Touch screen & pen?

Pen only. The multi-button remote zooms very easily in the absence of the pinch gestures and I saved some money! LOL

 

[Transposure]

So, I received my second foam design from www.mycasebuilder.com. And I have to tell you guys, these guys rock!

Previously, I designed a case for my Phase One XF and lenses. This time, I designed one for my Wacom Cintiq 27" display tablet. It is absolutely perfect. Looks like it came straight from the tablet manufacturer!

Here are a few pictures...

 

[Godfrey]

Looks great!
I should get off my duff and design an insert for my Pelican rollaway that fits my Hasselblad 500CM and lenses properly.

G

 

[Transposure]

Do it!

I have to tell you, the design process is actually quite fun. If you have a standard case, you start with their pre-dimensioned insert and then start adding cutouts either from their library or from your own measurements.
I can't wait to do another.

A friend of mine made a very good point too, if you make multiple inserts for the same case, you simply swap them in and out based on the needs of the shoot.