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Most precision parts are not scrapped because they were dropped. They are scrapped because a machined or coated surface picked up a mark that no finishing operation can remove. The inside of the container decides whether that happens, which is why we specify these crates from the part surface outwards.
The interior finish is the first control. Moulding tools for these crates are polished in the part-contact areas and run without external release agents, so the surface that meets a component is smooth, dry and free of the chalky residue that transfer moulding can leave behind.
Flash and gate marks are trimmed flush rather than left as witness lines. On a crate that holds bearing surfaces or anodised housings, a half-millimetre of proud material is enough to create a scratch pattern across an entire batch, so trim quality is treated as a functional requirement, not a cosmetic one.
Particle generation is the second. Polypropylene does not shed fibre the way corrugated board does, and a moulded crate has no cut edges to release dust into the load. Where the application calls for it, we can supply crates washed and bagged before first use so they enter a controlled area already clean.
Static is the third risk. Standard PP insulates, which lets a charged surface attract airborne dust and can discharge into sensitive electronics. Anti-static and conductive grades are available across the same tool, formulated to bring surface resistivity into the range your process requires without changing crate geometry.
Inserts do the positioning. Depending on the part, we fit EPP block inserts, hollow-board dividers or thermoformed trays that locate each component in its own pocket, so parts never touch each other and never slide against a wall. The crate provides the structure; the insert provides the protection.
Temperature stability supports the whole arrangement. PP holds its dimensions from about −25 °C to +60 °C, so a crate that is correct in a warm inspection room is still correct after a night in an unheated dispatch bay, and the insert clearances do not close up or open out.
Cleaning is a defined routine rather than an occasional wipe. Crates are designed with radiused internal corners and no blind recesses on the load face, so swarf, coolant and dust leave the box completely during wash-down. Drying is equally quick, which matters when crates have to return to service within a shift.
Verified cleanliness follows. Customers running tight processes can request wipe-test sampling of returned crates and record results against crate serial numbers, turning cleanliness into a documented control rather than an assumption.
Send us the part drawing, the cleanliness class you work to and your handling equipment, and we will propose a crate and insert configuration with the surface and ESD specification that fits.
