Category Archives: Articles

If you ship expensive equipment, custom shipping cases are an essential investment. At Bel-Air Cases, our shipping cases can handle the rigors of transport without sacrificing style. Take a minute to learn a few essential facts about our custom shipping cases.

1. Bel-Air Cases Save You Money
Our cases feature the highest quality construction, and while that comes with a price, you won’t have to pay $1,000 or more for one of our custom shipping cases. Typically, you might expect to pay about $400 for a large shipping case, and while there are cheaper cases on the market, they don’t protect your equipment at the same level as a Bel-Air case. Shipping and transport is tough on cases, but our cases are up to the challenge. You’ll save money in the long run simply because our cases will protect your stuff, and you won’t have to make costly repairs.

Additionally, our cases are rugged but extremely lightweight, which can help reduce your shipping costs. Lastly, our cases are meant to last a lifetime, so while you might find a cheaper case, it is doubtful that your less expensive case will have the staying power of a Bel-Air case. Because each case is custom, we don’t provide an online price list, but give us a call and we will provide you with a free instant quote over the phone or contact us via email.

2. We Can Handle Any Order
Whether you need just one custom shipping case or 1,000, the team at Bel-Air Cases is equal to the task. No matter how small or large your order might be, every customer receives the same quality customer service, and we put the same level of care into the construction of a single case order as we do for those ordering multiple cases.

3. We Meet All ATA Guidelines
If you need custom shipping cases, then you certainly need these cases to be compliant with all Airport Transportation Association (ATA) guidelines. You can ship our cases on any airline, and each heavy-duty case is built to withstand the rigors of transport. Airline personnel aren’t exactly known for their light touch with baggage. After all, they have to load and unload cargo holds as quickly as possible, but our cases are up to the challenge. Additionally, our cases also meet most MIL specifications, and we can meet just about any military, government or aerospace specification.

4. We Have No Warranty
Many customers are surprised to hear that we don’t offer a warranty on our products, but there is a simple reason for that. We don’t need to. Our cases last a lifetime, and should a case component break, send it to us and we’ll fix for free. Shipping and transport is rough on packages, and while we can’t guarantee that your case will never incur damages, we do promise that we will repair these damages for as long as you own your custom shipping case.

5. Our Cases Can Protect Virtually Any Product
Whether you need to transport aerospace equipment, music equipment, camera equipment, computers, surveying equipment, expensive lighting or something else entirely, we can design a shipping case that protects every inch of your product. We use tough high-density polyethylene to create the shells of our cases and each case is held together with a durable aluminum valance. Additionally, each case features a foam insert designed specifically to protect all of your equipment parts.

6. Our Cases Are Truly Custom
We don’t offer any made-to-order cases on our website. Each of our cases is built from scratch, based upon your specifications. Even the interior of the case is custom, and we never use pick and pluck foam. We design custom foam interiors that fit your equipment precisely, as this provides you with the highest level of protection. Of course, we also can customize the aesthetics of your case, and we offer multiple case colors and are happy to add logos or your company name to each case. While protecting a product is certainly a priority, there’s no reason why custom shipping cases can’t be attractive as well as functional.

If you need custom shipping cases, contact the team at Bel-Air Cases today. We are ready to help you with any custom project, large or small. You can request a free quote by clicking the “Request a Quote” tab at the top of our webpage or give us a call at (866) 235-2472.

At Bel-Air Cases, we’ve been creating top-quality plastic carrying cases for more than 50 years. Our cases are tough and durable and many of our customers are surprised to learn that plastic is one of the best materials available to protect your expensive equipment. At our factory, we create cases using high-density polyethylene or HDPE, which is one of the most versatile plastics on earth. Here’s a quick look at HDPE and why it’s so well suited for custom plastic carrying cases.

1. HDPE Is Durable
While all of our plastic carrying cases are protective and durable, our shipping cases and expo cases, both of which are crafted from HDPE, are capable of handling the rigors of shipping and transport. HDPE is highly impact resistant, which makes it a top choice for any type of shipping case or crate.

2. HDPE Is Lightweight
While durability is certainly a huge advantage of HDPE, the light weight of this plastic also is a benefit. The light weight makes it easy for clients to move our cases from place to place, and the lighter weight also can reduce your shipping costs. Of course, we also can add wheels to our plastic carrying cases to make them as easy as possible to move.

3. HDPE Is Moisture-Resistant
Did someone spill coffee on your case? Did you have to transport your case from your car to an office building in a torrential downpour? Did you store your case in an area where mold or mildew have built up? If any of these scenarios have happened to you, the contents of your case are likely perfectly fine. HDPE is resistant to chemicals, moisture, mildew and mold, so whether you have suffered from a horrible cappuccino accident or got stuck in a thunderstorm, your HDPE plastic carrying cases will weather the storm.

3. HDPE Is A Thermoform Plastic
There are two basic types of plastic – thermoform plastics and thermoset plastics. Both involve the use of heat and this heat is applied to sheets of plastics in order to make the plastic malleable. However, thermoform plastics typically can be recycled and used again and again. With thermoset plastic, recycling is nearly impossible as these plastics are permanently “set” once they have cooled. HDPE is a thermoform plastic, meaning that it can be “re-melted” and used again for a new purpose.

4. HDPE Is Easily Recyclable
Our Bel-Air plastic carrying cases are meant to last a lifetime, so you certainly won’t be recycling your custom cases anytime soon. However, other products fashioned out of HDPE are meant for single usage, such as milk jugs. While all thermoform plastics are recyclable, HDPE is one of the easier plastics to recycle.

All thermoform plastics are categorized with a resin identification code and this code typically is imprinted somewhere on the product or item. Look on some of your plastic products, and you might see a number inside a triangle. That is the resin code, and this tells the staff at recycling centers which type of plastic was used to make a container or product. For instance, those plastic water bottles we all use are made from polyethylene terephthalate or PET, and is designated with a #1. HDPE is known as #2 plastic, and virtually all curbside recycling programs now accept HDPE. While you won’t need to recycle your case, it’s still nice to known that HDPE is one of the most sustainable plastics on the planet.

5. HDPE Is Used For Many Products
Because of its light weight, impact resistance and moisture resistance, HDPE is used for a variety of products. Aside from our plastic carrying cases, HDPE can be used to make bottles for shampoo, detergent and cleaners. HDPE also is a suitable material for use in many food products, including cereal box liners, juice & milk jugs, yogurt & pudding tubs and tubs for items such as butter, margarine, sour cream and cottage cheese. This plastic also is used to make durable plastic lumber for use in playground equipment, park benches and more. While you might be more familiar with PVC pipes, HDPE also is used to produce pipes and cable insulation, as it is highly anti-corrosive and durable.

6. Our HDPE Cases Are Created Through Vacuum Forming
Thermoforming is a process by which large sheets of plastic are heated until they are malleable and then formed using the pressure of a vacuum. We are the first company to pioneer the use of vacuum forming for custom cases and have been using this process for many 50 years. Vacuum forming is a tried-and-true method that produces consistent results every time. Our versatile thermoforming equipment can produce just about any size of case you might need.

7. HDPE Is More Than 100 Years Old
In the grand scheme of things, synthetic plastics are a fairly new material, with most advances in the creation of plastics occurring from about 1880 on. Polyethylene was developed in the 1930s by two British chemists, Eric Fawcett and Reginald Gibson, and this plastic first was used during World War II as insulation for radar cables. Karl Ziegler, a German chemist developed HDPE during the 1950s, and later won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work with plastics, particularly for his development of HDPE. It also might interest you to note that HDPE is what is known as a synthetic polymer and it is constructed entirely of hydrogen and carbon atoms.

8. Our Cases Are More Than HDPE
While the strong, durable outer shell of our cases is vacuum-formed using HDPE, we also include a few other materials in the creation of our carrying cases and shipping cases. Each half of your case is held together with an aluminum valance. Aluminum, much like HDPE, is a desirable material because of its strength, durability and lightweight. It too, is a highly recyclable and sustainable material.

Although, again, your Bel-Air Case is meant to last for decades and we stand by our cases throughout their lifetime, if a case component breaks, we will fix it. We know that transit is tough on packages, so while we can’t guarantee that your cases will never be damaged, we can assure clients that we will always repair the damages for as long as you own your Bel-Air case.

In addition to the aluminum hinges, we also offer an assortment of hinges, latches, handles and wheels. Each case also features a custom foam insert that fits your equipment precisely. We never use die-cut or pick and pluck foam, as this simply does not protect items at the same level as custom foam inserts. From inside and out, your custom plastic carrying cases will feature the highest quality materials and design. We can even customize the color and add a logo or your company name to the case design.

If you are in the market for custom plastic carrying cases, give the team at Bel-Air Cases a call today or request a free custom quote via our website. We design light-duty, medium-duty and heavy-duty carrying cases as well as heavy-duty shipping cases and expo cases for clients in a wide range of industries. To learn more about our cases, head to our homepage and you will find helpful tabs for each of our products, as well as a tab that will lead you to our “Request A Quote” page.