Laminate

At ECM we offer a wide range of laminate case products to suit your equipment and/or budgetary requirements. The range of laminate case construction methods and materials used by ECM is quite extensive.

Panels

Laminate panels are available in a wide array of colours and usually consists of an ABS, fiberglass or aluminum sheet bonded to a plywood panel. The majority of our laminated cases are constructed with, but not limited to, the materials listed below:

Material Breakdown

Material	Sheet Thickness Available
Smooth or textured fiberglass laminate	0.125” /0.25” / 0.375” / 0.50” / 0.75”
ABS laminate	0.125” / 0.25” /0.375” / 0.50” / 0.75”
Aluminum laminate	0.125” / 0.25” / 0.375” / 0.50” / 0.75”
High pressure phenolic laminate	0.25” / 0.375” / 0.50” / 0.75”
Polypropylene tri-laminate	0.25” / 0.375” / 0.50”

Note – Other panel options are available for specialty applications, please contact us for more information.

Construction Methods

Riveted

At ECM we use break-stem blind rivets as standard fasteners on all of our heavy duty cases because they are strong, reliable and facilitate field repairs with simple hand tools. In addition, we use only rivets that exceed the Industrial Fastener Institute’s IFI-114 specification for shear and tensile strength.

Stapled and Glued

Cases are constructed with our proprietary staple and glue extrusion. This is a thinner extrusion that enables us to attach the laminate panels to the extrusion with 7/32” narrow crown staples and premium grade construction adhesive. The end result is a lighter and less costly case solution for your equipment.

Stapled

Cases are constructed using the same methods as above, with the exception of the use of construction adhesive. This method does not require the use of adhesive as it is usually for extremely lightweight equipment therefore the adhesive becomes an unnecessary expense.

In Conclusion

By offering these options you can make an informed choice with regards to the best method for your application and/or budget. For example, if you are having a case built for your personal use that will never be shipped via courier, you may want to go with a stapled construction which will be lighter and less expensive than our riveted construction.

Extrusions

Aside from the laminate itself, aluminum extrusions are perhaps the most important component of a case shell. The strength and rigidity of these extrusions has a direct relationship to the overall strength of the shell. Unsatisfied with the stock extrusions available, ECM designed stronger custom aluminum extrusions to our own specifications.

Lidmaker Extrusions

Instead of separate side panels and extrusions, lidmaker combines all components in one strong, compact extrusion that attaches to the top panel and maximizes useable area inside the case itself, and reduces cost and weight. Our proprietary extrusion is stronger and more rigid than standard stock types. We also have a unique extrusion designed for 0.50″ laminate for heavy duty cases and racks.

Typical Laminate Case Configurations

	Heavy Duty	Medium Duty	Light Duty
Panel Thickness	0.75”/0.50”/0.375”	0.50”/0.25”	0.25”/0.125”
Panel Material/Laminate	Wood/ABS, Wood/ Aluminum, Hexagrip	Wood/ABS, Wood/ Aluminum, PolyPro	Wood/ABS, PolyPro
Hardware	Recessed	Recessed or surface	Surface
Interior Foam	Etha	Etha or polyurethane	Polyurethane
Construction	Riveted	Stapled and glued	Stapled
Extrusions	Heavy-duty	Regular (ECM special gauge)	Regular (ECM special gauge)