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6672 Boekel Road Rathdrum, Idaho 83858 Phone: 1-877-687-2452 Fax: (208) 687-0632 Email: ContactUs@ICC-Case.com |
Aluminum Advantage
Advantages of aluminum as material used in case and container manufacture.
• Aluminum is very light. This is a crucial requirement for all transport
and shipping containers.
• Aluminum is very strong and resistant to impacts. Impacts may show on the exterior but the energy from the impact is absorbed within the distortion and not transferred to the content. With polymer or plastic cases, when an impact occurs the case will often flex or deform and transfer the majority of the impact energy directly to the contents. The polymer or plastic case then returns to its original shape leaving the contents damaged unbeknownst to all until the case and the damaged contents are in the field.
• Aluminum is not affected by extreme heat. In the temperature range of –238°F to +302°F the material characteristics remain constant. The scorching temperatures of desert warfare often distort case and container products made of polymers.
• Aluminum is corrosion resistant.
• Aluminum can be finished in a multitude of colors and textures.
• Aluminum is hygienic and easy to clean and has no odor. Ideal when a septic environment must be maintained.
• Aluminum withstands the effects of water vapor.
• Aluminum is manufactured from bauxite ore. Reserves of bauxite are sufficient to meet demand for the foreseeable future.
• Aluminum is completely recyclable.
• Aluminum uses no petroleum products in its manufacture. All polymer or plastic cases and containers use petroleum as its main ingredient.
• Aluminum is impervious to the degrading effects of UV rays. Most polymer or plastic cases, unless mixed with special UV blocking materials will discolor and brittle with age.
• Aluminum is magnetically neutral.
• Aluminum can be fabricated into any size, type or style of case or container without expensive mold tooling. This shortens traditionally long lead times and reduces overall unit cost and allows the flexibility to produce small quantities of cases and containers.
Aluminum vs Plastic, head-to-head comparison.
Safety–Plastic can not handle heavy weight and extreme heat. Aluminum on the other hand can be engineered to handle any amount of weight and does not melt or distort when in extreme heat environment. Engineered plastic presents a significant fire hazard, and releases toxic gasses in the event of a fire.
Strength-to-weight– Using comparative strength-to-weight ratio data, aluminum represents a 3X improvement over a comparable plastic case of similar demisions. This number increases in extreme heat.
Recyclability– Aluminum has high scrap value. The life of an ICC aluminum container lasts virtually forever. Once they have given you years of dependable service, our containers can be profitably recycled, meeting environmental responsibilities and eliminating the rising costs of disposal and insurance for flammable plastic containers.
Adaptability– Aluminum offers maximum flexibility. While most containers must be purchased in standard sizes (or you pay the high tooling cost for odd sizing), aluminum can easily be customized to fit your needs. We know how to precisely design and fabricate welded aluminum cases to fit your products, to answer your shipping needs and to meet your operating style. Regardless of the items, we never try to squeeze your products into some generic size. We can change sizes or add features based entirely on what best fits your needs.
Please contact an ICC sales professional or submit your project to ICC by completing the custom case or custom foam form. Then an ICC sales professional will contact you within 24 hours.