Flight/Road Cases

Comprehensive Design and manufacturing data generation solutions, backed by years of experience, knowledge, continuous improvement and technology, targeted towards customized case manufacturers

Cases Designed

600+

Hours Worked

5000+

Clients Served

10+

Description

Our road case and custom foam design solution is one of our design specialties, developed by collaborating with manufacturers and designers worldwide. We offer a comprehensive design service, starting with understanding client requirements and delivering ready-to-manufacture 3D models, detailed assembly drawings, and precise NC codes for machining. Our solutions ensure that every design is tailored to meet specific needs, optimizing both functionality and durability.

Additionally, we provide remote management and production scheduling to streamline operations. Our flexible resource management ensures orders are delivered on time, even during peak seasons. This adaptability allows us to handle varying workloads efficiently, ensuring that production timelines are met without compromising quality.

With years of experience in working with foam and plywood, we have developed automation for CAD and CAM operations, enhancing efficiency and reliability. These advanced automated processes reduce manual errors and speed up production, ensuring that each case is crafted to perfection. Our expertise in automation also leads to cost savings and improved production times for our clients.

Our consultation services allow clients to benefit from our extensive knowledge and experience, providing insights and improvements that can elevate their products and processes. Let us help you optimize your road and transport case designs. Contact us today to discuss how our tailored solutions can meet your unique needs.

Road Cases & Custom Foam

Case

The custom road and flight case industry is dynamic and challenging, demanding creativity, precision, and operational excellence. With short turnaround times, diverse client requests, and specific requirements, this fast-paced sector pushes the boundaries of design and manufacturing.

Our user-centric design process is swift and meticulous, delivering crafted solutions that protect equipment, ensure easy removal and replacement, facilitate transportation, and create robust cases that withstand road trips and shipping tours. We also prioritize economy and reusability, ensuring our cases are cost-effective and sustainable.

In manufacturing, we excel at minimizing waste and optimizing machining times to produce high-quality, repeatable products. Our streamlined processes ensure efficiency and consistency in every aspect of production.

Effective management is key to our success, with all departments working in harmony to meet tight deadlines and deliver exceptional quality. We have mastered balancing creativity, precision, and efficiency to exceed industry standards and client expectations. We've got this all covered!

Foam

Foam is at the heart of the road case industry, playing a crucial role in protecting and organizing products within cases. Foam inserts are essential in nearly all cases, particularly in stock cases like plastic injection molded or aluminum ones.

Designing foam inserts requires balancing spatial arrangement, material choice, stock thickness, and protection. User experience and ergonomics are paramount, ensuring the inserts are functional and user-friendly. Custom foam machining is a challenging task due to foam's delicate and soft nature, unlike plywood. It demands careful consideration at the design stage and meticulous generation of NC codes to optimize efficiency, quality, and reduce wastage.

Our expertise lies in mastering this delicate balance. We are your partners in navigating these challenges, offering innovative solutions to ensure your foam inserts meet the highest standards of protection, organization, and user experience.

Our Solutions

At our core, we specialize in crafting flight cases that guarantee optimal protection and usability for your valuable equipment during transportation. Our comprehensive approach includes:

Durable Construction: We engineer robust cases that withstand rough handling and transport conditions, ensuring the safety of your equipment.
Material Expertise: Selecting premium materials like plywood and impact-resistant plastics to enhance durability and longevity.
Interior Customization: Tailoring foam inserts and padding to shield contents from shocks and vibrations, preserving their integrity.
Ergonomic Design: Precision-fit dimensions and truck-friendly sizing optimize spatial layout and ease of handling in various scenarios.
Quality Hardware: Incorporating reliable latches, handles, and wheels for effortless maneuverability and secure transport.
Accessibility Solutions: Facilitating easy access with removable lids and panels for efficient equipment handling.
Weight Optimization: Balancing durability with lightweight construction for manageable transport without compromising protection.
Aesthetic Enhancement: Offering custom branding options to elevate visual appeal and reinforce your brand identity on every journey.

Our expertise in flight case design encompasses a diverse range of tasks dedicated to producing meticulous and comprehensive models and drawings essential for manufacturing and assembly. We begin with conceptual sketches or detailed 2D/3D renderings to help clients visualize and refine their ideas. Once designs are approved, we transition to creating precise manufacturing drawings that meticulously specify materials, dimensions, and assembly instructions. These documents serve as the blueprint for constructing each flight case to exact specifications and industry standards.

Conceptual Drawings: Initial sketches or detailed 2D/3D designs to aid client understanding and decision-making.
Detailed Manufacturing Drawings: Comprehensive specifications ensuring accurate production details.
Accuracy and Precision: Rigorous quality checks to eliminate errors during manufacturing.
Collaboration: Close collaboration with clients and manufacturers to refine designs based on feedback.
Compliance: Ensuring all drawings conform to relevant industry standards, guaranteeing the safety and functionality of each flight case.

Our comprehensive Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) services are tailored to optimize production processes and drive efficiency in flight case manufacturing.

CNC Code Generation: We utilize advanced CAM software to simulate and generate precise CNC codes that guide machining processes for flight case components.
Nesting: Employing state-of-the-art nesting software, we meticulously arrange component shapes on material sheets to minimize waste and maximize material utilization.
Tool Library Development: We develop and maintain a robust tool library, ensuring efficient CNC machine programming and consistent production quality.
Post-Processing: Our expertise extends to creating detailed post-processing instructions for CNC machines, enhancing accuracy and production efficiency.
Offcut Management Processes: We implement tailored strategies to optimize material usage and manage offcuts effectively, reducing waste and operational costs.

Our solutions are designed to empower businesses in the flight case industry, providing cost-effective methods to maximize profitability through optimized material usage and streamlined production workflows.

Effective management is crucial in the flight case industry, where precise orchestration ensures timely delivery and high-quality products. Our expertise includes:

Order Processing: We optimize the ordering process through advanced project management systems, ensuring efficient and accurate order handling.
Production Planning: Coordinating closely with your production schedules, we ensure adherence to deadlines for timely flight case deliveries.
Inventory Management: Leveraging your inventory software, we make informed decisions independently, freeing your time for core business activities.
Quality Control: We enforce stringent quality checks to guarantee that each flight case meets our high standards and exceeds client expectations.
Client Communication: Maintaining transparent communication throughout the order cycle, we provide regular updates and address concerns promptly, enabling you to focus on strategic business priorities.
Relationship Management: We prioritize long-term client relationships by understanding their unique needs, delivering personalized services that foster business growth.
After-Sales Support: Our proactive approach includes handling post-delivery issues efficiently, ensuring continued client satisfaction and operational efficiency.

We provides comprehensive visualization solutions for flight cases, including detailed 3D modeling, high-quality photo-realistic renderings, and interactive animations. These services empower customers to visualize and evaluate flight case designs accurately before committing to orders, ensuring precise alignment with their specific requirements and expectations. Additionally rendering and animations create an impression in marketing and e-commerce.

3D Modeling: Creating intricate 3D models that showcase all aspects of flight case designs, from dimensions to material choices.
Photo-realistic Renderings: Generating realistic visuals that offer a clear depiction of how the finished flight case will appear.
Animations: Developing interactive animations that illustrate the functionality and features of the flight case, enhancing understanding and usability.
Customization Options: Providing flexibility for customers to explore various customization possibilities, such as different features and materials.
Client Collaboration: Collaborating closely with clients to capture their unique needs and preferences, ensuring that visualizations accurately reflect their envisioned solutions.

These visualization services empower clients to make informed decisions, fostering confidence and satisfaction in their flight case designs.

Keyway Engineering provides comprehensive database management services tailored for 3D models of standard components essential for constructing flight cases. This service ensures optimal efficiency and consistency throughout our design and production processes. Our offerings include:

Database Maintenance: Regular updates and accuracy checks to ensure the database reflects the latest changes and additions.
Additions and Updates: Incorporating new components into the database as needed to ensure all essential standard components are readily available for design and manufacturing. Backward compatibility is also a crucial consideration.
NDA Compliance: All database management activities adhere strictly to Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs), safeguarding the confidentiality and security of proprietary information.
Pre-built Libraries: Access to pre-built libraries of 3D models that serve as a foundational resource, accelerating the design process.
Customization Capabilities: Options for customizing existing 3D models within the database to meet specific client requirements and preferences.

By managing these databases effectively, we optimize workflow efficiency, enhances design accuracy, and upholds confidentiality, supporting seamless production of high-quality flight cases.

Automation

Automation in the road case industry significantly enhances design for manufacture stages by reducing errors and increasing efficiency by eliminating mundane tasks. Rule-based automation is pivotal, enabling computational algorithms to perform designated steps while seeking user input when necessary. In design, reusing previously constructed models can dramatically cut down design times for future projects. For CAM, leveraging the limited variety of materials and machines used allows for further automation beyond the capabilities of generic stock CAM packages, which are designed to support a wide range of industries. With this in mind, we collaborate with our clients to develop bespoke automation solutions that seamlessly integrate into their specific workflows, maximizing efficiency and productivity.

CAD Automation

Skeletal Modeling

Using our skeletal models as references for various categories of flight cases, we are able to quickly develop conceptual designs for client review and approval.

Parametric Design

We employ parametric modeling techniques in our designs to make sure that changes are more efficient and accurate resulting in higher profit margins for our clients.

Macros

Harnessing the automation prowess of CAD software, by utilizing the APIs, we are able to develop macros to speed up repetitive and tedious tasks therefore increasing efficiency.

Library Database

Our extensive database of CAD components for flight cases allows us to have an edge in terms of design automation and cuts down the time to bring the design to production.

Feature Automation

Utilizing in-built CAD features, we are able to cut down on repetitive component placement and feature applications allowing us to reach the manufacturing stage ahead of time.

Production Automation

Our CAD customization allows us to easily transfer flight case production details to ERP. This solution is great for new businesses who do not employ expensive ERP softwares.

CAM Automation

Toolcrib Library

Our resources are able to build a toolcrib library for you to integrate into your CAM software. We maintain these libraries offering maintenance services for regular updates.

Post Processors

Our in-house expertise allows us to produce post processor files for various CNC machines in case they are not available from the manufacturer themselves.

Feature Recognition

Our CAM database team is able to identify repetitive features in your components thus saving you the time to recognize and program them repeatedly.

Nesting

We work with various nesting software to achieve maximum material utilizing therefore eliminating waste and solidifying your profit margins.

CAM Macros

CAM setup can be a time consuming, tedious and repetitive task. We utilize macros to speed up the process taking you to the stage that requires your time the most.

Case Design Studies

Tabbed Interface

Side-Loaded Light Case

For one of the largest lights on the market, the Chauvet Maverick Storm 4, top loading is impractical due to the light's weight and size. Side loading, which necessitates a front-opening case, poses a challenge to maintain structural rigidity.

Taking on this challenge, we developed a case with an exceptionally robust platform to transfer loads as low as possible, preventing bowing of the sidewalls. The case also needed to be stackable, requiring a strong lid.

Our innovative design balances the protection of delicate equipment, ease of loading, and the durability needed for event transportation. This case demonstrates our commitment to creating solutions without compromise, ensuring both functionality and strength.

Surgical Bed Case

In a project extending beyond the use of plywood, we faced the challenge of designing a case for a 200kg surgical bed that required part of its base to slide out, leaving the remaining structure weakened. Ensuring the base stayed in perfect shape to slide the mammoth back in required an innovative structural engineering solution.

Our approach involved integrating a structural steel frame inside the case, connecting the side walls and the stationary part of the base rigidly. Precision was paramount since the extrusions enabling the sliding mechanism had to support the heavy load during forklift lifting.

Additionally, the three-piece caster board needed reinforcement. Through meticulous engineering and attention to detail, we achieved pinpoint accuracy, ensuring the case could withstand hundreds of unloading and transportation cycles, maintaining both structural integrity and ease of use.

Luxury Workstation

Our luxurious workstation case is a marvel of engineering and systems design, housing six screens on a motorized lift, a computer, a network switch, a sound system, a printer, and even a fridge. With nearly 200 unique parts, this project presented an exciting challenge. The rear of the case accommodates the motorized lift-mounted screens and a complex network of wiring, ensuring seamless connectivity for the front-mounted equipment. Each device has its own dedicated compartment, facilitating ease of use.

To enhance user experience, we developed a special mechanism to adjust the angle of the top row of screens for optimal viewing. Additionally, the three drawers are reinforced with extra slides to securely store heavy equipment. This meticulously engineered case not only ensures functionality and durability but also embodies the pinnacle of luxury and convenience in a mobile workstation.

Teleprompter Suitcase

Client requested a lightweight and compact teleprompter for easy transport by air. The challenge was to create a structurally sound platform for the display using lightweight materials.

Leveraging our expertise and structural analysis, we designed reinforcements in critical areas to ensure the case could support an adjustable-angle platform and endure hundreds of opening and closing cycles.

The final design is a suitcase featuring a TYPE-D input patch panel, accessory storage, and an adjustable-angle teleprompter, all weighing under 20kg!

Mixer Flycase

Our client, a touring musician, needed a flight-friendly case for their 9kg mixer. The case couldn't have a fixed castor board due to flying constraints, but the mixer’s weight made it impractical to carry around when not flying. Our solution was to design the case using lightweight materials and streamlined foam inserts that still ensured the mixer’s safety.

We incorporated a removable castor board with tight design tolerances to allow easy and repeated removal and replacement with minimal play. Remote coordination posed a challenge, but we successfully conducted tests with the on-site manufacturing team, achieving the perfect custom-fabricated catch plate within a tight timeline that didn’t permit iterations.

Stacked Speakers Case

Speaker cases are regularly needed in the entertainment industry. Modular concert speaker systems like the KARA II from L-Acoustics offer versatile setups, but assembling and disassembling them takes a lot of time. Our client requested a case to store stacks of their modular speakers instead of individual ones. The stack needed to rest on an inclined surface to stay straight and required an inclined support in the lid as well. We determined that a 3-high stack was the maximum possible without compromising stability.

Additionally, existing market cases lacked foam padding under the speakers due to the difficulty and cost of angling the foam correctly. We devised an innovative support structure in the base and lid, covering it with foam without leaving gaps for a seamless finish. The result was a superior, aesthetically pleasing case, and our client was thrilled with what we delivered—truly the best on the market.

Our Work

Our Process

Step 01

Client requirements

Understanding the type of case required, the equipment to be carried, areas to be protected, storage and size requirement and areas of application.

Step 03

Client approval

The client is able to review various options weighing them against their pros and cons and eventually finalizing a concept to approve and move forward with.

Step 05

CAM and Manufacturing Data

Case detailing gives way to manufacturing drawings, panel layouts, preparation of CNC files for laser or routers, QC checklists, production BOMs allowing the machine shop and the assembly team to prepare the flight cases.

Step 02

Case concept design

Based on the requirements, through the use of videos, images & CAD, we are able to come up with possible case concepts for the client to review and approve.

Step 04

Case detailing

Our team of engineers start putting in the details to the confirmed concepts hence making them manufacturing ready. Design & BOM optimization takes place simultaneously at this stage.

Step 06

Manufacturing

Manufacturing team in tandem with the assembly team can then prepare the flight cases making sure they are in sync with all the provided manufacturing data. The flight case then goes to the QC department followed by a transfer to the shipping department.

Contact Us

Send us an email @ info@keyway.com.pk using below form and/or set up a free consultation right from our website.

Book a free Consultation

If you have any questions, you think are best answered in an in-person meeting or would like to schedule a session with out experts to know how we can solve your problems, feel free to set up a meeting with us!