Today's hard cases are capable of protecting even the most delicate materials and equipment when shipped overseas.
They are able to do so even though they only weigh a fraction of what past cases used to weigh.
The secret lies in the special materials utilized in the construction of these cases, as well as the way the cases are assembled.
Nearly all of today's case manufacturers make use of a special material such as tri-laminate reinforced polypropylene.
This is an artificial material, a kind of thermoplastic polymer, which is extremely rugged and extraordinarily resistant to substances such as bases and acids that normally damage other materials.
This ruggedness and resistance makes that the material suitable for many other applications nowadays aside from hard cases, from manufacturing to storage to medical uses, and many more continue to be developed.
Not only is this material impervious to damage; its qualities also allow it to be put together in ways that increase its utility.
Cases built of this material can be molded together seamlessly, thereby eliminating the possibility of water and dust penetration and infiltration by rodents or insects, for instance.
In many cases, each sheet of tri-laminate reinforced polypropylene consists of a central sheet that is contained between two smooth exterior sheets.
The geometric design of the central sheet can contribute significantly to the rigidity of the finished sheet, and, thus, of hard cases as a whole.
Lastly, tri-laminate reinforced polypropylene can also be rendered with other special protective properties such as fire resistance, and even cosmetic ones such as surface treatments for paint and ink adhesion.