The Challenge

• The system was to be deployed worldwide in a variety of theaters and thus had to be rugged.

• A custom power system was to be integrated within the case in a separate custom chassis. The customer’s proprietary power source was designed to accept power from sources available worldwide and needed to be swappable from the case in the event of a failure.

• The case was to be used as a heat sink to cool the customer’s integral components and power supply.

• Mission critical security / encryption devices needed to be securely mounted on a panel and brackets with the ability to remove them within seconds.

• A ruggedized laptop needed to be on a sliding tray and accessed from the front of the case (workstation scenario).

• All components needed to be pre-connected without cables being visible or readily accessible.

• The lid was to be both hinged (with a pre-determined “open” angle for stability) and removable.

• A satellite antenna and auxilliary devices were
to be stored in the lid.

• The case had to meet both dimension and weight requirements. It also had to be rugged and take substantial abuse.

The Solution

As a number of the customer’s components were associated with sensitive security issues, Impact’s design professionals spent extended periods of time at the customer’s facility to develop the solid model of the case design. Upon completion of the design phase and approval of the virtual concept models, Impact manufactured prototypes for form, fit and function. Subsequent to the approval of the “hard” prototype, the production cases were manufactured.