Custom Flight Case for Lighting Equipment: A Buyer’s Guide

A lighting designer in Manchester was touring with a West End production. She had 12 moving head fixtures packed in two flight cases — one case with 6 fixtures, stacked in a trailer with 30 other cases. When the tour arrived in Edinburgh, she opened the cases to find that 3 fixtures had damaged pan/tilt mechanisms. The cases had been stacked under 200kg of other equipment, and the case lids had flexed inward by 15mm, pressing on the fixture yokes. The repair cost: £1,200 per fixture, £3,600 total. Plus, 2 fixtures were out of service for 2 weeks, requiring rental replacements at £150/week each. The cases were standard off-the-shelf flight cases with 3mm plywood and aluminum extrusion. They were rated for “light stacking” — not for being at the bottom of a 200kg stack. A custom case with 5mm panels, reinforced lid ribs, and a load rating of 300kg would have cost £80 more per case, £160 total. The £160 “savings” on standard cases cost £3,900 in repairs and rentals.

Lighting equipment is among the most demanding cargo for custom cases. Moving head fixtures weigh 15-30kg each, have delicate pan/tilt mechanisms, and are packed in multiples (4-8 fixtures per case). LED walls come in panels that need to be stacked and transported without scratching the LED matrix. DMX controllers, media servers, and lighting consoles have faders, knobs, and screens that break if pressed. A custom case for lighting equipment isn’t a luxury — it’s the difference between the fixtures arriving ready to hang and them arriving in the repair shop. This guide covers how to specify cases for moving heads, LED panels, consoles, and lighting accessories.

What Actually Damages Lighting Equipment in Transit

After building cases for touring lighting designers, rental houses, and production companies, the damage patterns are consistent:

• Stack pressure damage (28%) — Cases stacked in a trailer. The lid flexes inward and presses on the fixture yoke, LED panel, or console faders. A 3mm plywood lid flexes 10-15mm under 150kg of stack load. That’s enough to damage a moving head’s pan/tilt mechanism or crack an LED panel
• Impact damage (24%) — Cases dropped from tailgate height (80-100cm), knocked against door frames, or tossed by venue crew. Moving head fixtures have delicate glass gobos and precision motors that don’t survive a 1-meter drop without proper foam support
• Vibration damage (18%) — Truck and trailer vibration loosens fixture screws, damages gobo wheels, and can misalign optical components. Over a 10-hour drive, a fixture takes millions of micro-impulses through the case floor
• Scratching and abrasion (14%) — LED panels scratch if they rub against each other or against the case interior. Moving head fixtures scratch if the foam cavity isn’t precise and the fixture shifts during transport
• Hardware failure (10%) — Latches break, handles pull off, wheels fail. A case with a broken latch opens in transit, and the fixtures are loose in a cargo hold
• Accessory damage (6%) — Power cables, DMX cables, clamps, and safety lines rattling around in the case scratch fixtures and damage connectors. Even small accessories become projectiles in a crash

Equipment-Specific Case Requirements

Moving Head Fixtures

• Case type — 4-6 fixtures per case, depending on fixture size. 4-up for large fixtures (25-30kg), 6-up for medium fixtures (15-20kg), 8-up for small fixtures (8-12kg)
• Foam cavity — CNC-machined to the exact fixture profile. The fixture should be supported at the base (yoke mount) and the head, with the pan/tilt mechanism in a recessed area that doesn’t touch foam. The fixture should NOT be supported by the yoke — that’s the most fragile part
• Lid clearance — Minimum 15mm clearance between the fixture head and the lid foam. The lid will flex under stack load — if the foam touches the fixture head, it will press on the pan/tilt mechanism
• Stack rating — Minimum 200kg. Moving head cases are always at the bottom of a stack in a trailer. Specify 5mm panels and reinforced lid ribs
• Casters — 100mm polyurethane, 4 per case, with brakes on 2. A 6-up case with fixtures weighs 90-120kg — it needs good casters
• Accessory compartment — Separate compartment for power cables, DMX cables, clamps, and safety lines. Don’t pack accessories loose in the fixture cavity

LED Wall Panels

• Case type — 4-8 panels per case, depending on panel size. 500mm × 500mm panels: 6-8 per case. 500mm × 1000mm panels: 4 per case
• Foam cavity — Each panel in its own cavity, separated by a 10mm foam wall. The LED matrix face should be protected by a foam pad that covers the entire matrix. The panel should be supported at the edges (the aluminum frame), not at the matrix face
• Connector protection — Recessed foam around the panel connector area (usually on the back or side). The case edge should not press on the connector pins
• Stack rating — Minimum 250kg. LED panel cases are heavy (8 panels × 3.5kg = 28kg of panels, plus case weight = 35-40kg) and are always stacked
• Labeling — Panel numbers silk-screened on the case exterior and foam cavities. This is critical for fast load-in — crew need to know which panel goes where without checking

Lighting Consoles and Media Servers

• Case type — Single unit per case (consoles are expensive and fragile). The case should be a “coffin” style — the console sits in a foam cavity, with a removable lid
• Foam cavity — CNC-machined to the exact console profile. The faders, knobs, and screens should be in recessed areas that don’t touch foam. The console should be supported at the base and sides, not at the fader deck
• Lid clearance — Minimum 20mm clearance between the fader deck and the lid foam. Faders are the most fragile part of a console — if the lid presses on them, they break
• Shock mounting — For high-end consoles (£5,000+), consider a shock-mounted case with internal suspension. This isolates the console from truck vibration
• Accessory compartment — Separate compartment for the power supply, DMX cables, and a keyboard/mouse if applicable

DMX Controllers and Signal Distribution

• Case type — Multiple units per case (DMX splitters, amplifiers, signal converters are small). 4-8 units per case, in individual foam cavities
• Foam cavity — Each unit in its own cavity, with connector access recessed. The units should be supported at the base, not at the connector panel
• Cable management — Separate compartment for DMX cables, power cables, and terminators. Cable ties or Velcro straps to keep cables organized

Lighting Accessories (Clamps, Safety Lines, Gel Frames)

• Case type — Drawer-style or compartment-style case with multiple small compartments. Accessories are small and easy to lose — they need organized storage
• Compartments — Adjustable dividers (Velcro or foam) so the compartment size can be changed for different accessory types
• Labeling — Each compartment labeled with the accessory type and quantity. This makes inventory checks fast and prevents lost accessories

Touring Reality: Trucks, Trailers, and Venues

A lighting case sees a rough chain: warehouse → truck → venue → truck → warehouse. Each step has its own hazards:

• Truck loading — Cases are stacked to maximize trailer space. A moving head case at the bottom of a stack can have 200-300kg on top. The lid must support this without flexing
• Truck transport — Vibration from the road. Cases without proper foam transmit vibration directly to the fixtures. Over a 10-hour drive, this can loosen fixture screws and damage gobo wheels
• Venue load-in — Cases are rolled across parking lots, down loading ramps, and across stage floors. Casters must be 100mm polyurethane — small plastic wheels catch on stage floor cracks and carpet seams
• Venue storage — Cases are stored backstage, often in hallways or loading docks. They may be bumped by other equipment, leaned against walls, or used as impromptu tables. Corner protectors aren’t optional
• Return transport — Cases are loaded back onto the truck, often more roughly than the outbound load (crew is tired at the end of a show). The case must survive being “tossed” onto the truck

We’ve built cases for West End touring productions, festival rental houses, and corporate AV companies. The pattern is always the same: the lighting equipment is worth 10-50x the cost of the case. A custom case that fits the fixtures precisely, supports them at the right points, and survives being at the bottom of a 300kg stack isn’t an expense — it’s the insurance that keeps the show running. A damaged moving head doesn’t just cost repair money; it costs a show, a rental replacement, and the client’s confidence. Don’t learn that the hard way.