Custom Enclosures That Works Best for Safety
As safety-concerned
individuals, our thoughts are consumed with finding solutions to problems we
see in the world. However, finding a solution to a problem is only one small
part in a much larger process of bringing a product to market. Another part of
this process is packaging your solution in some type of custom enclosures.
Finding an enclosure solution that meets your applications goals while staying
inside of the project’s resource constraints can be a daunting task at first.
in this article I’ll share my experience and tips for doing just that.
Why do I
need an enclosure?
An enclosure
takes your bare PCB and elevates it into a product. While useful PCBs are hot
in the maker community, no end consumer customer would be comfortable
interacting with a PCB. Consumers want a polished finished product. An
enclosure is a great way to generate the product appeal you need to convince
customers to buy your product. Enclosures can also give the consumer information
about how to use your product by using printing and graphic overlays to guide
users.
What options
are available?
Off-the-shelf
enclosures come in just about every size, shape, and material combination under
the sun and manufacturers can be found in the US as well as overseas. The
lowest cost option is often an injection molded plastic case. These enclosures
can easily be customized and often come with features like mounting bosses for
your PCB and built-in battery compartments. Some models even include environmental
protection for applications that will spend their life outdoors.
Extruded CustomEnclosures
These cases can
really step up the look and feel of a product but come at an increased cost.
Aluminum enclosures can typically be customized in the same fashion as their
plastic peers, but don’t have mounting bosses or battery compartments. Instead,
typically PCBs are slid into rails formed in the aluminum extrusion.
Environmental protection is available in some models, and some extruded cases
can even be customized in overall size!
Folded Metal
Enclosures
Remember your
old desktop PC case from the ‘90s? It’s
a great example of a folded metal case. These enclosures are formed from folded
aluminum or steel sheet metal and typically have two or more pieces that screw
together to form a box. For applications that have a larger physical footprint,
these enclosures can be a cost-effective custom solution.
As mentioned
earlier, there are many manufacturers that can help you build your dream
enclosure. A lot of PCB manufacturers will work with you to find a company to
build the best enclosure solution for your product. I recommend spending some
time looking at each company’s custom enclosures off-the-shelf offerings to
find one that works for you.
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