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CUSTOM ELECTRONIC ENCLOSURES: HOW A FEW MODIFICATIONS GO A LONG WAY

Metcase custom enclosures

SPECIFY CUSTOMISED ENCLOSURES – ENHANCE QUALITY AND SPEED UP PRODUCTION

Just a few months ago in October 2022 we published a blog post highlighting how easy and cost-effective it is to specify fully customised aluminium enclosures for your electronics. New technology has made customisation quicker and more cost-effective – so it’s viable even for small batches.

Our customised enclosures arrive at the customers’ factories fully finished:

  • machined ready for displays, connectors, LEDs and controls
  • branded with bespoke colours, logos and legends
  • immediately ready for installation of components – the enclosures can go straight to your production line.

That blog post focused on scientific instrumentation – showing fully finished enclosures for:

  • spectroscopic analytical instruments and fibre-optic Raman probes
  • ultra-low phase noise testing devices
  • a gas mixing device for material science and button fuel cell research.

But any METCASE enclosure can be supplied fully customised – not just instrument enclosures. That includes 19” rack cases, 19” rack mount enclosures (desktop mini-racks), sloping-front enclosures and wall mount enclosures.

WHY CUSTOMISATION IS SO EASY AND COST-EFFECTIVE NOW

New technology has been the main driver in making customisation more available for lower volumes. Faster CNC machining and superior digital printing reduce set-up times and speed up the various processes. You can also create efficiencies with these handy hacks:

  • Custom colours cost no more than standard shades if you choose one from our ‘always in stock’ list. Visit this page for more details, scroll down and see the tab marked Browse Full List. You’ll see 41 different colours, treatments and finishes (including eight new shades).
  • Quite often, less is more: you don’t have to paint the entire case body in a custom colour. You can get some great looks simply by specifying a bespoke colour for just one part of the enclosure, such as the bezel(s). These subtle but striking highlights may be all that is needed to catch the eye.
  • Digital printing delivers stunning photo-quality graphics in very low volumes. Why stop at legends and a logo when a well-placed graphic will transform the look of a custom front plate or main case body? It can give your product added flair for very little cost.

EXAMPLES OF FULLY CUSTOMISED METCASE ENCLOSURES

 

UNIMET

Dublin-based Cellix specified a UNIMET-PLUS instrument enclosure for this microfluidic pressure pump. These smart, versatile enclosures make installing components very easy because the PCBs slide in and out on guide rails.

Cellix specified CNC machining plus a complete colour makeover, specifying the main case body in white and highlighting the diecast front and rear bezels in orange. The customer added a large logo on the top and legends on the front panel – with the orange text matching the bezels. (The standard colour combination for UNIMET-PLUS is light grey/window grey RAL 7035/7040.)

View the UNIMET-PLUS range >>

COMBIMET 19"

Commeo of Wallenhorst near Osnabrück, Germany chose our bestselling COMBIMET 19” enclosures for its control system for an energy storage rack. And it didn’t take much customisation to make the housing look unique.

Commeo elected to retain the standard black (RAL 9005) finish, one of two off-the-shelf colour options for COMBIMET (the other is light grey RAL 7035). Then it was simply a matter of machining apertures for the interfaces, controls and LEDs, and printing the logo and legends.

 

COMBIMET 19"

Here’s another example of a customised COMBIMET 19” – this time for housing gas analysis equipment. COMBIMET comes with vented (or unvented) top and base panels as standard but in this instance the customer has specified custom ventilation options:

  • a small vented area in the top (rather than a fully ventilated panel)
  • ventilation in the rear panel
  • side gill vents.

The rear has been machined for a variety of different interfaces and the front has been drilled to accommodate LEDs. We’ve also added a photo-quality graphic on the front panel to complement the logo.

View the COMBIMET 19” range >>

UNIMET

Leo Bodnar Electronics Ltd of Silverstone, Northamptonshire specified customised UNIMET enclosures for the steering simulators it creates for F1, GP2, F3 and WTCC race teams. UNIMET is similar to UNIMET-PLUS but there are a couple of significant differences:

  • PCBs are mounted on pillars (UNIMET), rather than sliding in on guide rails (UNIMET-PLUS)
  • UNIMET has a single front bezel – while UNIMET-PLUS has bezels at both front and rear.

Both models are available only in a light grey/window grey RAL 7035/7040 colour combination as standard. Leo Bodnar specified the enclosures in black which is not a standard colour for this range – but it is for a few other ranges, so it’s very much an ‘always in stock’ colour available at no extra charge. Very little machining and printing was needed for these enclosures – and all of it on the front panel – making this a good example of how quick and cost-effective customisation can be.

View the UNIMET range >>

Metcase custom enclosures

IN-HOUSE CUSTOMISATION FOR QUALITY AND CONSISTENCY

All METCASE standard enclosures – be they for 19” racks, desktop or portable electronics – can be customised in-house, ensuring that we are fully accountable for the quality of the housings throughout the entire process. This ensures consistency of quality, speeds up production and reduces administration. Our customisation services include bespoke sizes, custom front panels, CNC machining, fixings and inserts, and painting/finishing.

Digital printing of legends and logos is now faster than ever thanks to further investment in new equipment. Simultaneous printing of colour and white results in faster production times. Photo-quality graphics are possible up to:

  • 1800 x 1800 dpi
  • size A2 (600 x 420 mm), printed on to surfaces up to 150 mm high.

View customisation services >>

FURTHER READING

GET EXPERT TECHNICAL ADVICE

Need more information? Contact our engineers now for expert advice on the best ways to specify customised aluminium enclosures for your electronics.