Enclosures
Putting the cart before the horse…
By designing
Russell Irvine, Hammond Electronics talks about the importance of choosing an enclosure before production takes place
T
here’s usually a logical sequence followed by most OEMs when an electronics project is being developed. First there is the objective, then the design, the sourcing of components and then finally sourcing a housing to enclose the whole lot. What happens if all is ready to go
into production but the chosen enclosure isn’t in stock and has a long lead time? Only limited options are available: choose an alternative enclosure with possible redesign of components or simply wait until the stock is available. Both choices entail frustration and delays. Similarly, what happens when it is discovered that the
sealing, flammability or EMC requirements of the project demand a specialised enclosure? Russell Irvine of Hammond Electronics says that these are all typical examples of what he calls “putting the cart before the horse.” He suggests trying a different scenario where choosing an enclosure comes as early as possible in the design process. Once the enclosure is specified, the next step is to choose an ideal size for the product and design to fit the box.
the PCB and I/O to fit the enclosure, the sizing and appearance of the product is already well defined. Changes can be implemented if necessary and the enclosure can be ordered ahead so that production can proceed without time lost waiting for stock to arrive.
All standard enclosures have to be modified to suit the layout of the switches, connectors and so on and legends have to be printed. Hammond has an excellent technical website resource to guide customers through to making the right choices of enclosures. CAD drawings of all enclosures are freely downloadable so that machining, printing and drilling can be carried out and a modified enclosure provided, saving time and money. Irvine said, “We have found that by working together with the customer’s design team from the start, design and production times are optimised, and the project comes in on time and on budget. The horse and cart are a team, not just separate entities.” The moral is, of course, to choose the enclosure first.
www.hammondmfg.com
www.cieonline.co.uk
Components in Electronics
November 2016 15
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