ENCLOSURES
often depends on their own experience with CNC machining. A key advantage of working with an enclosure manufacturer that provides customisation, as opposed to working with a third-party or adapting the units in-house, is that accountability over production quality remains with a single point of contact.
CNC MACHINING EXPERIENCE The first aspect of customisation is design. A CNC machinist will be able to work with CAD drawings or use software that can transpose the customer’s plans to make an exact match that can be read by the CNC machine. While an enclosure manufacturer that offers customisation will be able to provide a design if a customer doesn’t already have drawings, this service can also save time for OEMs. An experienced enclosure specialist will not only be able to confirm the specification of milling and drilling, but will also advise on broader considerations such as cable routing into and out of the enclosure.
The potential of what designs can be practically achieved also depends on CNC capabilities. This can include techniques such as milling to create
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slots, holes, contours, 3D shapes, or complex geometries, as well as drilling, countersinking, and tapping to create threaded holes. Micron-level precision is required to ensure that components and cabling fit precisely. This is essential to achieve durability by removing unwanted freedom of movement, as well as ensuring tight sealing to prevent ingress over time, and enable fast and simple installation.
The precision and repeatability of the CNC machine is vital, but the quality of the process is also reliant on the experience of the machinist, who must take multiple factors into account. In addition to tool selection and set up, including ensuring sufficient sharpness and the right cutting speed, criteria including the melting temperature of thermoplastics is critical, where exacting adjustment of the cutting tools is required alongside appropriate cooling techniques.
RAPID CUSTOMISATION SERVICES To ensure the enclosure is not strained during CNC machining, housings must be appropriately secured with vacuum technology, balanced with sufficient stability to prevent twisting or deformity.
If the process is not carefully managed, the enclosure’s plastic walls can also deform through internal strains released during machining. While tempering is a technique that can avoid this happening, awareness of the required tolerances is the recommended approach.
Speed of production is a further advantage of retaining customisation with the enclosure manufacturer, and Spelsberg’s in-house CNC service can return a prototype customised enclosure within 24 hours. Even if a customer has their own CNC capability, an enclosure supplier that quickly provides the service will reduce demand on internal engineering resources. As well as CNC machining, additional services that save time for the customer include assembly with the insertion of components such as PCBs and keypads. Customisation can also include on-enclosure printing and embossing to add branding or user instructions. Whatever the level of customisation required, the most effective approach is to rely on the services provided by an experienced enclosure manufacturer.
Spelsberg
www.spelsberg.co.uk
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