BL1910-CUSTOM-ENC-a

Electronic enclosures manufactured from folded aluminium have a significant advantage over their plastic and diecast counterparts when it comes to customisation – much lower tooling costs. No full housing moulds or dies are used…so standard aluminium 19” rack cases and instrument enclosures can be customised in much lower volumes.

This is particularly important for desktop instrumentation which tends to be produced in smaller quantities. It makes modifying a standard enclosure the go-to option for designers of electronic instrumentation because it is faster and more cost effective than creating a fully bespoke housing from the start (although this is always an option – particularly if you take advantage of METCASE’s dedicated prototyping service).

Why Dealing Direct With Enclosure Manufacturers Is Best

When designing a new product, it is always best to consider the enclosure as early in the process as possible. It may seem counter-intuitive but it is better to specify the enclosure size before the PCB. That is because the enclosure will dictate the size of the PCB and play an important role in helping to determine component location. Specify the PCB first and you risk missing out on cost savings…you may end up selecting a 19” rack case or metal desktop enclosure that is larger than you really need. Other suppliers, such as Distributors may not tell you information like this. They may simply sell you the enclosure you initially ask for – without digging deeper to check whether it’s the case you really need, or whether another solution may be better.

It is always better to deal directly with a dedicated enclosures manufacturer – because you get to speak directly with specialist enclosure engineers who can give you expert technical advice on the enclosures that they helped to design and work on every day. But not all enclosure manufacturers are the same. They all offer CNC machining, custom front panels, fixings and inserts – that is an absolute given. But what sets a specialist enclosure manufacturer like METCASE apart is our ability to deliver the full range of customisation services under one roof (and all our support).

Get The Best Start – Watch Our Enclosure Videos First

Specifying a great customised enclosure starts with selecting the right standard enclosure for your needs; one that fulfils all your technical requirements in terms of ergonomics, ease of component access, aesthetics and ease of installation. And that process is so much easier on the METCASE website because there is an exploded view video for every model that we offer…so you can see how easy it is to remove panels, to install PCBs and to fit the case into a rack. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth a million.

Download 3D Models, See How Your Customised Enclosure Will Look

Every enclosure on our website features downloadable 3D models/drawings so you can see how your completed enclosure will look with all your components inside. You’ll need to register for 3D models first – this will give you access to our full range of X_T, STP and SAT files. Download the PDFs too; these PDFs are available to everyone – you don’t need to register for them.