SIMCO Disclosures

We discuss all things to do with plastic enclsoures and thier applications in the electronics industry.

Custom Plastic Enclosures – What Customization Options Are Available?

March 4th, 2014

155With the development of custom plastic enclosures and their popularization as an option, packaging electronics and other items and protecting them adequately has been taken to a whole new level. If you own a company that needs enclosures with certain specifications and dimensions to fit its products perfectly, there is a high chance that you may not find readymade ones with the exact specifications you require. However, with the customization options available, your enclosures can be produced in such a way that they satisfy all your demands.

The fact that plastic enclosures are made through the process of injection molding or similar molding processes allows the option for a very precise fit of the final product to the shape of the item or components it will be housing. But apart from custom sizes and shapes, there is a range of other customization options available when we are talking about custom plastic enclosures. Let’s see what the most important of these are.

Using special types of materials

The standard material which is commonly used to produce plastic electronic enclosures is acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, or as it is also known ABS, with a high impact rating. Polystyrene which has a higher flame class rating, on the order of 94HB, or 94VO flame retardant materials which are UL approved can also be used if you specify this in your requirements, and you can be issued a certificate of compliance for the properties of the material used in your enclosures. For specific applications in cases where the enclosures are subjected to high heat, nylon can also be used in the manufacturing of the enclosures.

Custom colors and pad printing

You can choose a custom color for your enclosures. Although the range of colors is limited, you still have options to customize the color of your boxes. Another very beneficial option is the pad printing option, through which you can have your logo, company name or a label printed onto your enclosures. You can also choose to have your product specifications or any other piece of information printed. This will help distinguish your product at an affordable price. There are different ink colors you can choose from and this also saves you the need and costs of additional printing and labeling of the boxes at a later time.

Secondary machining and custom molding

You can give your specifications for custom plastic enclosures and have the necessary openings for connectors, switches, displays, battery openings, etc. cut out for you in the required places on the enclosures. They can be made with custom openings, chamfers, bosses and whatever other types of assembly elements you require. You just have to give the exact parameters or a sketch with your desired design and your enclosures can be customized as per your needs. There is also the option for custom molding of your enclosures to create all the required assembly elements and openings with the molding of the enclosure itself. You are also offered a prototype that will match your specifications, in order to be able to decide if the product satisfies your requirements.

Electromagnetic/radio frequency interference shielding options

If your enclosures will be housing delicate equipment that needs to be protected from external interferences, you could opt for adding EMI/RFI shielding to the enclosures. One of the most effective methods of EMI/RFI shielding is the application of Electrodag 550 coating – an acrylic lacquer coating which is nickel based. This coating allows your enclosures to provide protection to the electronics they are housing from all the unwanted emissions and radiation. The enclosures you choose should be UL certified for compatibility.

There is a range of other options for customizing plastic enclosures available. You can request for your enclosures to be glued, engraved or assembled with special Plastite® screws, to have rubber feet or PC board mounts added, etc. Your enclosures should have all your required specifications for a perfect fit and a better presentation of your products. Thus, you should evaluate your requirements and order your custom plastic enclosures accordingly.

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SIMCO Disclosures

We discuss all things to do with plastic enclsoures and thier applications in the electronics industry.