Why would you Machine your Enclosure?

Why should you choose CNC machining for your electronics enclosure?
The latest CAD CAM systems and machining technologies have revolutionised what can be achieved cost effectively by the machining process and this has allowed companies to reap the benefits of the process at a cost that many would have thought impossible only a few years ago. Here are some of the advantages of the process.


Unique and Stylish Design.
Modern machines can produce any shape even 3-Dimensional forms quickly and easily, so no longer do machined parts need to be angular and simplistic. Complex shapes can now be machined as cheaply as very simple profiles.


Reduced Capital Expenditure.
Casting and moulding techniques require expensive up front tooling. The machining process requires a much lower initial set up cost.


Design Flexibility.
When using the machining process for your components there is a negligible cost implication when making design changes as your product matures. Even significant changes at the design and prototyping stage can usually be accommodated with minimal cost or lead time.




Thermal Performance.
A machined enclosure can satisfy all your thermal requirements. Complex heatsinking and cooling features can be designed in with the minimum of thermal interfaces.

EMC Performance.
Particularly if an enclosure is machined from solid the enclosure will have excellent EMC performance simply by reducing the number of interfaces. Depending on your requirements a variety of concepts can be used from simple metal to metal contact to a sophisticated tongue and groove solution which takes advantage of the accuracy which can be achieved by the machining process even on very complex profiles.

Environmental Integrity.
If a component is machined in one piece it significantly reduces the potential for leakage and sealing features such as o ring grooves can be accurately added.

No Additional Processes.
Unlike the casting process machined components are completed in one hit. There are no expensive extra processes required to ensure accuracy or sealing integrity.

Accuracy.
The Machining process can easily and without any additional cost achieve accuracy of important features which could never be achieved by casting or moulding. Typically an overall tolerance of +/- 0.2mm can be achieved with ease over the entire volume of the part