Designing your electronics is quite often only the start…
Your electronics may be super cool, but very few people want to look at them naked. The choice of what sort of enclosure or case to use depends on many factors and has to be an informed commercial choice (getting the tooling made for a plastic injection moulded case for just one unit – isn’t financially viable).
The choice of enclosure is dictated by:
Some of our clients come to us and tell us that they have looked at our website, and really like the project we did for a particular client. Other clients want the system to be a low cost as possible, so we try and find the smallest solution.
Using our comprehensive machine shop, 3d printer and laser cutter – join us on the journey of designing an enclosure.
A recent client really liked the look of a product we had designed previously, and wanted an enclosure along similar lines. We gave our client a prototype concept for them to visualise the case clearly, designing the enclosure “flat pack” style in 2d cad, then laser cutting all the pieces out of wood and assembling. We created a removable “comb” that fitted into slots at the front of the case for the wires. Once this was done, we 3d printed a set of electronics and fully assembled a space sample for the client to view.
They loved the concept, so we sent it to our plastic manufacturer. Six weeks later (during which time we had made the prototype electronics), the plastic cases arrived and looked fantastic.
Sometimes the simplest solution is to use a pre-made case, available from standard suppliers. There are a huge number of enclosures and cases available to suit every size and budget, and we have a full mechanical machine shop on site at Winter & Smith to allow us to modify these enclosures to fit glands, buttons, windows etc to suit the particular application.
With modern printing techniques for bespoke stickers and overlays, even a low cost case can be made to look good.
Some example projects we have made with off the shelf projects include:
These are more expensive than using a plastic enclosure, but are sleek and more hard wearing. A metal enclosure is suited to lower volume manufacture (we have clients that make quantities in the hundreds with this type of enclosure).
The advantage of metal enclosures is that they can be painted in any colour; one particular client was in the process of designing a new alarm system for empty properties, and was struggling with which colour to use. The solution was to get a collection of cases made up in all the potential colours to enable them to demonstrate to the sales team, what the choices were.
We have local metalwork fabrication companies that we use for all kinds of bespoke enclosures.
If a bespoke plastic enclosure is needed, but the volumes don’t justify getting an injection moulded enclosure made, you may need an enclosure that is made up of laser cut and glued plastic. This type of enclosure can look fantastic, and is a good solution for a multitude of applications.
We have used this type of enclosure for many different projects including:
For higher volume manufacture, a fully tooled up injection moulded enclosure is an option. Winter and Smith work closely with a local toolmaker and injection moulding specialist, who can design all sorts of custom enclosures, from the small, to the large. Whilst the initial outlay getting the tool made can be expensive, the cost of the finished items is cost effective.
Projects we have used this type of enclosure for include:
Unlike other companies that outsource their PCB manufacturing, Winter & Smith designs and builds PCBs in-house.
Tailored to you – We can create custom PCBs specifically for your needs, ensuring that all components and connections are optimised for integration and long-term performance.
Higher quality – By controlling the entire production process, we ensure that every board meets high-quality standards
Faster problem solving – If an issue arises, we can quickly modify and produce updated PCBs without waiting for external suppliers, getting your systems back up and running
Click and drag to interact with our 3D CAD PCB board
