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Project enclosure

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matejj

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Hi all,
I am an electrical engineer and quite able in the electronic design. I am however completely clueless to enclosure design. I am looking for a case design similar to what we find in high end consumer products. For example the iPad and smartphones. Would anyone know what type of plastics are used and if there are commercial off the shelf enclosure sellers of this type of design?
 
I was just looking for inexpensive enclosures this morning myself. Check out mouser.com and see if anything there fits your needs. They have several pages (scattered in the section) of hand held enclosures. I didn't see anything that resembled a smartphone or iPad.
 
I did check mouser and many other websites of manufacturers. The designs are very low end looking.
 
If the pre-fab boxes are low-end looking at mouser and digikey from Hammond and Bud, then I would start looking at custom fab. On the other hand, I have found the quality of the look of pre-fab boxes can be brought up a notch, if you have a machine shop or fab house do the cutting/hole punching. Silkscreen sticker labels from a print shop will help as well (instead of using a label printer)
 
Bud Industries makes a wide variety of enclosures for a professional look. Based on your post you are looking at small and in a plastic finish. There is also Box Enclosures along those lines, though I have never used their stuff. Most of what I use is metal and larger enclosures. Rather than distributor sites I like to look at manufacturer's sites. If you plan multiple units of whatever then absolutely have a print shop do the layout and make vinyl templates.

Ron
 
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Thanks for your inputs. However does anyone know what is the type of plastic used in high end consumer products like smartphones and ipads?
 
Generally Poly Polypropylene. The plastics used involve a tradeoff as to impact resistant and several variables. Poly Pro would be a start.

Ron
 
i hav made a few of enclosures using a kind of thickless aluminium sheets for my projects such as amps,transmitters,bench powersupply etc.. I will take photos of them and will upload as soon as possible.. However these enclosures are not that solid and may be damaged easily if didnt care moreover those sheets could be cut using a lil big scissors.. Will upload some photos soon.. 'i beg ur pardon for my bad english'

"Switch on yourself bcoz u got a brain to think"
 
Google: plastic electronics cases enclosures

I seem to remember one company that provided design software to let you customize their cases.

Ken
 
i hav made a few of enclosures using a kind of thickless aluminium sheets for my projects such as amps,transmitters,bench powersupply etc.. I will take photos of them and will upload as soon as possible.. However these enclosures are not that solid and may be damaged easily if didnt care moreover those sheets could be cut using a lil big scissors.. Will upload some photos soon.. 'i beg ur pardon for my bad english'

"Switch on yourself bcoz u got a brain to think"
 
High end portable consumer products are usually polycarbonate (PC) since it offers higher rigidity with less thickness and weight and a melting point ≈100°F higher than acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) which is the typical choice for lower priced consumer electronics.
 
Thanks for your inputs. However does anyone know what is the type of plastic used in high end consumer products like smartphones and ipads?

Polycarbonate plastic (a.k.a. GE's Lexan) It is used because because it flexes and has greater fracture resistance.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycarbonate


Most cheap boxes are acrylate polymer (Acrylic plastic). Acrylic plastics are strong but brittle. A cellphone housing would easily crack at corners when dropped. CD cases are acrylic plastic.
 
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Ive always had trouble finding enclosures I want

you goto Home Depot and the ones they sell are for electrical wires, not for electronics projects and having an interface with holes and buttons and plugs and stuff

not as simple as I'd like

and I dont like buying things online when I cant hold it in my hand to see and feel it in my own hands

surprisingly you dont find wooden enclosures anywhere either

just overall, more a pain in the butt than one would expect
 
Are there any places that make custom enclousures ? as in you send them what you want to enclose and ruff discription of how you want it to look and they make them ?
 
Are there any places that make custom enclousures ? as in you send them what you want to enclose and ruff discription of how you want it to look and they make them ?
Lots of places....Google:custom plastic electronic cases

The less specifications you provide them, the more it will cost you...they'll charge for their time to work out what will fit your needs.

Ken
 
I always wondered why? I could whip a wooden box with a flat metal panels front and top quick and cheap.
 
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I always wondered why? I could whip a wooden box with a flat metal panels front and top quick and cheap.
I don't think that would meet the OP's vision:
I am looking for a case design similar to what we find in high end consumer products. For example the iPad and smartphones.
Creating something to a customer's vague vision can be very time consuming. Unless you can amortize that time/cost over many peices, one-offs get very pricey.

Ken
 
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