Prototyping plastic casing

[haxan]

Hi, I am doing a prototype model for my personal project. I want to make User Interface board on which there are like 16 buttons, a GLCD and IR receiver, a temperature sensor and a slide switch. Does anyone have idea where can i have this proto model made (website) etc?

I want the plastic casing for this.

 

[blueroomelectronics]

Digikey & Mouser carry lots of plastic cases.

 

[haxan]

No, i want to have mine custom made. I will provide CAD drawing file and someone can mold it up. Have you done molding cases for your blueroom electronics?

 

[jbmillard]

No, i want to have mine custom made. I will provide CAD drawing file and someone can mold it up. Have you done molding cases for your blueroom electronics?

I am currently going through this for my product. Even having it done overseas, the cost of the mold was more than $5000 and it's going to take about 4 weeks to get samples. This doesn't include the time to work with the mold makers on your design. Have you ever designed anything for molding? If not, there will likely be things that need to be changed so that the mold can give you a decent looking product. Also what surface texture do you want?

Also, you're not going to find someone that can run a quantity of one. They have to load the press with a minimum of plastic. You'll probably to order in lots of 100 (500 is considerably cheaper and that's still a small run).

A better option would be to get an SLA (stereo lithography). You can supply CAD drawings and get a part made for much less (mine was about $250). Just search SLA prototype on Google and you'll find bunches of companies that do it. It's quick too. You can have a part in about a week.

Brad

 

[aquamon]

I was thinking about this for something else and figured the quickest, "nicest", cheapest and easiest would be to use Plexiglas cut to sizes & glued with acetone or MEK.

 

[blueroomelectronics]

As JB Millard pointed out it's impractical from a low production run point of view. Hammond MFG will customize their existing enclosures for a fee if you're buying a few hundred.

 

[haxan]

stereolithography is looking good so far.

 

[Oznog]

I found a guy on eBay who did 3D printing for me once... and it was in the tens-of-dollars range.

Well there's several types of 3D printing. Stereolithography is the UV-cured liquid that the beam hardens a thin layer on the surface layer by layer, another is a little plastic-wire printhead that keeps globbing on tiny amounts of plastic.

Both of them have limitations in the type of plastic which can be used. They may not be the toughest cases around, it's only meant to be a prototype.