off the shelf enclosures - cutouts?

[ToBeFrank]

I've been looking at off the shelf enclosures, and I've found many that will work for my project, but none of them have the correct cutouts I need for the connectors on my board. This is a project I plan to sell so I will be needing more than prototype quantities of enclosures. What do you guys do if you want to use an off the shelf enclosure? Are there companies that will cut the ends to fit the connectors for you (and don't cost a lot)?

[JohnS_AZ]

Most companies that manufacture OTS enclosures will also do custom panels and cutouts for you. They charge a fair amount for the work, but they do it.

(edit) Sorry, wrong link ...

example : http://www.pactecenclosures.com/company-info.php

[Jon Chandler]

As John says, often the vendors will do it.  The downside may be set-up charges and minimum quantities.

One way to cut costs is to use an enclosure with a removable end plate if you can arrange all of your needed cuts to be on one surface.  Then you can either buy or build the end panel in quantity and have them machined in a large group and you only have to buy the enclosures in quantities as needed.

[JohnS_AZ]

And if your quantities are decent, but not high enough to may for custom, you could get a small CNC mill and machine standard enclosures in your own shop.

http://www.sherline.com/8540pg.htm

[EEVblog]

As John says, often the vendors will do it.  The downside may be set-up charges and minimum quantities.

One way to cut costs is to use an enclosure with a removable end plate if you can arrange all of your needed cuts to be on one surface.  Then you can either buy or build the end panel in quantity and have them machined in a large group and you only have to buy the enclosures in quantities as needed.

And panels are usually close enough to 1.6mm that you can use a standard PCB in place of it. So easy to get your front panels manufactured and silkscreened at the same time from your existing PCb supplier.

[sonicj]

And if your quantities are decent, but not high enough to may for custom, you could get a small CNC mill and machine standard enclosures in your own shop...

or just a mill... 

i picked up some used steppers last weekend, downloaded emc2 the other day. im almost there! 
-sj

[JohnS_AZ]

And if your quantities are decent, but not high enough to may for custom, you could get a small CNC mill and machine standard enclosures in your own shop...

or just a mill... 

i picked up some used steppers last weekend, downloaded emc2 the other day. im almost there! 
-sj

That's the route I took, but MY mill is way bigger than YOUR mill.   

[Simon]

now now boys, it's not about how big it is but how you use it.... hang on a minute are we sizing up the same thing ? 

you could find a local machinist willing to give you a decent price

[JohnS_AZ]

hehehe 
Actually I was thinking about getting the same mill Sonicj linked to do engraving. Th one I have is better suited to engine intake manifolds.

[sonicj]

i suffer from mill envy! i don't own one yet... 

have you cnc'd yours yet? what software do you use?
-sj

[JohnS_AZ]

have you cnc'd yours yet? what software do you use?
-sj

I cnc'd it about 7 years ago, but it's kind of an odd duck.
I'm VERY fond of buying surplus industrial equipment for my projects. For the mill I bought several Compumotor (Parker) servo drivers with their associated cables and servo/stepper motors. The controllers use a 'directed command language' (as opposed to simple step pulses), and they all hang on a common RS-232 line. So instead of sending step pulses out a parallel port, you actually have to send something like "A2S4M+32475G" (Axis 2, speed=4, move 32,475 steps positive, GO!). Actually, you send one string per axis, and they all start their moves when you issue the "G".

For CAD I use Corell Draw (vector). I installed a driver for an old PH Plotter (again, vector move commands) and have the system save the HPGL code to a file when I print the Corell drawing. Finally, I have a Perl package I wrote that translates the HPGL file to Compumotor command strings on the fly.

The only shortfall with my arrangement is there is no real control of the Z axis. HPGL only supports "PEN UP" and "PEN DOWN", and my Perl drives the Z all the way up, or down to a preset depth appropriately. Since I built the thing to produce 2U and 3U 19" rack panels the Z axis was never a problem. Plus I always figured I could hack the code some more to do a variable Z if I needed it.

It works pretty well, and I rather doubt that anyone has anything like it.
If it's not raining tomorrow I'll go snap a picture of the rig.

[sonicj]

ditto on the surplus thing! i picked up a pair of steppers at the orlando hamfest for $5 each. they should be adequate for a small lathe or mill.

i can't believe you've gone 7 years without a variable z axis! lol. actually, i'd be happy (for now) with a 2d setup... all kinds of cool stuff can be built with stacked frames!

i never really got into corel. most of my 2d drawings are in illustrator. im sure you know corel pretty well by now, but have you tried Google's Layout? the learning curve is almost non-existent. it exports dxf/dwg and i think it will export vector via PDF. if someone has no idea what they are doing and wants to design a panel, layout is where its at! 

bring on the pictures!
-sj

[FreeThinker]

I have a project in the pipe line ( on hold due to the demise of my lab (shed collapsed due to heavy snow)) to make a small cnc mill to make panels, engrave and possibly etch pdb's if I can get the mechanics accurate enough (money mainly). The software I intend to use is Mach3. Used it with some lash ups (I've got the electronics and steppers sorted) and it works great. Toying with the Idea of using it as a sort of solder paste /flux / component assembly  machine as well but need to make it first Lol. A great source of cnc bits is DIYCNC in the uk.
http://www.machsupport.com/
http://www.diycnc.co.uk/

[ToBeFrank]

Most companies that manufacture OTS enclosures will also do custom panels and cutouts for you. They charge a fair amount for the work, but they do it.

(edit) Sorry, wrong link ...

example : http://www.pactecenclosures.com/company-info.php

Thanks. I had been looking for info like this but hadn't found it. I sent them an email and got a quote back. It was surprisingly reasonable.

[ToBeFrank]

And panels are usually close enough to 1.6mm that you can use a standard PCB in place of it. So easy to get your front panels manufactured and silkscreened at the same time from your existing PCb supplier.

This is a great idea.

[Uncle Vernon]

What do you guys do if you want to use an off the shelf enclosure? Are there companies that will cut the ends to fit the connectors for you (and don't cost a lot)?

All depends on the enclosure, quantities, intended environment etc.  For one offs and small quantities it is usually cheaper to use pin headers on the PCB to connectors, switches etc that use a circular hole. Component cost vs labour cost for a presentable finished product..

For prototypes and customer specials I sometimes use http://www.frontpanelexpress.com/ , the results look professional with a CNC milled panel able to cover or replace almost any required bush metalwork. Front panel express uses a dodgy custom CAD package to design your panel which is a free download. For Europe http://www.schaeffer-ag.de/en offers a similar service.

Low cost is relative, the cost of a custom panel is often much less than the labour to produce some home made atrocities.