OK I’ve been looking for a case for one of my projects now for over 3 months and just can’t find anything suitable. Basically, think NavMan or TomTom… I need an enclosure that can be attached to a windscreen or dash board and has a visible flat front face (this can just be plastic doesn’t need to be clear or hollow I will just be placing panel LEDs on it.
After looking everywhere for a case that is half good looking and doesn’t look like a Halfords bargain bucket, I have yet to find one. My next thought was to design the case in SolidWorks exactly how I want it to look and get it rapid prototyped. Just wondering what your general thoughts are on this and if anyone else has rapid proto’d a case before and could share their experience and/or photos?
A friend of mine got the following cases CNC machined in China from aluminum alloy and the price was VERY reasonable for a qty 10 or 20. I think about $15 each + commission to the guy that arranged it at the factory.
They turned out very, very nice, and I’m planning to get some cases made for some projects of mine.
They may charge much more for foreign customers. That’s the trouble with China - you often need to have someone you can trust to act as an agent. We have an engineer friend in Shenzhen who we trust, and he was the interface to the factory for technical details & payment. He probably got us a better price, even after we paid him for his time. If you’re interested, PM me and I can introduce you via email.
Shapeways looks pretty cool. I normally prefer metal cases myself, even when they aren’t needed. Plus, the accuracy with CNC machining is a lot better than with 3D printing as far as I understand.
I’ve looked into this a few times… It comes down to the complexity of the case.
In general I’ve found prototype houses will CNC a case cheaper than SLA or SLS.
3D Printing/SLA/SLS are all good for building very complex parts or products that involve several “assembled” parts. For example creating hollows and interior detail.
For cheap access to China try www.mfg.com. I’ve had a lot of luck here.
This situation (project done, now need a case) is exactly why I pick the case BEFORE I design the PCB. To do it the other way around is often an exercise in frustration.
I generally agree with Philba, but seeing the beautiful finish, and having everything just how you want it on a custom case is making me change my mind. Getting a pre-bought case and spending ages drilling & filing all the openings isn’t my idea of fun either (and it never looks very professional).
Try calling the CNC manufacturers in your local area. You may be pleasantly surprised - most don’t want to deal with small orders, but you might find one that will help you out. It won’t be as cheap as the place in China I mentioned, but it will be less trouble to organise.
If you do find a place locally, ask them what file formats they prefer. If you make things easier for them, they will probably be more accomodating (and cheaper!).
There are websites with instuctions how to DIY vacumm form plastics, but the bizarre thing is, they all spell out a 13 step process, step 13 is dressing up as a stormtrooper.
Your project looks great, I hope my projects can someday look that professional
I I got a quote from them for low quantity (5) custom plastic enclosures. I like the fact that you can do groves in the side walls of the box to hold the PCB. No need to worry about mounting hardware.
Pricing seems reasonable and their support was nice considering this is a small job.
So I actually had some cases made by envision plastics and they turned out pretty well. They used a U-U design that snaps together very nicely. Pricing is not really hobby friendly but great for small production runs that I do.
Has anyone considered using Ponoko or other laser cutting for this kind of work? Either assemble the box from cut sides or find a box that will work and just has blank empty holes you can fit laser cut acrylic into. A little glue or even a slide fit would work great. And if you do lots of projects you can save cash on the box side and make different inserts.
There is a small off-the-shelf microcontroller board hidden inside along with a battery pack and some ugly wires. The free CAD tool has cutouts for many of the standard computer connectors and allows the user to add custom labeling on the front panels. After an order is placed on the web, a computer numerical control (CNC) machine automatically cuts out the panels and mails them out in a couple days. Not cheap, but it does look good. They also have a link for people in Europe.
Many schools with a machine shop have CNC laser cutting and engraving machines that can also be used to cut plastic sheets for use in electronic prototypes. I have seen people use them for robot parts like Sumobots. Many of the robot kits you get have laser cut parts.
