Why aluminum sheet metal enclosures are ideal for protecting ...

An enclosure is a structure, such as a metal cabinet or a plastic case, designed to conceal and insulate equipment and keep living beings away from the equipment. Various mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, and other equipment may be present. Electrical Enclosures are commonly used to protect electrical components from the elements such as temperature and moisture. Mechanical Casings are a broad term for enclosures that only hold mechanical equipment. Typically, electrical enclosures come up when we discuss enclosures.

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There are two fundamental adversaries of electronics: moisture and dust. Electrical circuits and components will have a shorter lifespan if the relative humidity is more than 65 percent. A five-degree increase in the temperature of an enclosure is all that is required for prevention. It is most typical to use a temperature-controlled heat source. Various parameters influence the selection of appropriate thermal and moisture regulation devices

Use Metal for Electronic Enclosures

Metal is a durable, solid substance that can withstand high temperatures without melting. It also has strong impact resistance.

Metallic materials protect electronics from alcohol, solvents, hydraulic fluids, gasoline, and more when these devices are employed in industrial situations.

The electrical conductivity of metal is significant in EMI-sensitive applications. Metal is a conductor of electricity.

Because metal enclosures decrease emissions and protect against external noise, metal enclosures are popular in the electrical device manufacturing business.

Remember that non-metal enclosures are poor conductors if you need to keep heat in. As a result, metal electronic enclosures are an excellent option for preventing heat from escaping.

Metal enclosures are ideal for RF or radiofrequency environments because of their efficient shielding capabilities. The metal casings have RF Shielding that prevents radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation from leaking out of the device.

Sheet Metal Aluminium

There are several uses for aluminium sheets and plates because of their excellent strength-to-weight ratio and inherent corrosion resistance. There are several applications for aluminium sheets and plates, from aerospace and aviation products to beverage packaging and cryogenic storage.

Aluminium Plate vs. Aluminum Sheet

The aluminium sheet and aluminium plate are essentially the same; the only real difference between aluminium sheet and aluminium plate is the thickness. An aluminium plate is thicker than an aluminium sheet, with a thickness more than or equal to.249 inches. An aluminium metal plate can be utilized for lighter-duty applications, whereas an aluminium plate is designated for heavier-duty applications requiring a thicker cut.

Aluminum Metal Sheet

• Aluminium metal sheet is any aluminium sheet metal thicker than foil but thinner than 6mm.

• The aluminium sheet is available in various forms, including diamond plate, expanded, perforated, and painted aluminium sheet.

• Primarily utilized for lighter-duty applications.

Aluminum Metal Plate

• An aluminum plate is any aluminium sheet metal with a thickness of more than 6 mm.

• Used mostly for heavy-duty applications

Aluminum Metal Sheet & Plate Applications

Industrial applications rely heavily on the physical qualities of aluminium metal sheets and plates, including:

• Automotive

• Appliances

• Architecture

• Bridge railing components

• Roofing

• Gutters

• Wall panels

• Aerospace

• Transportation

• Construction

Extruded Aluminium

Advantages of Extruded Aluminium

• A cost-effective and competitive choice for complicated cross-sections. Prototyping, testing, and launching new products are more accessible when new forms and designs are readily available with short lead times.

• The surface polish is superb (no extra machining is necessary), and they are often stronger than cast aluminium.

• The ability to interconnect parts simplifies fabrication processes significantly.

Common Uses & Applications for Aluminum Extrusions

• Several sectors rely heavily on strength-to-weight ratios. Vehicle engine blocks, transmission housings, chassis, trains, and subway cars are excellent candidates for aluminium extrusions.

• It's famous for computers, audio, and visual systems, and other electronics to use aluminium in its heating and cooling systems because of its ability to transmit heat.

• The protective aluminium oxide coating that adheres to its surface makes it inherently rust and corrosion-resistant. It's a suitable material when used in outdoor electrical cabinets for utility companies or photovoltaic power systems.

• Aluminium extrusions' high reflectivity makes them ideal for shielding items from infrared, visible, or radio

   

  frequency radiation.

• Command tent structures, military vehicles and Navy ships, the International Space Station (ISS), airplanes, and helicopters rely on aluminium extrusions for structural integrity.

Why Choose Metal Electronic Enclosures?

Electronic enclosures made of aluminium are more durable and stronger than other materials in harsh situations. Rust, flame, and UV rays are all resistant to the substance. Aluminium is an excellent conductor of electricity because it is a highly conductive metal. When it comes to magnetism, metal isn't much of a magnet. As a result of these characteristics, it is an effective barrier against EMF and RF radiation (RFI). Aluminium enclosures can be helpful in projects requiring minimum interference and separate electronics.

Enclosures made of aluminium are ideal for applications that require little interference and autonomous electronics.

They may be easily painted and maintain their form over time, making metal enclosures an excellent choice. Anodized or powder-coated black metal is a more common option, although natural aluminium is also an option. Metal enclosures made of diecast metal do not have seams or folds.

Uses And Applications For Aluminum Enclosures

Sleek & low-maintenance designs with improved design flexibility and environmental friendliness are all possible when electronic enclosures are made from aluminium. They have a wide range of applications in various fields, including electronics, automobiles, public transportation, aircraft, telecommunications, and solar/renewable energy.

When aluminium is alloyed with other elements, it gains strength. Silicon, iron, copper, magnesium, manganese, and chromium are some of the most frequent alloys used in the construction industry. Corrosion-resistant, lightweight, and accessible in medium to high-strength options are some of the advantages of this material.

Benefits of Aluminum Enclosures Include:

• Overall toughness: high impact, high tensile strength, rigidity

• The ability to resist recontamination

• Compared to steel, this material is much lighter and better at blocking radio waves (naturally RFI insulated)

• Compared to steel, this material is much lighter and better at blocking radio waves

• Do not swell or distort

• Recyclable

• YONGU E02 133.4*55*109 Sheet Metal Box

• YONGU

  E03 208.4*71.5*189 Custom Sheet Metal Box

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• YONGU

  E04 248.4*81.5*209 Raspberry pi 4 Case

They all have the following features, including

• Sheet metal box, aluminium bending.

• All dimensions can be customized.

• New and beautiful appearance, which can be used on a desk.

• The feet make the equipment place more stably.

• Dimensions, hole drilling, surface treatment & printing, etc., can be customized.

• The overall structure is beautiful and stable.

• Different colors can be customized.

• Custom Sheet Metal Box

• Raspberry Pi 4 Case

YONGU Sheet Metal Box S Series

S Series sheet metal boxes have a new and excellent design with complete customization from dimensions to colors.

S Series has eight different models, including

• YONGU

  S102 160*60*220 Lithium Battery Box

• YONGU

  S101 120*170*220 Sheet Metal Aluminum Box

• YONGU

  S103 220*80*250 Custom Made Aluminium Boxes

• YONGU

  S104 250*80*200 Custom Computer Case

• YONGU

  S201 150*180*250 Electrical Enclosures

• YONGU

  S202 170*90*250 Aluminum Sheet Metal Case

• YONGU

  S203 190*100*280 Sheet Metal Fabrication

• YONGU

  S204 200*120*280 Aluminum Electronic Project Box

   

They all have the following features and uses, including

• New design, a good looking case for components

• Customizable Thickness & other dimensions

• Customisable Dimensions/hole drilling/surface treatment/printing,etc can be customized

• The shape can be changed

• Flexible can meet customers&#; requirements

• Good quality aluminium material al

• It can be used as a battery case

• It can be used as Custom Computer Case

• It can be used as a Lithium Battery Box

• Can be used as

  Electrical Enclosures

• Can be used as metal cases for electronics

• Suitable for Aluminum Electronic Project Box

• Feasible Sheet Metal Fabrication

This thread aims to collate useful enclosure design resources. Before starting to list off materials, processes and tools, it might be worth reminding ourselves why we bother with enclosures:

• Ingress protection - dust, liquids, small conductive bits that could short our circuits. We want to keep them away. Sometimes, if this is all you need and to a low level, conformal / silicone coatings can be all that is needed.
• Mechanical strength - if our board is going to have mechanical loads transferred to and from it, an enclosure can help here - especially if there are connectors/cables. There also may be vibration damping to protect connections or sensitive components.
• User interface - yes, the ergonomics of bare PCBs (especially if they get hot!) means an enclosure is often a lot easier to handle and mount to a bench or a robot, even before we get to adding inputs and outputs such as displays, LEDs and buttons. And some people would rather not to look at bare PCBAs all day, preferring to cover them in aesthetically improving surfaces. Can&#;t understand it myself.

There are also some other needs which, while not necessitating that an enclosure meets the need, it often makes sense to give these jobs to an enclosure:

• Thermal dissipation/capacity and shielding. Ordinarily, you&#;d say &#;heatsink&#; or &#;radiator&#; for the first two. But there often needs to be an enclosure anyway and it has to take the heat somewhere. On the flipside, perhaps the environment you will be taking this circuit is unforgiving and an enclosure keeps it at much more &#;operationally conducive&#; temperatures than if you just chucked those lithium ion cells out in the snow&#;
• Electromagnetic shielding. There is debate about the enclosure&#;s possible role in electromagnetic compatibility strategy but let&#;s remember that it can definitely play its part.

Based on this partial list of aims for enclosures, we can infer some of the following requirements and considerations:

• We often need a good fit or seal between surfaces. Electrical connections outside the enclosure can become challenging.
• The introduction of the enclosure means we need to think carefully about what residual access or access-for-assembly is needed. No good making a user-replaceable battery inaccessible. Likewise, you may achieve a spatial fit of your PCB assembly in the &#;installed position&#; but you haven&#;t left enough room for the assembly steps. For example, perhaps the connectors won&#;t mate/un-mate because you haven&#;t left enough room between the edge of the PCB and the enclosure wall. And don&#;t forget to accommodate your fingers or any assembly tools.
• A good fit or seal around often changes the optical, thermal or RF environment of a board and this can introduce secondary requirements of windows/light pipes, heat dissipation and antenna placement.
• In fact, even introducing new material in close proximity to integrated antennas (such as those formed from PCB traces and matching components) can detune them and impede the radio&#;s performance. While you may expect a metal enclosure to significantly block RF signals to and from your radio, even plastic enclosure too close to antennas can noticeably degrade their performance. For products that are going to be mounted in an enclosure with an internal antenna, repeatedly in the same position, antennas can be designed to account for the proximity of the enclosure materials and other parts of the assembly.
• Off-the-shelf enclosures often have internal fixing positions for mounting screws and standoffs, so it&#;s often prudent to select an initial enclosure and check how the mounting holes might impact your circuit layout.
• We also need to make sure the enclosure itself doesn&#;t become a short between circuits. Indeed, it also needs to make sure any higher voltages (such as mains AC ) don&#;t get conducted to people or surroundings. For that reason, conductive enclosures might need grounding.
• The enclosure might need some external fixing points which don&#;t compromise any ingress protection or cable/UI egress/access.

What enclosures can look like:

• Heatshrink tubing slid over a circuit, with cables routed out of the ends if required. Glue-lined heatshrink can be pressed together at the ends to make a basic seal. One-time-access only! Think radio control electronic speed controller circuits.
• Potting compound poured over and around the circuit, often with a plastic tub or open-faced &#;pot&#; to contain the compound until it sets. Usually more expensive and mechanically robust than heat shrink tubing. About the most permanent option there is but you get very good ingress protection.
• Low temperature overmoulding is usually a &#;product-grade&#; process where a (relatively) low melting point thermoplastic (typically in the region of 200*C) is injected into a mould around the circuitry. With hobby-grade/price machinery and materials this could be a realistic option for some. Can produce especially nice results for strain relieving cable-connector and cable-case junctions, relative to other methods.
• Pipe / tube stock with end-caps. This could be PVC plumbing/drainage stock (often press-fit with good seals and easy to cut/form with domestic tools). Can also be found in optically transparent materials such as acrylic or polycarbonate and doesn&#;t have to be round cross-section. Think hobby rockets, underwater remotely operated vehicles.
• Stacks of PCB (or other sheet stock cut to an outline), separated by some kind of spacer or standoff. Perhaps with a 3D printed or extruded perimeter. Some PCB can be reserved specifically as top/bottom plates. Think DIY synthesiser projects, small research robots.
• Plastic or metal boxes, either injection moulded, die-cast, extruded, CNC subtractive machined or 3D printed / additively manufactured. Often with a custom face-plate. Think guitar pedal stomp boxes and many benchtop electronics measurement tools.

Some common components:

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• Seals - If you need an ingress protected enclosure, you need seals. This often pushes you towards customisation of an off-the-shelf enclosure but careful design can mean you can seal your own designs well.
• Cable glands - these are usually a great way to route cables out of an enclosure while maintaining ingress protection. They do take up space on the inside and outside, so the enclosure envelope/footprint needs to be adjusted to take advantage of them. If you have cable that is not large enough to achieve a seal with the gland you have, you can thicken a section of it with a short length of heat-shrink tubing (preferably glue-lined to maintain seal).
• Light pipes - These translucent plastic parts allow you to solder an LED on your PCB but then route the light to a face plate that is some distance away and perhaps in a different orientation.
• Bulkhead connectors - Nearly every connector, from RF coaxial ones to ethernet and USB have &#;bulkhead&#; versions which allow you to fix them through an opening (e.g. a hole you have made) in an enclosure wall. Often a good way to achieve ingress protection if they come with seals.
• Standoffs - small metal or plastic parts, often threaded, to space a PCB away from enclosure surfaces. This can be simply to accommodate the height of components between layers of a PCB assembly but it can also be key to lining up a connection with an egress point in the wall of the enclosure or preventing conductive material enclosures from short circuiting your PCB.
• Feet / bumpers - small, grippy, often with adhesive tape already affixed. They are stuck or screwed to the outside of the enclosure and can really help your small enclosure stay put. Larger systems may benefit from anti-vibration dampers/feet if they are sensitive or are a source of vibration.