The development of a custom item is always a task that requires multiple angles of thought and consideration. The No Molds Required technology is certainly a new concept to many designers and engineers, so it may seem like a cumbersome process. On the whole, this is not true. As you may have seen on our Custom Design page, our plastic enclosure design process from concept to reality is not that intense.
That being said, part of the enclosure design process is to create a functional and cost–effective solution. To do so, there are elements of design and functionality to take into account that could be considered plastic enclosure cost drivers.
• Material Fire Rating – Does your custom plastic enclosure require a UL94-V0 rating? Or a less expensive UL94-Hb rating? Or perhaps no rating is necessary at all?
• Amount of enclosure part components / complexity – Does your housing require battery doors, support ribs, clear polycarbonate LCD windows, Removable covers, gaskets, or other
structural support pieces?
• Standoffs – How many are required to support the PCB or Raspberry Pi / Arduino unit? Can you get by with snapping it into a side wall? Are you able to use our standard bosses? Or does it require a custom size?
• Part size – Do the overall dimensions (in the flat) conform to a standard sheet or blank size that is stocked at Envision or at our distributors? Creating a lot of drop material can be costly, wasteful, and lead to some inefficiencies with respect to cost.
• Conductive Coating – Do you have a concern with your enclosure emitting EMI? This coating can be added to your product before fabricating the raw material or applied after. Both have a different cost structure. Knowing which route to take during the enclosure design process can help determine the cost.
While these are certainly not ALL of the cost drivers, these are the main ones to consider when creating a custom plastic enclosure. Rest assured, not all of these issues will apply to every plastic enclosure design concept.
"Envision’s design capability and unique technology allowed us to design high quality custom enclosures without the expense and time required for hard tooling. Prototypes were available in weeks instead of months allowing testing and evaluations to be performed much earlier in the program. Overall, we were able to reduce our development time by 4-6 months using Envision’s team and technology."
Jim, Program Manager Medical Device Firm
