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Plastic box molding for product? — Parallax Forums

Plastic box molding for product?

DaveFDaveF Posts: 62
edited 2006-11-17 17:53 in General Discussion
Hey All!
I have a small electronic product that I am planning on going public with.· Right now·I am looking for places that I can work with to manufacture the enclosure.· It will not be terribly complex.· Probably a rectangle maybe 6"x4"x2" or so.· It will need to mount a PCB, and have a few holes in to for some standard plugs and wires.

My question is:· Do any of you know of a quality place that I can use to make some enclosures?· If so, do you have an idea of what it might cost me to get these done?· I will probably look at getting about 300 of them to start.


Thanks!

Dave

Comments

  • Tommy BotTommy Bot Posts: 60
    edited 2006-11-14 02:34
    Try pasting these links:


    http://www.uniboxenclosures.com/
    http://www.simcobox.com/
    http://electronicsusa.com/miniboxes1.html
    http://www.pactecenclosures.com/
    http://www.polycase.com/shop-by/size-range/small.html



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    (Frequently heard from other's)

    Tommy, I know it wasn't designed to·x, but can you make it·do x·anyway?

    ·
  • DaveFDaveF Posts: 62
    edited 2006-11-14 02:49
    Great, thanks!

    What about if I need something custom?

    Thanks

    Dave
  • DaveFDaveF Posts: 62
    edited 2006-11-14 02:51
    oh, I see that some of them have customization options.

    Anything else out there?

    thanks!
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2006-11-14 03:07
    Also www.rose-bopla.com. Really quality stuff!

    -Phil
  • T ChapT Chap Posts: 4,223
    edited 2006-11-14 03:54
    I have explored a mold to pour a two part plastic into, then pull the flexible mold off. The original part would have to be CNC'd from aluminum or plastic to create something to make the mold from. I created an aluminum box a while back that I was going to do the same thing. Here is a pic of the concept that you could generate the rubber mold from, notice the recessed ledges for mounting the PCB inside with screws.
    box1.jpg
    432 x 287 - 60K
    box2.jpg
    432 x 287 - 53K
    box3.jpg
    432 x 287 - 58K
    box4.jpg
    360 x 409 - 39K
  • pjvpjv Posts: 1,903
    edited 2006-11-14 05:25
    Hi Dave;

    Unless you anticipate large quantities, custom molded plastic boxes have a rather large start-up cost due to the mold making that needs to be done. One of my companies does this kind of work for a living (www.flexcim.ca), so I speak from experience. A ball-park price for a production mold is probably in the range of $10,000 to $20,000 up-front, depending on complexity. More complicated molds can cost over $100,000. I recall doing one that clocked in at about $250,000 and then got shelved!

    That said, the production run for the parts (excluding mold amortization) is probably in the one to several dollar apiece range.

    If you can't commit to 10,000 or so pieces, custom molding is probably not an appropriate option.

    Hope this helps; and if you do want to go custom, I'd like a shot at doing the work.

    Cheers,

    Peter (pjv)
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2006-11-14 05:34
    If quantities are small, and your holes are round, it's easy enough to make a drill template that fits over an endpanel, say, and has holes where you need them. Pay a little extra, and get the template made on a CNC machine. The idea is just to drill the pilot holes with the template, then enlarge them as needed. For holes larger than 3/16", I highly recommend a Unibit. They drill much more cleanly than a regular drill bit in plastic and don't grab when you first break through. Plus, one bit can do several hole sizes; you just have to know where to stop. And use a drill press. A cheap benchtop unit from Harbor Freight will usually suffice, but a good chuck is worth its weight in gold.

    -Phil
  • DaveFDaveF Posts: 62
    edited 2006-11-14 13:59
    Thanks all!
    These are great responses! I don't think I am ready for 10,000+ units (Yet!).

    I think I can manage with some of the links that have been provided. I especially like what polycase has.

    Dave
  • Paul BakerPaul Baker Posts: 6,351
    edited 2006-11-16 06:58
    Sparkfun does custom enclosures: http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/hdr.php?p=custom_plastic_cutting

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    Paul Baker
    Propeller Applications Engineer

    Parallax, Inc.
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2006-11-16 09:42
    Sealcom has weatherproof penetrations for electrical wire and cable.

    Oddly, Digikey and Mouser don't sell their products. And, I haven't found an outlet in Taiwan either.
    It looks like you have to buy direct.

    Together with a good tight box, you have it all.

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    "If you want more fiber, eat the package.· Not enough?· Eat the manual."········
    ···················· Tropical regards,····· G. Herzog [noparse][[/noparse]·黃鶴 ]·in Taiwan
  • latigerlillylatigerlilly Posts: 114
    edited 2006-11-17 17:53
    If no hi temp, use this:
    www.micsaund.com/2006/03/13/plastic-you-can-mold-in-your-home-for-diy-projects/

    If hi temp, use this (not plastic, though):
    www.lindsaybks.com/dgjp/djgbk/char/index.html

    I would just buy some project boxes and drill holes for such a low quantity. You can even program Basic Stamp to control a robotic drill to do the drilling for you:
    www.tinaja.com/glib/hack66.pdf

    SHAMELSS PLUG
    Please answer my question:
    http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?p=615420

    Post Edited (latigerlilly) : 11/17/2006 6:10:09 PM GMT
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