PEI has been purchased by Toolless Plastic Solutions.

Transcription

1 PEI has been purchased by Toolless Plastic Solutions. Toolless will continue to offer the same quality of services that PEI has provided since Please contact us with any questions or fill out or Request for Quote page to get your plastic enclosure manufactured today. Outline: I. Enclosures (page 2) a. Custom Plastic Enclosure Style b. Standard Plastic Enclosures Styles: II. Design & Engineering Overview (page 3) a. Engineering Capabilities b. Deliverables c. CAD/CAM Capabilities d. Manufacturing Capabilities III. General Specs (page 6) a. Bends & Curves b. Seams & Joints c. Components IV. Materials (page 8) a. Plastic Sheets b. Components c. Shielding d. Paint V. Design Criteria (page 11) a. PEI Standards b. Types & Styles c. Bends & Curves d. Openings & Cutouts e. Panels & Joints f. Recesses & Pockets VI. Design Process (page 17) a. Quote Phase b. Design Phase c. Prototype Phase d. Revisions e. Deliverables VII. Off the Shelf Design (page 21) a. Program Overview b. OSD Styles c. OSD Materials d. OSD Components & Features e. OSD Dimensions f. Ordering OSD Product 1

2 VIII. Manufacturing Process (page 26) a. CNC Routing b. Bending c. Assembly d. Shielding e. Decorating IX. Quotation Process (page 30) a. Preliminary Design b. Lead-time & Schedule c. Pricing & Quantities d. Project Outline I. Enclosures a. Custom Plastic Enclosure Style Hand Held Plastic Enclosure In sizes that fit comfortably in a persons pocket or open hand, PEI can supply hand-held plastic enclosures with function and comfort. Incorporating battery compartments, tactile & membrane switchs, LEDs, LCDs, RF & IR transmitters, etc., our hand helds housings are designed to meet your every need. Desk Tops Plastic Enclosures A PEI desktop plastic enclosure can enhance the look and functionality of any desk top device by incorporating angled surfaces, foot pads, tilting panels, and removable stands. Painting, silk screening, engraving, and embossing can be added to further promote aesthetics of your housing. Displays - LCD & Touch Screens Enclosures PEI has produced thousands of LCD plastic enclosures, accommodating every possible size and mounting configuration possible. We can incorporate touch screens, clear windows, and environmental seals to meet any housing need. Wall Mounts Plastic Enclosures Our wall mount style plastic enclosures can be a true cost saver and feature enhancement for you by incorporating custom mounting methods that make installation and access easy while maintaining a desired level of security. Bezels, Facias & Panel Mounts For projects that don't require a complete plastic enclosure but still need curb appeal, a PEI bezel may be your best choice. We can supply plates and panels that are customized to fit new or existing housings at a fraction of the cost of a full enclosure. Complex Enclosure Assemblies For complex housings and assemblies, our engineers can bring to bear the full power of PRO/Es 3D CAD/CAM capabilities, ensuring that all elements of a complex assembly will fit exactly as planned. A PEI assembly is a truly integrated system that fits & flows as one. Cabinets & Kiosks From free-standing plastic cabinet to individual sub-panels, PEI can supply the shape and configuration you need. Working closely with framing shops and design houses, our engineers can incorporate slides, doors, drawers, castors, handles, latches and other similar hardware. Custom & Unique Plastic Enclosures While all PEI plastic enclosures are customized to your size and electronic s configuration, we can go well 2

3 beyond modifying an existing enclosure design. By incorporating curves, contours, laminates, and complex shapes, we can supply you with a truly unique look. b. Standard Plastic Enclosures Styles: At Plastronic Enclosures, Inc., our total focus is on designing and manufacturing plastic enclosures. Ranging from simple to complex and small to large, we have the experience and knowledge to design and deliver plastic enclosures to meet the needs of a diverse customer base. From the time that we began our business in 1993, we have been focused on supplying plastic enclosures for those companies needing high quality plastic housings in quantities not affordable with injection molding. Furthermore, we have been single-minded in our pursuit of reducing the time it takes to deliver plastic enclosures - with our ultimate goal of a 1week leadtime for standard designs and 2-3 weeks for more complex assemblies. In addition to the low volume and short lead-time advantages, our plastic enclosures are produced with no molds or hard tooling. That's right, you now have the option of having plastic enclosures that look, feel, and function like injection molded housings without the cost or time constraints of that capital intensive highvolume process. We enclosurage you to spend a few minutes surfing our website to learn more about our process, our capabilities, and most importantly, our portfolio of projects involving companies like yours. See for yourself how our process for producing plastic enclosures can provide your company with the advantages of low cost, short leadtime, and design flexibility - capabilities your competitors can only dream about! II. Design & Engineering Overview On these technical pages, we will attempt to explain how we engineer and manufacture enclosures. We hope his information will assist you in developing your specific enclosure design. Please note that some design issues are proprietary and will be addressed when our engineers develop the 3D model and manufacturing plans. However, if you have any technical questions related to your enclosure design or the PEI process that are not addressed here, please do not hesitate to call our Customer Service Department and we will try to assist you wherever possible. a. Engineering Capabilities PEI employs a crew of experienced design/mechanical engineers who develop new or modify existing designs of enclosures. Furthermore, due to the uniqueness of our process, our engineering team can work with our customers' engineers during their preliminary design stage, thereby eliminating future problems, reducing lead-times, and improving overall product quality. As for the flexibility of our systems and procedures, our goal is to accommodate our customers' needs and requirements whenever possible. As a supplier of custom products, we try to keep our list of requirements to a minimum. As an example, we do not require our customers to convert their drawings or files from metric to standard inch. While our standard is to supply drawings or files in inches, we will also provide such items in either straight metric or a combination inch/metric or metric/inch. 3

4 In order to provide the widest variety of design capabilities for developing enclosure designs, we use the latest CAD/CAM technology available. Using one of the most sophisticated CAD packages available, our engineers draw upon our own library of design models for initially developing a 3D solids model. Then, through customization of the CAM software, along with the use of specially written automation programs, we further develop the detail designs and manufacturing files needed to CNC cut the enclosure panels. Finally, due to the short lead-times involved with our process, we have setup our engineering department in a cross-functional matrix configuration. In this structure, each project is assigned to an individual engineer who is our internal "project manager," responsible for the successful completion of the enclosure design. In that capacity, he will work with our scheduler to break the project into stages that can be assigned to other engineers, thereby moving it through at a much quicker rate. For more information on this structure, please see our information on CAD/CAM Capabilities. b. Deliverables Deliverables are those files, documents, products, or other items that are delivered to the customer before, during, or at the completion of an activity by PEI. These deliverables typically trigger a project to move to the next stage or signify the completion of a particular phase of a project. PEI supplies a variety of deliverables to its customers, with some being supplied as a mandatory step in our design process while others are supplied upon request or when the situation requires it. Below is a list of the most commonly supplied or requested deliverables. Please note that we will always try to accommodate requests for deliverables not listed here provided such a request does not involve proprietary or confidential information. Also, depending on the work involved with supplying the nonstandard deliverable, there may be an added charge associated with complying with the request. Standard Deliverables Quotation Assembly Drawings Design Approval Request Form Prototype Part Prototype Part Approval Form Administrative Documents (See Documents page) As Required Deliverables Design Concept Sketch Component List Material Data Sheets Large Format Drawings Samples - Components and Products If a deliverable that you wish to receive from us is not listed here, please contact Customer Service to inquire about our policy or ability to supply the item. Chances are that if you normally receive such an item from other enclosure suppliers, then we have probably supplied such an item to our customers, even if it is not normally supplied. c. CAD/CAM Capabilities 4

5 At PEI, we design all of our custom enclosures using Pro Engineer (Pro/E) CAD/CAM software. Over the years, we have used and/or experimented with other CAD/CAM packages, however, to date we have not found a more robust, comprehensive, or feature rich development tool for the design and manufacturing of enclosures than Pro/E. Concurrent Design For large, more complex design projects, our engineering department can employ concurrent engineering methods through the utilization of such tools as ModelCheck and IntraLink. These two powerful Pro/E modules allow for a number of engineers to work on a single project without the worry of design conflict, redundant data, or misplaced files. While the project may be broken into stages and assigned to different engineers, our advanced CAD/CAM package ensures that the final product is a uniformly designed assembly that looks and feels like a single mind was at work. Customer Supplied Files and Drawings As for receiving files from our customers, we can be very flexible. In addition to hard copy drawings, we can read native Pro/E files as well as CAD files that have been converted to either.dxf or.igs formats. As such, for those customers who want to send us a CAD file of their part using a different (non-pro/e) package, we ask that they convert them to one of these two formats before ing to us. When deciding which format to use, a rule of thumb is that for flat, 2D files, export them as.dxf, and for 3D files, export them as.igs. Once we receive such files, we will review them and where needed make the necessary corrections to any data that may have been corrupted or lost during the conversion process. The advantage of receiving.dxf or.igs files is that we may be able to interrogate the data or maneuver the part to see various views that would offer a better understanding of what the finished product should look like. With flat drawings files or hard copies of them, we can only see what was originally included by the designer and if we have questions about dimensions or features the only way to get the answers is to speak with the person who developed the design. Please note that while we prefer to receive CAD files rather than part drawings, unless those files are native Pro/E we will eventually have to reenter the data in order to manipulate the design and develop the detail panels. Furthermore, even for those projects that the customer supplies Pro/E files, our engineers will have to modify the design to comply with our "No Tooling" process. Also, once the model is completed and approved, detail panels, manufacturing plans, and tool paths will need to be developed. These are processes that are beyond the basic part design and will always require development work by our engineers. PEI Supplied Files and Drawings As for the CAD files that we create, our policy at PEI is that we will send the assembly drawing(s) for approval as a fax or as an attachment in an in either.jpeg or.pdf format. We do this simply to control cost and to standardize our design activities such that we can quote a job without concern that developing the deliverables will take longer than planned. If a customer requires assembly drawings be sent in a different format, we will be happy to accommodate most requests, however, any costs associated with complying will be invoiced at our standard engineering rate. However, we do not send Pro/E native files. Within such files are those features, dimensions and other technical data that comprise some of the proprietary information related to our 'No Tooling' process. As such, we do not provide files or drawings that define the individual panels or the assembly construction. For more information on this, please contact our customer service department. d. Manufacturing Capabilities The PEI manufacturing process uses both customized and standard 'off-the-shelf' fabrication equipment to cut, score, bend, paint, silk-screen, and assemble enclosures. Furthermore, for those pieces of equipment that are purchased as stock machinery, we usually perform some type of customization in order to bring it up to the level of capabilities that our process demands. 5

6 As for the specifications of our manufacturing capabilities, we can cut sheets of plastic up to 48" x 96" in footprint size and up to.500" thick. Please note that these are general sizes and depending on the finished product and its application, these specifications may not be an issue. That is, we can perform some types of machining on materials thicker than.500" depending on the tools required and the composition of the material. As always, if you have any questions about your specific application you should contact our customer service department for additional information on this subject. Beyond CNC routing, we employ a number of specialized machines for cutting, sawing, drilling, and milling plastic materials. Each of these machines was developed to perform certain types of cuts either faster or more cost effectively than what can be done with CNC routers. Our bending capabilities involve the ability to make straight bends up to 40" wide. Furthermore, we can make arc and curves in a vast array of shapes and sizes, which is dependent on the material thickness, degrees of arc, and general construction of the enclosure. Unfortunately, it is not possible to provide exact specifications here due to the complexity involved with bends and curves. Again, we suggest you contact customer service for more information about your specific application. Regarding painting, shielding, and silk-screening, these are well-established processes used by manufacturers around the world. Our capabilities in these areas are comparable with what you will find in most high quality, custom plastic molding or fabrication shops. Finally, our assembly shop has experience in fabricating enclosures from pocket size to room size and in quantities from 1 to 10,000. As a general rule, we try to develop enclosure designs such that special featuring will not be needed. In keeping with our goal of 'No Tooling, our engineers design the product such that panels and components fit properly together without the need for specialized equipment. As such, our assembly capabilities are not restricted to the physical fabrication equipment we use, but rather to the ingenuity and experience of our engineering staff. III. General Specs a. Bends & Curves At PEI, we develop bends by machining a relief on the underside of the material and applying heat along the bend line to allow the plastic to be formable. Once the proper angle is achieved, the joint is cooled and the bend is set in place. For 90-degree bends, the outside radius will be approximately the same as the thickness of the material. As an example, a 90-degree bend using 0.125" thick material will have a 1/8" outside radius. It should be noted here that the shrinkage of the material during the cooling stage is minimized using this process because the amount of BTUs (heat) absorbed by the plastic and the square surface area targeted are minimized as much as possible. Therefore, the less heat going into the plastic, the less heat that must be dissipated which is the root cause of shrinkage and distortion. For bends less than 90 degrees, the actual outside radius will still be equal to the thickness of the material, however, visually, the radius will appear to be greater. This is because an arc of less than 90 degrees appears to follow a curve rather than pivoting at a point. For true curves (not bends), we can form the material to follow an arc of up to 180 degrees of rotation. We achieve this using a proprietary cold bending method that eliminates the typical distortion of the plastic caused by shrinkage during the cooling phase. In order to accomplish this, there is special machining and structural support involved that may affect other features of the enclosure. 6

7 Finally, it should be understood that developing bends and curves for a particular enclosure design is done within the constraints of our process and the configuration of that design. As such, there may be times when a particular bend or curve is not achievable due to adjacent components, cutouts, or similar details. During the design stage, such constraints would be addressed and if a design conflict arises alternatives would always be presented to the customer for their approval. b. Seams & Joints When properly designed, the mechanical strength of enclosures produced with our process can be as tough as any other plastic. From drop testing to moisture proofing, over the years we have successfully supplied enclosures that have met customers' functional specifications in just about every type of environment imaginable. One of the keys to the strength of our enclosures is our 'Tab Lock' welding process that ensures both sheer and tensile integrity are maintained. By interlocking all permanent joints, we are able to transfer sheer and tensile loads directly to the substrate material, thereby reducing the reliance on a separate bonding medium or filler material. Additionally, we have developed our own specialized chemical welding method for all joints and seams, which greatly increases the mechanical integrity of every enclosure we build. This process involves welding of similar materials by chemically melting adjoining surfaces and then applying pressure to enhance the fusion. The end result is joints that are stronger than what could be achieved with standard gluing or heat staking. As a final note on this subject, our experience has been that our joints are so strong that the substrate material is as likely to fail as the seam. For that reason, we are confident that if plastic is the right material for a customer's application, then the PEI process can be a very attractive alternative to injection molding or thermoforming. For questions on a particular application, please contact our customer service department for additional information. c. Components For the most part, any component or hardware item used to manufacture injection molded, thermoformed, or sheet metal enclosures can be applied to a PEI enclosure. The only significant difference would be in our method for physically applying the item to the unit. As an example, with sheet metal enclosures, standoffs, such as PCB mounts, might be pressed in or spotwelded through the panel wall. With the PEI process, we cut a pocket and either sonic weld or solvent bond a molded insert in place. Two of the advantages of this method are that we do not have to break through an outside panel surface and the height of the standoff can be set to a greater variety of dimensions simply by varying the depth of the pocket. As with all such processes, there are limitations to the amount of height variation achievable due to the material thickness and the beginning heights of the standoffs. However, even with such limitations, the variety of height dimensions is much greater than what can be achieved with the sheet metal fabrication. Additionally, with our 'no tooling' process we can place standoffs and other molded-in type of components on any surface without incurring additional upfront costs. With injection molding or thermoforming, placing holes, standoffs, or similar feature can be difficult or unfeasible depending on location and/or mold configuration. 7

8 IV. Materials a. Plastic Sheets One of the key elements of our process is the utilization of plastic sheets that are pre-colored and textured. Because the material is available in an unlimited combination of chemical composition, colors, gauges, and textures, we can offer a material for the most demanding applications. PEI Stocked Materials At PEI, we have developed a list of stock materials that the majority of our customers prefer to use for their enclosures. However, if your enclosure will require a type, color, thickness, or texture that is not one of our standard stock materials, we will gladly source whatever you need in the most economical quantities possible. For more information on this, please refer to our Special Order Materials Program which can be found on our Documents web page. Selection Criteria The two issues that must be considered when selecting a material are the chemical composition and the physical attributes. For the chemical composition, this involves deciding whether you need an ABS, polycarbonate, polystyrene, or other type of material. For most of our customers, that decision is based on whether the enclosure will require UL certification, special environmental handling, or other types of consideration. Typically, our customers inform us of their requirements and we suggest a material best suited for their needs. As for the physical attributes, the decision factors are broader and more discretionary on the part of the customer. By this, we refer to such attributes as color, texture, and even thickness as being attributes that can be selected based on the customer's preference rather than an absolute requirement. Again, the selection of the material's physical attributes is made with input from PEI as to price, availability, lead-time, and final product quality. This is particularly important when considering that for some special order materials, the lead-times can run from 6 to 8 weeks...after color approval! As for cost, the primary factors are the material composition, the minimum quantities of sheets required, and the sheet manufacturer's setup charges. At PEI, we are always aware of these cost factors and whenever possible we suggest alternatives to the higher priced materials, components, features, or methods. Types of Plastic - Chemical Composition While the plastics industry continues to develop and introduce an endless array of specialty materials, most enclosures built today, (regardless of the process used) are made with either ABS, polycarbonate, polystyrene, or a blended combination of these plastic materials. At PEI we have found ABS and polycarbonate blended materials work best for those applications requiring UL rating. For applications not requiring UL certification or where mechanical properties are not a factor, we usually recommend a general-purpose polystyrene which is about 1/3 the cost of those other blended materials. Color Both PEI and the sheet manufacturers maintain stock levels of various colors and thickness of materials. For PEI stock material, we assign no minimum purchase quantity based on material alone. However, we do have a minimum purchase order value, which most customers do not have, a difficult time meeting. As for the material manufacturers, most have their own stock colors and textures that are available with little or no lead-time. However, based on the size of your enclosure and/or the order quantity, a minimum purchase may be required which is not cost effective. As such, you may find that selecting a PEI stock material is your best bet. If you need additional information on color selection and availability, we will be happy to discuss your needs and provide sample colors or texture chips, accordingly. 8

9 Texture For plastic sheets, texture refers to the surface that has been specifically controlled for appearance quality. While some suppliers state that both sides of their sheets are controlled, there is always one side that is primary and will be considered as the "textured" side. Regarding textures, while there is a vast assortment of plastic industry standards available, most of them would be ill suited for enclosure applications. As such, PEI stocks and recommends either a suede or level haircell texture for most enclosure projects. While we occasionally have initial requests for other types of textures, by the time the final decision has to be made the customer has decided that there is potential risk (cost, lead-time, and market acceptance) with no benefit for selecting a nonstandard texture. As for selecting between suede and level haircell textures, the only absolute requirement involves whether the enclosure will be silk-screened or have some other surface treatment applied. The suede texture is a non-gloss finish that is smooth enough to silk-screen yet retains some level of texturing. An example of a suede texture is what you would find on most (non-imac) desktop computers. The level haircell texture has a deeper grain that is even more resistant to scratches and surface defects. Unfortunately, the depth of the grain makes it a poor candidate for silk-screening and we would never recommend using this texture regardless of the simplicity of the print or artwork. Finally, when considering texture please keep in mind that most sheet manufacturers' stock materials in a level haircell. This means that unless PEI has what you want in our inventory, you may have to consider a Special Order Materials purchase along with an extended lead-time For more information on this, please call or us your request and we will provide whatever information you need to help make your decision. Thickness/Gauge Because we use extruded sheets of plastic, the thickness specified for each enclosure project will typically comply with one of the five basic dimensions that are common to our industry. Those thicknesses are (inches).093,.125,.156,.187, and.250. Other thickness may be available and if needed can be specially ordered. However, as with most of the issues involving material selection, we have found that the majority of our customers are able to use the gauges listed here with no negative impact on their project or the product's performance. Again, if you believe you have a need for a nonstandard thickness, please let us know and we will work with you in ensuring that the material used for your enclosure is appropriate and cost effective. For information on the plastic sheet materials used by PEI, please visit our Documents web page and look under the Plastic Materials subject. b. Components At PEI, we define components as those items that are purchased or manufactured for the purpose of adding functionality or features to an enclosure. Such things as standoffs, spacers, and metal inserts are some of the more common components used by all enclosure manufactures. Additionally, we consider any hardware item such as fasteners, hinges, and latches to be classified as a component. If you have previously been involved with enclosure projects, you already know that there is an endless list of items available from hundreds, if not thousands of suppliers. With this in mind, it would take a very large catalog just to list all the possible items available for use on enclosures. As such, we will only address the more common items as well as some detail information, accordingly. For a listing of components and specifications please refer to the corresponding Spec Sheets on our Documents web page or call our customer service department. If you have a special component that you would like to use and it is not listed here, please do not hesitate to let us know. 9

10 Below is a list of the more common components used by our customers. Please keep in mind that many of these items are available in a variety of sizes, colors, styles, materials, etc. and you should check with our customer service department to verify that the items is stocked by PEI or to inquire about the manufacturer's lead-time. Standoffs, Spacers Plastic dowels with a center hole used for mounting PCB's, LCD's, Switches, and other electronic items. Such items can be fastened to the standoffs with self-tapping screws. For machine screws, metal inserts can be installed. Metal Inserts Studs Screws Brass, aluminum, or steel threaded sleeves that are sonic welded, heat welded, or mechanically pressed into a plastic substrate, tab, standoff, etc. Steel threaded rods that are sonic welded, heat welded, or mechanically pressed into a plastic substrate, tab, rib, etc. Full range of screws including Phillips pan head and flat head. Sizes include #4, #6, #8, and #10 self tapping; 4-40, 6-32, 8-32, and machine thread. Standard lengths of 1/8'', 1/4", 3/8'', 1/2'', and 5/8". Foot Pads Adhesive backed and screw fastening styles. Special 'flip foot' pads available. The following items are not stocked by PEI but are readily available from our suppliers. Please contact PEI Customer Service for your specific needs and material lead-times Knobs Handles Hinges Latches Bumpers Locks Slides Glides Doors Light Pipes All sizes are listed and stocked in standard inch. Metric sizes are available upon request. For a listing of the most common items that PEI stocks, please visit our Documents web page. 10

11 As always, if your application requires a component or piece of hardware that is not listed here, please let us know and we will be happy to work with you in sourcing it and incorporating it into any enclosure we manufacture. c. Shielding The shielding compound used by PEI for RFI/EMI protection is manufactured by Spraylat Corporation, the specific product being their Series 500 Y2000. This material is a silver coated copper base lacquer that has excellent shielding properties for both RFI and EMI. Additionally, it is specially formulated to meet or exceed UL requirements for adhesion and cohesion. For more information on the shielding material used by PEI, please visit our Process web page d. Paint There are many types and manufacturers of paint that are specifically formulated for plastic substrates. As such, at PEI we have selected Sherwin-Williams as our standard paint supplier because of their extensive product line, excellent service, short lead-times, and depth of knowledge with all types of painting applications. If, however, you have a specific paint by another manufacturer that has been specifically formulated for your company, we will be happy to source the material with the vendor of your choice. For those enclosures on which we use the Sherwin-Williams paint, the specific product we typically use would be one of their Polane(TM) types of materials. This specific family of paint is a 2 part urethane that has excellent adhesion qualities for ABS, polystyrene, PVC, and acrylic plastics. Furthermore, once the paint is fully cured the surface of the product will be tougher than the original plastic substrate. For more information on this our painting capabilities and process, please visit our Process web page under the Decorating subject. V. Design Criteria PEI's revolutionary process allows for most of the features and functionality that you would typically find in injection molded or thermoformed enclosures. As for sheet metal fabricated enclosures, we can provide all of those features and much more. We define enclosure features and functions as all of those attribute that do not involve the shape or basic construction of the product. In particular, we look at those enhancements that make an otherwise six-sided box into a functioning enclosure. While it would be nearly impossible to list every possible feature or function that a customer may require or that PEI has provided, we have selected a number of key features and functionalities that we find our customers consistently request. Among those are: Standoffs and Spacers - for mounting PCB's and other components Metal Inserts and studs - to allow for the use of machine thread screws and nuts 11

12 Vents - both straight through and offset Openings and Cutouts - for any shape or style connector or piece of hardware Windows - for displays Pockets - for labels, overlays, and membrane switches Shielding - for RFI/EMI protection Silk-screening - for labeling and aesthetic appeal Painting - for color matching and advertising As stated before, this list is not "all inclusive" and if you have features or functions that you would like to include in your enclosure, be sure to bring them to attention. You may be pleasantly surprised to find that we can meet your request. Construction - Shape, Style, and Materials By construction we are referring to the physical make up of the basic enclosure including those items that involve the construction of the enclosure as well as the overall shape, size, look, and feel of the housing. On that note, we can supply enclosures with curves, arcs, and rounded corners, as well as multiple surfaces and angles. The easiest way to envision what we can and can not do is to think of how you would form an enclosure by taking sheets of paper to develop the walls of the box. As with a piece of paper, we can bend, fold, and cut individual and multiple surfaces to develop a fabricated final product. Furthermore, because the plastic sheets we use have a thickness to them, we can incorporate pockets, recesses, angled vents, decorative emblems, engravings, embossings, and many other features that require a 3-D surface. As for limitations, ours are simple. To eliminate the cost and time consuming process of utilizing hard tools and molds, we do not plasticize the material. This means we do not melt and re-form the plastic in such a way that we alter its original dimensional size. Because of this, we design and manufacture all of our enclosures without utilizing spherical shapes such as 3-D domes and contours. However, this does not mean we cannot incorporate eye-appealing designs into your enclosure. On the contrary, due to our years of experience in designing highly aesthetic enclosures, we have developed techniques that allow us to go beyond the 'boxie' cube look of typical fabrication. With over 8 years of experience and thousands of custom designs to our credit, we can offer any low volume enclosure customer attractive enclosures that can be customized for a company's own unique look and feel. Before deciding to take on the time constraining and capital-intensive investment of molds and hard tooling, you should talk with us about the kind of enclosure PEI we can provide. You may be pleasantly surprised that you can get what you want, when you want it, and without the compromises that come from other enclosure sources. a. PEI Standards 12

13 Many of PEI's design and technical standards come into play after the customer has approved the assembly drawing and we are developing the panel details. As such, it is not necessary for our customers to deal with those standards when developing their basic enclosure design. However, there are some issues that our customers need to address so as to save time and eliminate costly features or attributes. In particular, we recommend that our customers adhere (or try to adhere) to some basic PEI guidelines. PEI Standards and Specifications Guidelines Keep the edges of holes and cut features a minimum of.200/(5mm) away from a bend joint. Closer placement is possible, but is more difficult to control deformation and should be avoided whenever possible. Dimension from only one surface of a plastic wall...either the inside surface or the outside...but not from both. Specify screws no smaller than #4 self-tapping or 4-40 machine thread. Smaller screws and threaded inserts are very difficult to handle and seldom provide a better alternative to a larger size. Use threaded inserts for applications where the screw will be removed repeatedly. Use self-tapping screws for fastening items that are never or seldom removed, such as a PCB or small LCD display. Keep curves, arcs, and rounds to a minimum. These are costly features and should be used effectively. Extensive use of these features can increase the cost of an enclosure by 10 to 30 percent! Use clear panels or windows judiciously. Clear plastic is more prone to scratching and can render an enclosure useless when marred or damaged. Do not specify a material thickness that is either too thick or too thin for the application. Most enclosures have an ideal thickness and using something that is not ideal will ultimately drive up the cost. Select the plastic material type, color, texture, and thickness as recommended on our "Material Specification" sheets. During initial design, allow for flexibility in connector hole and/or PCB board placement. Standoffs come in specific lengths and being able to adjust your height specifications can reduce assembly costs. Do not specify that the enclosure pass a drop test that the internal electronics will not! If the unit is dropped and the electronics will fail, then over engineering the enclosure will only add cost without a payback. For 90 degree bends, the outside radius will be equal to the material thickness; i.e " thick material will have outside radius when bent to 90 degrees. Because many standards and specifications are complex and difficult to summarize, we offer downloadable documents listed elsewhere on this web page. b. Types & Styles When discussing enclosures for electronic devices, the terms 'type' and 'style' have two distinct yet related meanings. 'Type' refers to where and how the device will be used while 'style' refers to the ergonomics and visual or 'look and feel' aspect of the unit. Enclosure Types For the most part, an enclosure type is determined by the environment in which it operates. By understanding the environment, our engineers can better suggest not only the type of unit you will need, but also the materials, fastening system, and general construction of the enclosure. 13

14 Examples of enclosure types include: Pocket Handheld Portable Mobile Desk Top Wall Mount Hazardous Dusty Oily Submerged High Temperature Vibration Electrical Shock Floor Mount Enclosure Style Enclosure style refers to the appearance, the ergonomics, and the specific construction of the enclosure. That is to say, style refers to how the enclosure will interface with the operator or other individuals including those involved with assembly and service of the device. As with enclosure type, PEI can assist in your selection of style by fully understanding how the enclosure will be assembled, operated, and serviced. In particular, by knowing the assembly method, we can make style recommendations that may reduce the time it takes to assemble the device in the factory or to service the instrument out in the field. Examples of enclosure styles include: U-channel Removable Single Panel Front Sloped Removable Double Panel Body Wrap Seven Sided Front Sloped Curved Front Flat Panel Display Bezels Finally, any decision on 'type' and 'style' must take into consideration the functionality and ergonomics of how the electronic device will be used or operated. Handheld devices should fit the hand; desktop units should be operational while the user is sitting or standing at a desk or counter; portable devices should be mobile and manageable by the operator...you get the picture. With our years of experience in developing enclosures for an extensive customer base, we have learned what works and what doesn't. Once we fully understand your expectation and your customers' needs, we can offer the best advise possible in determining the type and style of enclosure to consider. c. Bends & Curves When most people think of fabricated enclosures, they think of square, sharp cornered, boxie cubes. However, over the years, we at PEI have continuously pushed our design capabilities such that today we can offer enclosures with very attractive curves and contoured surfaces. Among the more popular features in this area are: 14

15 Front Panel Arcs Rounded Front Bullet Nose 3 Corner, Single-round 2 Corner, Double-round Full Wrap, Quad-round Technique In order to minimize the deformation of the plastic during the forming of a curved or rounded surface, we minimize the amount of heat, which can cause texture degradation or panel shrinkage. As such, our method for developing curves involves special surface machining and cold-rolling of the plastic panels which allows for a smooth, continuous, and uniform flowing of an arc throughout a bend radius. As a visual aid for those engineers attempting to develop an enclosure design specifically for our process, we suggest you envision how a piece of paper would be manipulated to form curves and non-flat surfaces. Just as you can bend paper along a single axis, you can also bend plastic sheets along an axis. Furthermore, depending on the complexity of the joint and the angles of attack, you can have two curved surfaces meet in such a manner as to form a very complex shape. In this manner, your enclosure can have curved shapes from multiple angles thus giving a very dynamic overall appearance. Finally, on this subject, as with all complex features, we recommend you use them judiciously. While curved surfaces and rounded corners can add sex appeal to the look of your enclosure, such features add cost and should be used to accent and enhance the products marketability. d. Openings & Cutouts There are few enclosure applications that are totally self-contained whereby there are no openings or cutouts in at least one exterior surface. As such, our process is not only capable of handling a wide array of such features, we can do so with a degree of accuracy and tolerance that is difficult to match by injection molding, thermoforming, or sheet metal fabrication. Because our process does not involve the restrictive lateral movement of a molding press, we can incorporate very complex holes and patterns without incurring excessive costs. Through the advancement of our technology, we have developed equipment and methods that allows us to affordably machine both sides of the plastic such that components not only fit securely, they will have a greater aesthetic appeal due to our ability to custom fit such items to the finished product. Among the more standard cutouts we encounter are for such items as connectors, buttons, switches, magnetic card readers, LCDs, LEDs, membrane switches, overlay panels, and virtually every type of component imaginable. Additionally, we have extensive experience with incorporating virtually any type of hardware needed for an electronic enclosure including hinges, latches, slides, knobs, handles, feet, bumpers, windows, doors, etc. Finally, our process is capable of handling custom or unique cutout shapes including such features as recess pockets, special speaker hole patterns, designer vents, flush mounted windows, engraved logos, and raised text to name just a few. As always, we suggest to anyone looking for a special feature or function to let us know what it is you want to accomplish and we will do everything possible to see to it that your needs are met. e. Panels & Joints 15

16 The PEI process for manufacturing enclosures involves cutting flat sheets of plastic into panels that are bent and assembled into a fabricated assembly. As such, how the panels are designed to fit together is a key factor in the success of the enclosure. Panel joints that have gaps or misalignments can be a major detractor to an otherwise functional enclosure. Furthermore, poorly fitting joints have less strength than those that are made to within established tolerances. To improve the mechanical strength of the joints and to eliminate problems associated with misalignment, all of our joints are developed using a tongue and groove interlock. Because the plastic panels have a wall thickness, we are able to cut slots or grooves into one panel while machining a step into the mating panel. Then, during the bonding process the mating materials are melted and re-fused as a continuous plasticized weldment. For glued joints the process is the same but the welding medium is the epoxy chemicals instead of the polyolifins. At PEI, we have developed machining, bending, and assembly techniques that ensure that the fit of all joints is never compromised. With our specialized cutting equipment and tools, we have developed methods and specifications that allow us to mate surfaces within.003" of each other. Furthermore, through controlled research and development projects we have established manufacturing specifications that reduce the introduction of human error and increase the tolerance window such that process variations have a minimum or no effect on part quality. If you are in the process of designing an enclosure that PEI will be building, you do not need to be concerned with the construction of the panels or joints. That is what PEI will be doing after the assembly drawings have been approved. What you should be considering at the early design stage is the general shape of the enclosure and the location of components, PCBs, displays, panels, etc. Once we are brought into the project, we will work with you in defining which panels are bent, which ones are bonded and which ones are fastened with screws, inserts, and other types of hardware. If you have any questions about how you should be constructing your enclosure, please do not hesitate to call our technical group for guidance and direction. As a customer of PEI, you will always be entitled to early-stage technical assistance at no charge. f. Recesses & Pockets For most enclosure applications, plastics has a distinct advantage over sheet metal in a number of basic areas; with one of those being the ability to incorporate pockets or recesses into the material sidewall. Yes, with a punch and die operation you can offset sheet metal surfaces to include pocketed areas, however, this means investing in a tool (punch and die set) for every different size recess. Additionally, you may also find yourself living with dimensional variations that could be functionally unacceptable and visually unattractive. With a plastic enclosure, you can include recesses and pockets to handle functional details such as labels, overlays, or membrane switches. Additionally, the shape of the recess can be infinitely modified to add aesthetic features such as decorative lines or logo engravings. Furthermore, text or international emblems can be etched directly into the plastic providing a permanent 3D marking. As with cutouts and openings, the primary design criteria that must be taken into consideration when designing for a recess pocket is the sharpness of the corner along the X,Y axis. With that in mind, the smallest diameter cutting tool that we can use to economically cut plastic material is.039"/1mm. This means that for applications where the recess or pocket requires extremely square inside corners, the sharpest we can cut the corners is.019"/.5mm. From a practical perspective, our experience has been that very few customers design their labels, overlays, or membrane switches to such a tight tolerance that they must have perfectly sharp corners. Furthermore, even fewer assemblers have the ability to place a self-adhesive label or similar item inside of a pocket when 16

17 corners are perfectly square and tolerances are tighter than what PEI can provide. The bottom line being that if you are designing an enclosure that requires perfectly square inside corners, then you may be looking at higher costs, greater reject rates, and longer lead-times from PEI as well as your other component suppliers. Beyond the location and squareness (X,Y dimension) of the pocket, the other measurement that must be addressed is the depth or Z dimension. For PEI, many of the features we cut into the plastic panels rely on our CNC machines to accurately control the depth, which we can do to within a few thousandths of an inch. This allows us to locate components, PCBs, connectors, and other items precisely where they are needed. As an example, the location of standoffs used for fastening PCBs can be accurately located in order to align them with a side wall opening or other component. This is crucial when locating board-mounted components that must protrude through an outside wall. VI. Design Process The foundation of the PEI process is anchored in our ability to design manufacturable enclosures without the use of hard tooling. This 'No Tooling' approach not only reduces the cost for low volume production, it also allows us to deliver design drawings, prototype parts, and production run quantities in a matter of days or weeks as opposed to months. To accomplish this, we rely heavily on our engineering team and the Pro/Engineer CAD/CAM tools they employ to quickly develop complex and aesthetically appealing enclosures. Because of our 'No Tooling' process, every project regardless of size or simplicity must go through the design process (CAD) in order to create the manufacturing (CAM) files used to produce the parts. We refer to these CAM files as our 'Soft Tooling', in the same manner that a molding company refers to their molds as 'hard tooling.' The engineering process for a new product involves four distinct activities or stages: Quotation and Pre-design While this stage takes place before an actual PO or Work Order is initiated, the basis for all following engineering activity will result from how the product is conceptualized during this stage of development. Typically, customer supplied drawings and sketches are received at this time and all features and functions are defined in order to calculate an accurate cost of the project. Design Development During this stage, the details of product including finite dimensions, components, materials, etc. are defined. At the completion of this stage, an Assembly Drawing is presented to the customer for their approval. CAM Development After the PEI design is approved; our engineer develops the manufacturing files and CNC machine tool paths that will be used to produce the product. This stage is actually an extension of the Design Development stage and typically marks the half-way point of the product designing process. Prototype Development This is the final stage of the engineering process where our engineering department begins working with our manufacturing department to produce the final product. During this stage, both the product and the manufacturing process are reviewed and needed adjustments are initiated. These four stages are further explained under the topic headings Quote Phase, Design Phase, and Prototype Phase. 17

18 a. Quote Phase The Quotation Phase is when we conduct the pre-design and feasibility review such that a design concept can be presented along with budgeting cost numbers. During this phase, many of the issues involving form, fit, and function are discussed between PEI and the customer so that we both fully understand the requirements of the their product and capabilities of our process. What is important here is to have a twoway line of communication so that the end product is not over-engineered creating excessive cost or underengineered leaving the customer disappointed. It should be stated here that while we attempt to fully understand the project requirements and include those features that the customer needs and wants, this is still at the very early stage of the project and, as such, the opportunity for changes, additions, or deletions later in the project is present. For that reason, as the project moves from the conceptual design stage to the finite engineering stage we will continuously monitor the situation and if we detect a change that will affect pricing, we will notify the customer immediately. For more information on the PEI Quotation Process, please refer to the web page for that information. b. Design Phase There are three engineering stages that a new project goes through before moving onto manufacturing. Each of these stages covers a specific phase of the development of the enclosure as it evolves from a design concept to individual components and finally to the point where the data can be sent to production for CNC cutting and assembly. Assembly Design - Drawing Approval The Assembly Design stage involves creating the model from which detail panels and tool paths will be developed. The goal at this stage is to replicate what the customer wants as a finished product and to present to them a drawing or CAD file for their review and approval. Until that approval is received in writing, the project cannot continue to the next stage. Detail Design - Flat Panel Development At the Detail Design stage, the customer's approved model is further developed into detail panels and components. With each of these individual parts mated together to form the enclosure assembly, we verify that all fits, clearances, and tolerances are within our manufacturing capabilities prior to cutting the first panel. By manipulating the CAD design to show how the individual parts will form the final assembly, we eliminate the cost associated with producing a series of prototype parts. As a point of reference, it is not uncommon to find that this stage takes longer than creating the initial design model. However, when done correctly, this added engineering time is more than offset by the machine time, labor, and materials saved in manufacturing. CAM Development - Toolpaths and Prototyping Finally, the last stage in our Design and Engineering process is when we develop the tool paths that our CNC machines will use to cut the panels. During this stage there may be some final design tweaking to accommodate the manufacturing process. This stage is completed when the engineer posts the job to our server from which the production floor can access the files and run the prototype part. c. Prototype Phase While the actual manufacturing of the prototype part is done by the production department, the responsibility for part quality, design conformity, and overall part functionality continues to rest with the engineer who designed the part. As such, we view the prototype build as an extension of the whole design process and, while we try to keep it to a minimum, we will sometimes cut and build the prototype part a number of times before presenting the final version to the customer for approval. 18

19 With the goal of presenting a prototype part that meets the customer's expectations, each panel and detail is measured for compliance with drawing specifications. Any out of tolerance measurements or visual variations are marked on the prototype drawings and presented along with the part to the engineer for his analysis and, when necessary, program revision. It should be noted that any such revisions are solely those involving the manufacturing of the part and do not affect the enclosure as previously presented in the assembly drawing to the customer. One of the key goals for this final stage of design development is ensuring the customer's needs for form, fit, and function are achieved while meeting our internal need for manufacturability. Panels, components, and hardware are not only checked for specification compliance but also for their contribution to the overall look and feel of the final product. Many times, specifications are developed without empirical data to justify their need, cost, or efficacy. As such, we have found that once the customer reviews the prototype part with our engineers, tweaking of the design, process, and/or specifications is required. Ultimately, the end result is a high-quality enclosure that meets the visual and physical goals of our customers. d. Revisions One of the many attractive aspects of the PEI process is our ability to quickly handle product changes with a minimum amount of time and cost. Because of our 'No Tooling' capabilities, we can handle changes that may not be possible with other processes or might be too time consuming or costly for the customer to accept. By using the power of CAD/CAM technology, we are able to alter an enclosure's design, change the tool paths associated with those alterations, update the manufacturing process plan to match the changes, and produce a prototype or production quantity of parts within hours or days. As with all of PEI's engineering activities, we require that full documentation be produced by PEI and accepted by the customer for any and all changes. Because of the complexity involved with our products and the human error that can occur, we do not accept verbal instructions for product revisions. This does not mean that we expect the customer to make a full set of CAD drawings, rather, we prefer that they mark up existing drawings when possible and send them to us for review. Once we understand the changes and how we can implement them, we will update the CAD files and submit those updates to the customer for final (written) approval. Once final approval has been received by PEI, the engineer assigned will revise the CAM files and documents and release the job for a new prototype part to be built. As with a product's initial design, we prefer to make a prototype part and have the customer approve it before making production quantities. Our experience is that even the simplest changes can lead to unexpected results and the only thing worse than having a part that does not work is having 100 of them. Finally, on the subject of implementing changes, there are some points regarding the implementation of revisions that should be kept in mind. To begin, while we would prefer some advance notice of the expected changes, we can and have been known to implement product modifications midstream in a production run. We have numerous examples where customers have asked us to make running changes for such things as relocating standoffs, enlarging a connector hole, or adding additional vent slots. If it can be done, we will do it and because it is one of the advantages of our process, we gladly accept changes as a part of our normal business activity. One thing we never want our customers to feel is intimidated or embarrassed to request a change to their part. However, not all change requests are equal, meaning that some changes are minor and can be implemented in under an hour while others may require a major change to the model and manufacturing tool paths, leading to a lengthier turnaround. The major difference between the two extremes is based on whether the change affects the geometry of the part. By that, we are referring to the dimensions of the plastic panels and any reference planes. As an example, we can easily increase the size or location of a cut feature such as a connector opening. To add a speaker opening or extend the length of vent slots is also a minor change that will usually take under an hour to implement. 19

20 On the other hand, increasing the height of the enclosure any amount may require a great deal more time. Because of the type of revision in this case, the amount of dimensional change is not the issue. Whether the height increases 0.010" or " it will take the engineer the same amount of time to complete. The reason is due to how our enclosures are constructed and how features and components are referenced. All panels and features are referenced from datum planes that intersect at an X, Y, and Z coordinate point. Once any of those associated planes are altered, all other planes and corresponding features have to be reassociated to the new datum. As such, the amount of time it takes to implement a simple height increase of 0.010" can take several hours or even days to complete. e. Deliverables During the design phase of a project, there are three primary deliverables that the customer will receive from PEI. Quotation Document The first is the estimate or quotation, which is submitted to the customer after the initial design has been reviewed and a cost evaluation has been completed. Our policy is to present all pricing and delivery data in written form so as to eliminate any chance of confusion or miscommunications. Due to the complexity of many of our projects, we may ultimately submit a number of quotations as the design project progresses and the enclosure evolves. Assembly Drawing The second deliverable is sent when our engineers complete the development of the assembly model. At that time, the customer will receive an.igs,.dxf,.jpg or.pdf file of the assembly via , along with an approval form to be completed and returned to PEI. If a customer does not have CAD capabilities or wishes to receive hard copy drawings of their assembly model, we will gladly fax 'A' size (8 1/2 x 11) drawings. For customers who require Mylar drawings, we can supply those in 'B', 'C', or 'D' sizes. Please note that hardcopy drawings submitted on Mylar or on large format paper (sizes, 'B', 'C', or 'D') and/or drawings sent via UPS, FedEx, or USPS may incur an additional fee to cover the cost for that service. For more information about PEI supplied drawings and files, please contact us. Prototype Part The third deliverable the customer will receive within a project's design phase is the prototype part. As with the submittal of the assembly drawing, the prototype part is accompanied by an approval form that must be signed and returned to PEI before production parts can be manufactured. If the enclosure requires changes, then some or all of another set of deliverables will be required. VII. Off the Shelf Design a. Program Overview OSD Program Overview PEI's "Off the Shelf Design" (OSD) program is the result of utilizing the latest CAD technology and design automation coupled with the years of experience gained from designing thousands of enclosures. By customizing our Pro/E CAD program specifically for our manufacturing process, we are able to modify specially designed 3D models with a minimum amount of design engineering activity. 20

21 How OSD Works Briefly, the program uses three types of data that have been custom programmed for our process: Flexible Geometric Designs Customized User Defined Features Proprietary Family Tables With these three sources of data, we are able to develop an entire enclosure project with virtually no design engineering activity. What this means is that by simply inputting dimensional data along with dropping and dragging features & components into the model we are able to send jobs to the production floor in a fraction of what a custom enclosure takes...sometimes within a matter of minutes! Furthermore, our OSD program is structured to handle specific types of standard and custom components and features such that time and cost involved are greatly reduced. Quotation Stage The first step in utilizing the OSD program is to submit an OSD Request for Quote (RFQ) form. Typically, the form can be completed in 2 to 5 minutes. You will be asked to supply the following information: The enclosure Style and Access Configuration based the PEI samples Overall dimensions of the enclosure (length, width, height) Cutouts for corresponding components and features PCB mounts, standoffs, fasteners, etc. Plastic Material requirements, if known...type, color, thickness, and texture Production quantities and required lead-times Ordering Stage To order OSD enclosures, the following steps need to take place: Submit a PO Establish credit with PEI, submit credit card information, or submit payment. Submit drawings, sketches, etc. that show design details not included with RFQ, such as specific components, final dimensions, etc. Design Stage This stage will typically take 1 day to complete, provided all the needed information is supplied at the time of PO submission. If additional information is required, then it may take slightly longer. As with our Custom Enclosures, a drawing will be presented to the customer by PEI for approval. Any delays in obtaining approval will affect the final delivery dates for prototypes and production parts. Prototypal Build Stage This stage will typically take 1 to 3 days to complete once the design has been approved. Prototype parts can be shipped for "next day" delivery or as specified by the customer. Production Build Stage This stage will typically take 3 to 5 day to complete once the prototype part has been approved. If silk screening, painting, shielding, or special order materials are involved, then lead-times will be adjusted, accordingly. 21

22 b. OSD Styles Currently, under our OSD program there are 4 basic styles of enclosures and 3 access configurations for each. The style refers to the basic shape of the enclosure while the access configuration deals with which panel(s) you want to remove for assembly and service of the interior electronics. c. OSD Materials Under the PEI Off the Shelf Design program, there are specific materials that can be used for enclosures. Enclosures made with materials that do not comply with the OSD program are considered to be custom and will be handled per our Special Order Material policy. The materials listed below are our standard stocked materials. At any given time, other materials may be available or due to recent orders by other customers, some of our stocked materials may be in limited supply. We strive to maintain an adequate stock of materials at all times, however, we can not guarantee that such stock will always be available. 22

23 d. OSD Components & Features Below are lists of those components and hardware that we use for OSD enclosures. As with our plastic sheet materials, we strive to stock an adequate supply of these items to meet normal business activities. However, we cannot guarantee that such stocks will always be available. Standoffs/Spacers/PCB Mounts For our OSD program, we only offer standoffs in the 4-40 screw size. If you require a size different than what we show below, then the part would have to be customized by our engineering staff. PEI P/N Length OD ID Metal Threaded Inserts - PEM IUB These threaded inserts are available for mounting into any surface on the enclosure. For applications requiring threaded inserts in standoffs, only the 2-56 and 4-40 are available in the OSD program. PEI P/N Screw Thread Drill Hole ID Insert Length 23