OKW Enclosures Inc’s president, Sean Bailey, guides buyers through the process of purchasing instrument enclosures, from footprint and finish to accessories and options.

Technology has decluttered the physical desktop. All those documents, files, folders, desk diaries, blotters, calendars and Newton’s cradles are long gone. Absent too are paper-related accessories such as staplers and hole punches, all consigned to the wastebin.

So why do desks and tabletops still feel overcrowded? Keyboards, mice and banks of screens are the obvious culprits, encroaching on precious desktop real estate. One solution is to build storage upwards not outwards, which is why tower-style instrument enclosures are becoming increasingly popular.

Metcase’s elegant new Technomet TX exemplifies the concept. It offers even more space than the original Technomet desktop instrument enclosures on which it is based. At 8.66 by 11.81 by 13.77 in, the biggest of the two new standard TX sizes offers 38 per cent more space than the previously largest Technomet (13.78 by 12.60 by 5.91 in). Yet the TX’s footprint is just 59 per cent that of its progenitor. All because the TX has gone up in the world: it’s at least twice the height of what was originally the tallest standard Technomet.

Enclosures such as these are finding favor across a broad spectrum of applications including medical/wellness, test/measurement, industrial control, peripheral devices/interfaces, switchboxes, communications and laboratory equipment.

However, tower enclosures are not the only answer: the choice is wide. Desktop instrument housings may need to be portable, or with a sloping front for easier viewing and operation. Perhaps a 19 in desktop mini-rack for standard subracks and chassis would better suit 84HP electronics. Maybe a 10.5 in (42HP) enclosure for compact instrumentation.

It helps if desktop enclosures can be specified with an adjustable viewing angle (especially if they don’t have a sloping front). That canting can be provided by tilt feet, rather like those on a computer keyboard. However, this method usually offers only two settings: tilted or flat. Better still is an indexable tilt/swivel carry handle that can double as a desk stand and be adjusted in 30° increments.

There are other considerations too. How will circuit boards be mounted? Will they sit on pillars fixed to the base? Could the PCBs slide into guide rails for easy installation and removal? Does the preferred enclosure offer both options? Are there threaded earthing pillars on every panel as standard or are they specified as a custom feature? Is there a generous recess at the front to protect a display and controls? Plus, a recess at the rear to safeguard connectors and interfaces? Are non-slip feet included as standard?

Then comes the crucial question of aesthetics. The enclosure must underline the quality of the electronics inside. Cutting-edge technology merits a premium enclosure; anything less undersells it. This is why Metcase designs and manufactures Technomet aluminium enclosures to finer tolerances, similar to those found in molded plastic housings. Diecast bezels at front and rear fit flush with the main case body. There are no visible fixing screws: they are concealed beneath snap-on trims. This modern, cohesive design is the hallmark of all the models in the Technomet family, giving them a shared design language so they all match when used together in proximity.

Good desktop enclosures must also be easy to customize, keeping modification costs to a sensible price point. OKW Enclosures Inc’s president, Sean Bailey, said: “This is particularly important for instrument enclosures because they tend to be specified for highly specialist devices that are ordered in small quantities.”

Can the enclosure be specified in custom sizes? In all three dimensions? How low is the minimum order number? Are custom colors and other finishes available? Is there a premium for customer-specified colors, or is there no extra charge if that shade is always in stock?

Standard enclosures should be supplied fully assembled. Fully customized housings should be delivered ‘PCB ready’, able to go straight from goods-in to the production line for installation of the electronics. It is important to partner with an enclosures specialist that can provide all the customization services in-house: bespoke sizes, custom front panels, CNC machining, fixings/inserts, painting/finishing and photo-quality digital printing of legends, logos and graphics. This ensures quality and accountability from start to finish. It also saves time and money—and the environment because the enclosures don’t have to be shipped between multiple suppliers.

www.metcaseusa.com