The use of CNC aluminum cabinets eliminates the limitations and restrictions associated with using standard aluminum “finished cabinets.” Custom machined housings offer great opportunities to customize the shape, size, holes, slots, mounting points and appearance. In short, they can be tailored specifically to the exact application requirements. These cases offer endless design possibilities without compromising the durability of the device as a whole.
CNC Machined Aluminum Housing Products
Aluminum cases offer perfect protection due to their stability and longevity as a material. They have excellent mechanical properties, such as corrosion resistance and excellent machinability. Furthermore, they are lightweight and can be further processed for hardening and coating. These properties make them perfect for many industrial applications; The following are the most typical applications of CNC aluminum cabinets:
Medical equipment
Medical devices must meet high standards in terms of reliability. One of the requirements is that these devices have sophisticated, high-quality enclosures. Medical device enclosures are typically made from machined aluminum blocks. This is because aluminum alloys have very high corrosion resistance and a high strength-to-weight ratio. The aluminum alloys most used for these cases are 6061, 6063 and 3003.
Custom aluminum casings play an essential role in protecting medical devices from damage caused by external influences, which is why they must be robust and durable. They are often used as housings for ventilators, imaging devices, heart monitors, and other sensitive instruments. In addition to casings, they also come in the form of carrying cases for portable medical devices.
Consumer electronics
Many electronics companies like to use machined aluminum enclosures because they are easy to design and customize to match the aesthetics of consumer electronics products while also providing reliable protection and a fail-safe enclosure.
There is a wide range of applications for aluminum enclosures in the consumer electronics sector. CNC aluminum cases can be used in the form of covers for cell phones, tablets and laptops. Other uses can be found in various portable devices such as small remote controls, power bank cases, and more.
Housing for industrial plants
The level of protection of industrial facilities is very demanding. Enclosures must function properly even in unconventional environments with high heat, harsh, corrosive and intense wear conditions. This is where aluminum boxes come in. Machined aluminum has greater durability, strength and rigidity compared to other types of enclosures, making it the perfect choice for industrial installations. Furthermore, they are perfect for precision applications where dimensional tolerances must be maintained precisely.
Some examples of machined aluminum enclosures include telecommunications enclosures, shielded control boxes, lift stations, control panels in high-risk environments, wastewater treatment applications, solar battery storage, and more. Additionally, aluminum enclosures are used for sensitive electrical assemblies due to their natural RFI/EMI shielding properties.
Machining and manufacturing process
Typically, preparation of any machined aluminum enclosure includes designing with CAD software, creating a CNC program, and selecting the perfect aluminum alloy to be machined. They can be customized to any extent as long as the design is still editable. After the project is ready, the next step is to prepare the CNC program. The materials are then selected. Typically they are made from blocks of raw aluminum. The choice of which aluminum alloy to use depends on the desired level of corrosion resistance, machinability and the secondary process to which it will be subjected.
After the preparation phase, the processing itself follows. The most sensible method for machining aluminum housings is CNC milling. During the milling process, several end mills are responsible for cutting profiles, grooves and pockets from the aluminum block. Additionally, drills and taps are responsible for making through and threaded holes. After the processing itself, depending on the manufacturer, these can be subjected to a manual or automatic deburring process, in which the part is smoothed and freed from protruding metal chips.
Finally, after the part has been machined and smoothed, secondary finishing processes are required to further protect or harden the coating. The choice of application and desired appearance has a great impact on the finish. Three common types of aluminum processing are described below: painting, powder coating and anodizing.
- Painting involves coating the surface of the box with liquid paint. They are available in different types of colors, such as acrylic, polyester, fluoropolymer and siliconized polyester. For this application there is an unlimited choice of colors to suit the desired aesthetic.
- Powder coating is similar to painting but uses “powder paint”. This type of paint consists of a pigment encapsulated in a powder resin, making it solvent-free. Powder coatings typically offer greater durability than liquid coatings.
- Anodizing is an electrochemical process in which the aluminum part is immersed in a container containing an acid-based electrolyte. During this process, a protective layer of aluminum oxide forms on the surface, giving aluminum parts a metallic shine and at the same time a vivid color. This process improves the durability, robustness, weather resistance and corrosion resistance of aluminum casings.
Advantages of machined aluminum cabinets
- adaptability- The main advantage of CNC aluminum cabinets is the freedom of customization, as they can be designed with any profile, shape and size.
- Precision and Accuracy - Machined aluminum housings are characterized by their ability to be used in tight tolerance applications such as aerospace and medical applications.
- Durable and Reliable - An advantage of machined aluminum cabinets is that they do not expand or bend. These aluminum cases have a high overall robustness due to their high tensile strength and are therefore rigid enough to withstand strong impacts.
- Excellent corrosion resistance - Secondary processes for aluminum casings give the material itself high corrosion resistance. They are protected against aggressive influences such as chemical irritants and other corrosive materials.
- Natural RFI Protection The reason aluminum enclosures are primarily used in electronics is because aluminum naturally blocks the penetration of radio waves, thus being able to protect the most sensitive devices.
