Electronics enclosure design, from the hottest component outwards
Enclosures, heat sinks, chassis and brackets designed around the heat path and the drops and vibration your product sees, then drawn for machining, sheet metal or moulding before the board layout is frozen.
Electronic products keep getting denser. More power is packed onto smaller boards, enclosures are sealed against dust and water, and fans are asked to work against filters and tightly packed cards. A vent used to be enough. Now the heat needs a planned path from the component, through the board and chassis, to the outside air, and the mechanical design sets that path as much as the electronics do.
More about electronics and high tech
The specification is where the two disciplines meet. Power per board, ambient range, ingress rating, size and the enclosure’s production route are agreed first, because a machined aluminium case and a moulded plastic housing carry heat in very different ways. During detail design, conjugate heat transfer models conduction through components, board copper, interface materials and the chassis together with the air or liquid that carries the heat away. Structural studies show how boards and housings respond to drops and transport vibration, and electromagnetic simulation covers the losses in inductors and transformers that end up as heat.
Revised enclosures and heat sinks come back as production-ready CAD and drawings for your sheet metal, machining or moulding supplier. A machined or printed thermal prototype can then be built and run at full power before volume parts are ordered.
Typical products: power supplies, telecoms and networking hardware, industrial controllers, embedded computers, sensors, LED drivers, chargers and handheld devices.
Electronics problems we help with
Which components run hottest, and by how much?
Temperatures for every significant heat source at worst-case ambient and load, ranked against each part’s rated limit.
Will a sealed enclosure cope without a fan?
Whether conduction to the walls, natural convection and radiation from the outer surface can carry the load in an IP-rated box, or whether fins or forced air are needed.
Is the fan moving air where it is needed?
Flow shared between cards, air bypassing heat sinks, and the fan operating point with filters and grilles in place.
Can the chassis be made as folded sheet metal?
A machined or welded chassis reworked into folded and riveted sheet metal parts, with bend radii, relief cuts and fixings chosen for the fabricator and stiffness compared against the original.
Will the device survive drops and vibration?
Housing stresses, board flexure and the loads at heavy components and connectors during drops, shock and vibration from transport or installation.
Stages and studies most used in electronics
Specification
Power, ambient range, ingress rating, size, cost and production volume agreed up front, together with what the enclosure supplier needs to make it.
Electronics thermal management
Component, board and system-level thermal studies, with conjugate heat transfer through solids and air.
Heat sink simulation
Fin geometry, base thickness, material and fan options compared inside the actual enclosure.
Drop test and impact simulation
Handheld and portable devices dropped onto hard surfaces at the orientations you specify.
Electromagnetic simulation
Magnetic fields, forces and losses in inductors, transformers, solenoids and sensors, with the losses passed into the thermal model.
Engineering Pack
Drawings for machined, sheet metal and moulded parts, with the flatness and finish of thermal interface faces called up where they affect heat flow.
Production
Short runs and volume by CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, injection moulding or 3D printing, and we stay involved when changes are needed after the product ships.
Before you start
What to send us
- CAD of the enclosure, boards and heat sinks (STEP or native)
- Power per component, at typical and worst-case load
- Board stack-up or copper coverage, if board conduction matters
- Fan models or curves, filters and vent details
- Ambient range, altitude and mounting orientation
- Production volume and the enclosure process you prefer
What level of detail do you need on the boards?
For system studies, the main heat sources and an estimate of copper coverage are usually enough. Hot spot work on a single board needs the layer stack-up and copper layout, which make a real difference to the answer.
Can you model liquid-cooled electronics?
Yes. Coolant flow through cold plates is solved together with conduction through the plate and components, giving temperatures and coolant pressure drop in the same study.
Can you design the enclosure once the electronics are done?
Yes. With the board outlines, connector positions and power figures, the enclosure, mounts and heat sinks can be designed around them as a single stage of work.
Do you supply finished enclosures?
Yes. Enclosures and heat sinks can be produced by CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, injection moulding or 3D printing, from a short run to volume.
Send us the enclosure and its heat load
