Custom Device Housing Manufacturer | Complete Guide

Custom Device Housing: How Functional Products Move From Design to Production

Device housing does more than merely cover a product. It safeguards valuable parts, gives the product its shape, allows it to be used on a daily basis, and even incorporates practical features into the design.

In the case of manufacturers of tablets, electronics, accessories, and other digital products, custom device housing offers a means of developing a framework around precise product specifications. During development, size, materials, protection, branding, assembly, and usability can all be taken into consideration.

The trick here is to get all these details to cooperate without complicating production. It is there that appropriate engineering, tooling, and manufacturing experience comes in.

What is a Custom Device Housing?

Custom device housings are shells that are protective or structural, specifically designed to fit a specific electronic product or component. They can be designed to specific sizes and practical needs, unlike conventional enclosures.

Housing can require holes to be charged, to have cameras, speakers, buttons, displays, or connectors. It can also need mounting points, ribs, hinges, magnets, clips, stands, or hand straps.

The typical manufacturing materials are ABS, polycarbonate, TPU, silicone, PP, nylon, acrylic, and other engineering plastics. The choice of materials is based on the desired strength, flexibility, weight, appearance, and protection.

Injection molding is a good production technique for many products due to its ability to replicate fine geometry when the tooling has been developed and proven.

Selecting Materials to the Right Feel and Function

Strength is not the only factor that is affected by material choice. It also influences surface feel, flexibility, weight, appearance, molding behavior, and cost.

• Polycarbonate, or PC, is commonly used in applications requiring rigidity and impact resistance. ABS offers a beneficial trade-off between hardness, workability, and looks. TPU is more flexible and cushioning, whereas silicone is softer and more flexible for protection.
• Another use of combining various materials is a custom device housing manufacturer who may need to use multiple materials when a single polymer does not offer all the characteristics desired.
• As an example, a stiff outer layer can give it shape retention, whereas a softer TPU part can cushion corners or enhance grip. Transparent materials can also be used where the product design calls for visible internal or decorative elements.

Designing Characteristics to Render a Housing Useful

A well-designed housing does not just adhere to the outline of a device. It may be integrated into the working of the product.

• Ribs may provide structural rigidity without the need for very thick walls. Mounting points for screws can be created by bosses. Snap-fits can make the assembly easier. Well-planned openings may give access to ports and controls without compromising the surrounding structure.
• Protective products can also have raised edges, reinforced corners, folding parts, stands, magnetic closures, or hand straps.

A good example of such a strategy is the Junchi Origami iPad Case with Hand Strap. It is designed to offer both protection for the tablet and a hand strap, as well as the ability to fold, demonstrating how a protective device can incorporate functionality to handle the device in a convenient way into its physical design.

CAD Data to Mold Tooling

After the housing design has been checked, the next significant phase of injection molded products is tooling.

• A typical injection mold is made up of a cavity and core. As the mold is closed, these areas form the cavity that forms the plastic component. Gates, ejector pins, cooling channels, and other features are also needed in the tooling.
• The design of the mold must consider plastic flow, cooling, shrinkage, ejection, and surface requirements.
• Junchi explains a combined production process that involves structural design, mold development, plastic mold production, injection molding, sampling, and mass production. It also has manufacturing capacity in CNC machining and other processes that are related to tools.
• In the case of electronic device housing projects, this combined methodology can be used to bridge the gap between design choices and real manufacturing needs.

Injection Molding Needs Controlled Conditions

In the process of injection molding, plastic pellets are melted and then forced into the mold under a controlled pressure. The material is then allowed to cool and solidify, and the part is ejected.

• The finished component depends on various variables such as injection pressure, melt temperature, mold temperature, cooling time, material viscosity, and part geometry.
• Uncontrolled conditions may lead to defects like flash, sink marks, short shots, weld lines, burn marks, and warpage.
• Repeatability is particularly significant to an electronic housing supplier since the housing might have to interface with a number of other components. A slight dimensional variation can have an impact on assembly or product operation.

A Real-Life Perspective of the Origami IPad Case

The Origami iPad Case with Hand Strap demonstrates why the design of protective housing can frequently have to juggle multiple needs simultaneously.

The product is designed for the iPad and includes a hand strap together with the folding design. It implies that the structure must facilitate protection, as well as enable the user to hold and position the tablet in a convenient manner.

These features bring extra design considerations to a manufacturer. The hand strap must have appropriate points of attachment. Folding areas require directional movement. The case should not be too thick, as to prevent the insertion and removal of the tablet.

This is where the production of electronic housing is more than a mere moulding process. The housing must be able to accommodate the physical and functional needs of the entire product.

Choosing an Electronic Housing Manufacturing Partner

In the case of an electronic housing manufacturer, do not just consider the production capacity. The process of development is equally important. An efficient electronic housing provider must know about CAD review, DFM, material selection, tooling, sampling, injection molding, finishing, assembly, and inspection.

• A seasoned electronic housing factory must also be capable of managing the prototype to repeat production without losing control of dimensions or surface quality.
• Junchi offers a unified OEM and ODM manufacturing process that includes product design, mold development, production, assembly, customization, quality control, and packaging.
• Such a manufacturing model may be especially helpful for brands that require a product to be created based on an initial concept instead of just buying an existing standard housing.

Conclusion

Housing can influence the way a product performs, feels, and lives through daily use. Junchi unites product development, mold engineering, injection molding, customization, assembly, and quality control of OEM and ODM projects for brands planning custom device housing. Send your product drawings, reference samples, material needs, or original idea to Junchi and move on to production.