Are you in need of electronic enclosures? Many industries are — from rail to construction and manufacturing to marine equipment.
While these enclosures can be plastics or various kinds of steel, the die casting material of choice is often aluminum. Read on to find out why aluminum die castings are the popular choice for electronic enclosures.
What Do you Need in Electronic Enclosures?
There are three main purposes of an electronic enclosure.
First, you want something you can mount various controls and displays on. This will be how a user interfaces with what the equipment actually does.
Second, you’ll want to shield that user from the potentially dangerous contents of the equipment.
Third, those sensitive inner components need to be protected from the environment itself to prevent damage and wear.
Aluminum Properties ARE Advantageous for Electronic Enclosures
All of these requirements make aluminum a great choice for electronic enclosures.
- Aluminum has good electrical shielding properties that make it especially suitable for these housings.
- Aluminum is lightweight while remaining strong
- It has a good thermal swing resistance and corrosion resistance
- It dissipates heat effectively and has excellent thermal and electrical conductivity
- Aluminum alloys also have many finishing options
You’ll find aluminum die casting across many applications such as industrial control units and metering controls.
Going Deeper into the Properties
Going deeper, aluminum is one of the most economical die casting metals available — and the majority of die castings worldwide use it. Its properties make the material a big cost saver.
You can add fine details like hinges, fins, and gasket grooves right into the part.
And its excellent heat dissipating properties allow you to transfer heat from components within the enclosure to the outside — keeping the internal components safer.
Finishing Options for Aluminum Alloys
When you’re die casting with aluminum, the five major finishing options you have are polishing, epoxy, plating, powder coat, and paint.
If you want to boost your protection from environmental corrosion? Try painting, anodizing, chromating, or iridite coating. And for improved wear resistance, use hard anodizing.
How to Get Started with Die Casting your Aluminum Electronic Enclosure
Work with a die caster that will help you from conception to production. Simalex’s die casting experts can speak directly to your engineers to understand exactly what you need and recommend solutions.
We’re trusted by companies all over the world to produce electronic enclosures — among a huge number of other parts in many industries.
If you’d like to get started with us, get in touch and let’s talk about how we can produce your very own die cast parts — whatever your need.
