CNC Machined Aluminum Enclosures
Billet and extruded housings machined to ±0.02 mm, sealed, anodized and laser-marked — one supplier for the part your electronics actually lives in.
Machined by our CNC machining service: 3/4/5-axis milling to ±0.02 mm; machine list, materials and finishing options are all there.
From Billet to Finished Housing
Enclosures fail in the details: a pocket that is 0.1 mm too deep, a gasket groove with a tool mark across it, an anodized thread that no longer takes a screw. We machine the whole part — body, lid, pocket, thread and sealing face — in one shop so tolerances stack against each other predictably instead of against two suppliers' interpretations.
- 3-axis and 4-axis milling, turning, drilling and tapping under one roof
- Billet 6061-T6 and 6082-T6, or extruded profile cut and machined to length
- General tolerance ±0.05 mm, critical features to ±0.02 mm, surface finish Ra 1.6 µm standard
- Prototype quantities from 1 piece; production runs into the thousands per month
- Anodizing (clear, black, colour), powder coating, laser marking and silk-screen in the same supply chain
| Specification | Capability |
|---|---|
| Max part size (milling) | 800 × 500 × 400 mm, larger on request |
| Tolerance | ±0.02 mm on critical features, ±0.05 mm general |
| Wall thickness | 0.8 mm minimum on machined walls; 1.5 mm recommended for load-bearing sides |
| Threads | M2 – M20, metric and UNC/UNF, with thread depth verified by gauge |
| Surface finish | Ra 0.8–3.2 µm as machined; bead blast, brushed or polished before coating |
| Sealing | O-ring grooves, gasket channels and IP54–IP67 assemblies with pressure-tested samples |
Finishes and What They Cost You in Tolerance
Every coating adds thickness, and on a sealing face or a thread that matters. We plan the finish into the drawing from the start: masked threads, masked sealing faces, and a coating thickness called out in microns rather than 'black anodized'.
| Finish | Thickness | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Clear anodizing | 8–12 µm | Standard protection, keeps the machined look; colour shifts slightly with alloy |
| Black / colour anodizing | 10–15 µm | Type II dye; for Type III hard anodize expect 25–50 µm and plan the tolerance accordingly |
| Powder coating | 60–100 µm | Widest colour range; requires masking on all mating and sealing surfaces |
| Bead blasting | — | Uniform matte before anodizing; hides tool marks on visible faces |
| Laser marking | — | Serial numbers, logos and connector labels, applied after finishing |
If the enclosure carries an IP rating, order one finished and assembled sample for your own ingress test before the production run. O-ring compression depends on groove depth plus coating thickness, and that is the pair that fails first.
Five DFM Changes That Cut Unit Cost
- One setup where possible. Pockets open to the same face machine in a single operation; a feature on the back adds a second setup and a re-fixture error.
- Corner radii ≥ tool radius. A 3 mm internal corner needs a 6 mm cutter — specify radii from the tool you can actually buy, not from a 1 mm sketch corner.
- Depth-to-width under 4:1. Deeper pockets force smaller cutters, slower feeds and more tool breakage, which is where the price jumps.
- Threads as inserts or through-holes. Blind M3 threads in 2 mm walls are a rejection source; a through-hole with a nut or a PEM insert is cheaper and stronger.
- Tolerance only where it is used. Marking the whole drawing ±0.02 mm triples the inspection time. Give general tolerance plus the two or three features that matter.
Send a STEP file and we return a marked-up drawing with these points noted, before quoting. It takes us an hour and usually removes a revision cycle.
Beyond the Housing
Many customers want the box to arrive with the hardware in it. We can machine the housing, anodize it, laser-mark the connectors, fit the gasket and screws, and pack sets so your line only has to drop in the PCB.
- Gasket and O-ring sourcing to your specification, with material certificates
- Insert installation (heat-set or press-fit) and hardware kitting
- Sub-assembly and 100% functional check on sealing faces
- Retail-ready packaging with barcodes and carton labels
We do not populate PCBs. If your assembly needs electronics work, we coordinate with your contract manufacturer and ship the machined housings to them directly.
Questions Buyers Ask Us
Can you machine an enclosure from an extruded profile instead of billet?
What tolerance can you actually hold on a deep pocket?
Do you provide first-article inspection reports?
Can you match an existing enclosure we already buy?
What is the lead time for a first prototype?
Related Capabilities
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Round covers and domes to pair with your machined enclosure.
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