     |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
ENGINEERING CAPABILITIES - Overview PEI employs a crew of experienced design/mechanical engineers who develop new or modify existing designs of enclosures. Furthermore, due to the uniqueness of our process, our engineering team can work with our customers' engineers during their preliminary design stage, thereby eliminating future problems, reducing lead-times, and improving overall product quality. As for the flexibility of our systems and procedures, our goal is to accommodate our customers' needs and requirements whenever possible. As a supplier of custom products, we try to keep our list of requirements to a minimum. As an example, we do not require our customers to convert their drawings or files from metric to standard inch. While our standard is to supply drawings or files in inches, we will also provide such items in either straight metric or a combination inch/metric or metric/inch. In order to provide the widest variety of design capabilities for developing enclosure designs, we use the latest CAD/CAM technology available. Using one of the most sophisticated CAD packages available, our engineers draw upon our own library of design models for initially developing a 3D solids model. Then, through customization of the CAM software, along with the use of specially written automation programs, we further develop the detail designs and manufacturing files needed to CNC cut the enclosure panels. Finally, due to the short lead-times involved with our process, we have setup our engineering department in a cross-functional matrix configuration. In this structure, each project is assigned to an individual engineer who is our internal "project manager," responsible for the successful completion of the enclosure design. In that capacity, he will work with our scheduler to break the project into stages that can be assigned to other engineers, thereby moving it through at a much quicker rate. For more information on this structure, please see our information on CAD/CAM Capabilities. |
|
|
|
||
|
|
Deliverables are those files, documents, products, or other items that are delivered to the customer either before, during, or at the completion of an activity by PEI. These deliverables typically trigger a project to move to the next stage or signify the completion of a particular phase of a project. PEI supplies a variety of deliverables to its customers, with some being supplied as a mandatory step in our design process while others are supplied upon request or when the situation requires it. Below is a list of the most commonly supplied or requested deliverables. Please note that we will always try to accommodate requests for deliverables not listed here provided such a request does not involve proprietary or confidential information. Also, depending on the work involved with supplying the nonstandard deliverable, there may be an added charge associated with complying with the request. Standard Deliverables
If a deliverable
that you wish to receive from us is not listed here, please contact
Customer Service to inquire about our policy or ability to supply the
item. Chances are that if you normally receive such an item from other
enclosure suppliers, then we have probably supplied such an item to
our customers, even if it is not normally supplied. |
|
|
|
||
|
|
Concurrent
Design Customer
Supplied Files and Drawings The advantage of receiving .DXF or .IGS files is that we may be able to interrogate the data or maneuver the part to see various views that would offer a better understanding of what the finished product should look like. With flat drawings files or hard copies of them, we can only see what was originally included by the designer and if we have questions about dimensions or features the only way to get the answers is to speak with the person who developed the design. Please note that while we prefer to receive CAD files rather than part drawings, unless those files are native Pro/E we will eventually have to reenter the data in order to manipulate the design and develop the detail panels. Furthermore, even for those projects that the customer supplies Pro/E files, our engineers will have to modify the design to comply with our "No Tooling" process. Also, once the model is completed and approved, detail panels, manufacturing plans, and tool paths will need to be developed. These are processes that are beyond the basic part design and will always require development work by our engineers. PEI
Supplied Files and Drawings However, we do not send Pro/E native files. Within such files are those features, dimensions and other technical data that comprise some of the proprietary information related to our 'No Tooling' process. As such, we do not provide files or drawings that define the individual panels or the assembly construction. For more information on this, please contact our customer service department. |
|
|
|
||
|
|
The PEI manufacturing process uses both customized and standard 'off-the-shelf' fabrication equipment to cut, score, bend, paint, silk-screen, and assemble enclosures. Furthermore, for those pieces of equipment that are purchased as stock machinery, we usually perform some type of customization in order to bring it up to the level of capabilities that our process demands. As for the specifications of our manufacturing capabilities, we can cut sheets of plastic up to 48" x 96" in footprint size and up to .500" thick. Please note that these are general sizes and depending on the finished product and its application, these specifications may not be an issue. That is, we can perform some types of machining on materials thicker than .500" depending on the tools required and the composition of the material. As always, if you have any questions about your specific application you should contact our customer service department for additional information on this subject. Beyond CNC routing, we employ a number of specialized machines for cutting, sawing, drilling, and milling plastic materials. Each of these machines was developed to perform certain types of cuts either faster or more cost effectively than what can be done with CNC routers. Our bending capabilities involve the ability to make straight bends up to 40" wide. Furthermore, we can make arc and curves in a vast array of shapes and sizes, which is dependent on the material thickness, degrees of arc, and general construction of the enclosure. Unfortunately, it is not possible to provide exact specifications here due to the complexity involved with bends and curves. Again, we suggest you contact customer service for more information about your specific application. Regarding painting, shielding, and silk-screening, these are well-established processes used by manufacturers around the world. Our capabilities in these areas are comparable with what you will find in most high quality, custom plastic molding or fabrication shops. Finally, our assembly shop has experience in fabricating enclosures from pocket size to room size and in quantities from 1 to 10,000. As a general rule, we try to develop enclosure designs such that special fixturing will not be needed. In keeping with our goal of 'No Tooling' , our engineers design the product such that panels and components fit properly together without the need for specialized equipment. As such, our assembly capabilities are not restricted to the physical fabrication equipment we use, but rather to the ingenuity and experience of our engineering staff. |
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Home, Custom Enclosures, Off-theShelf Enclosures, PEI Process, Technical, General Info, Sales, Customer Service |
©
Copyright 2000-2006 Plastronic Enclosures, Inc.- | All Rights Reserved
A Plastic Enclosure Company |
