CNC Routing
Please visit our parent company, Toolless for more information.
The first step in our manufacturing process (excluding material preparation such as pre-shielding) is CNC routing of the panels. This process involves cutting three-dimensional details into the plastic sheets such that either downstream operations can be performed and/or to accommodate the final enclosure configuration. Examples of the two types would be the cutting of an opening for a DB9 connector that the customer requested versus cutting a PEI 'snap fit' feature that is used solely for the assembly of the enclosure.
In addition to CNC routing, we have secondary cutting machines that can perform specific tasks or cut profiles. For the most part, we rely on our CNC machines to do the cutting, however, there are projects for which using our secondary routing machines is either more cost effective or more convenient than developing the geometry in CAD/CAM and then laying down the associated CNC tool paths. As with most of our manufacturing operations, the decision as to which machines to use for a particular enclosure design is made by the engineer during the CAM process.
As with many operations performed by PEI, it would be difficult to try to list all of the cut configurations that go into manufacturing an enclosure. Furthermore, many of these cuts, including their associated tolerances, are proprietary and not for publication. As such, we do not list individual cuts, methods, or specifications unless that information is pertinent to the topic and does not infringe on our trade secrets. We trust you will understand our disclosure policy on this subject, however, if you have questions on this subject, please do not hesitate to call customer service and we will be happy to address your inquiry.