Polycase Customized Enclosure

Production drawings are created after a custom order is placed. These drawings will be uploaded to your account for review and approval before production on your part begins. For the standard 3-week lead time, production files are typically completed within 1-2 weeks.

To find all your custom quotes, log in and navigate to your account. There, you'll find your quotes under "My Quotes & Custom Parts."

If you're part of a company account, your personal quotes will still be under "My Quotes & Custom Parts," while quotes created by your colleagues will be listed under "Company Quotes & Custom Parts." This system helps you easily distinguish between your quotes and those created by your colleagues

These are non-recurring charges on your first order for a new or revised project to set-up and create your new customized part (i.e. create custom part numbers, engineering drawings, CNC programs, digital artwork files and printing plates for the enclosures). The charges are applied to first time new and revised orders only.

A feature consists of any size or shape through-holes, countersinks, counter-bores, recesses, bevels, taps, screw tower removals, mounting boss removals, or interior wall thinning. For example, a round hole would be 1 feature. A round hole with countersink would be 2 features (1 feature for the through hole, 1 feature for adding the countersink). Counterbored holes and threaded holes would also be considered 2 features. Examples of common features are shown below. Non-standard features can be quoted by contacting Polycase Technical Support.

A revision indicates you have an existing customized part with Polycase (part #'s start J-, JG- or G-) and you need to modify the machining, printing or both for a next generation or new version of the old enclosure. When revising an existing customized enclosure, the previous version is marked obsolete and it can no longer be ordered.

A new customized enclosure is a brand new project that has not been ordered before.

Polycase values and protects our customers’ privacy. Part of this is protecting our customers’ custom products. In order to purchase a custom product on behalf of your customer, have your customer provide you with the Polycase custom part number, quote number or Polycase drawings. Or your customer can contact us directly to let us know who will be purchasing the product going forward, and to confirm we have their permission to sell this product.

We offer 1 and 2 week production expedite options. Expedite pricing can be found on your quote. (Standard lead time is 3 weeks.)

Our standard lead time for customized enclosures is 3 weeks, but please note that this may be subject to change depending on the availability of imported products. We also offer 1 and 2 week production expedite options. Expedite pricing can be found on your quote.

Visit our 90 second Instant Quote tool to see pricing, generate a quote and place an order for customized enclosures. If you have questions generating your quote, contact Polycase and we will be happy to assist.

The mounting bosses are built directly into the mold. While we cannot change the mold, we can supply the cases without bosses or machine the bosses out. We offer adhesive standoff's so you can place your mounting bosses in the exact location you need.

Alternatively, we can machine countersunk holes in the locations that the bosses are needed. You would then fasten stand-offs to the enclosure with countersunk screws in the machines holes. Then your PCB can be screwed to the top side of the stand-offs inside the enclosures.

We do not offer any custom molding or tool building, we sell off-the-shelf enclosures and we cannot change the shape or size of the enclosures. However, we do offer secondary services to customize your enclosure to fit your needs. We offer CNC machining and digital printing. To learn more about our additional services, visit our customization services page, or get pricing using our instant quote tool.

Yes, we can machine down the height, or remove, the mounting bosses. Because they are only ¼” tall, often they do not interfere with the desired application, but if they do, they can be machined out or made shorter. Additionally, some of our enclosures are available with or without the bosses.

Because the enclosure covers are created to fit tightly to the enclosure, once the base is machined down the covers will no longer fit. So this is only recommended for potting boxes or applications that do not require a cover.

We can machine any size or shape holes that you needed, on any surface of the enclosure. Polycase design engineers are happy to help you with the design if you need assistance. Based on the board and connectors you use, together we will be able to determine the best locations and sizes of holes that would work for your product.

Polycase can machine virtually any size or shape opening that you may require, however all drawings will be reviewed by Polycase to ensure manufacturability. All square and rectangular cutouts will typically have a minimum corner radius of 0.031" and tolerance on machined features will typically be +/-0.005" and these may increase depending on enclosure selected and feature machined. For components we typically recommend sizing your cutouts to be .040" larger than the component (or .020" for round cutouts). Occasionally, certain features may not be able to be machined or will require a non-standard approach which could increase the machining price. This would be determined when the order is placed. Contact Polycase Technical Support if you have specific questions regarding a machined feature.

Digital printing involves the spraying of ink directly onto the enclosure and then curing with UV light. The printer uses software to manage the image, controlling when the printer releases tiny droplets of ink directly onto the enclosure’s surface. The ink is applied in a specific sequence and pattern that allows the digital image to be accurately recreated. Digital printers have the capacity to print a variety of colors and gradients, but there are some limitations (like neon colors). When digital printing, we utilize specially designed fixtures to ensure accuracy. Because of this, if the enclosure is too large or has a feature that will compromise the print or equipment, we will likely resort to pad printing.

Pad printing uses a plate to transfer ink from the pad to the enclosure. This method only allows one color to be printed at a time, along with only being able to do a single enclosure at a time. The quality between digital printing and pad printing oftentimes does not vary. 

The ink used in the digital printing process is UV cured. The adhesion / scratch resistance of the ink on the plastic is excellent. The ink cannot be scratched off of the plastic without mechanically scratching into the plastic itself. Internal cross hatch cut and tape testing resulting in no ink being pulled up after testing was completed.

Furthermore, after internal testing according to UL Standard UL 61010-1 (Electrical Equipment for Measurement, Control, and Laboratory Use, Section 5.3, Durability of Markings), there was no observable degradation in legibility, smearing or fading of the printing after performing the test.

The ink used in our printing process is acrylic based; UV cured, and is an ink system that is used for labels. It's not labeled as UV resistant because it reacts with, and is cured by UV light. However, the ink can be exposed to UV rays. The ink is commonly used in the sign and banner industries which endure heavy UV exposure. As with any ink, the color will fade over time. You may start to see fading in 2-3 years for typical outdoor applications and 3-5 years for typical indoor applications.

Vector based artwork is required. This includes, but is not limited to, Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw, and .pdf or .eps files.

(ACCEPTABLE ARTWORK FILES CHART/ PDF HERE)

Colors will be printed per your electronic artwork file. Artwork should be designed for the CMYK color space. If a PMS color value is requested, the CMYK equivalent will be printed. There may be a color shift in the process depending on the specific spot color. Black, red, and white are the available colors for keypad printing.

When printing is ordered, graphic file(s) with fonts converted to outlines or curves is suggested. If not converted, any fonts that are used should be sent along with the graphic file(s). If a font is not provided Polycase will use Arial.

Polycase offers full-color digital printing (also referred to as a 4-color process or CMYK) on most surfaces. It can be used for simple text, gradients, blended colors, color transitions, or photo-quality images. Vector based artwork (designed for the CMYK color space) is required for printing.

Polycase does not perform a digital color match to a specific Pantone color. With digital printing, neon or some bright colors may be unachievable. Please contact Polycase for more information to determine if the desired ink color is achievable.

In the unlikely event a surface is not eligible for full-color digital printing, Polycase can pad print. During approval process, Polycase will advise if pad printing will be performed.