ENCLOSURES BUILTFOR MANUFACTURING,NOT JUST RENDERING
Parametric CAD to production tooling — designed for the process, not the portfolio.
Ankh approaches mechanical design as a manufacturing engineering discipline, not a styling exercise. Every enclosure is designed against its production process — injection molding, sheet metal, CNC machining, or die casting — with DFM constraints embedded from the first sketch, not reviewed at tooling quotation. Thermal management, EMC shielding, IP sealing, and PCBA integration are built into the mechanical architecture so regulatory, environmental, and assembly cost targets are hit simultaneously.
What We Design
Injection Mold Enclosure Design
Plastic enclosures designed with molding constraints from concept: 2–3 mm wall thickness, 1–2° draft, correct gate locations, ribbing for stiffness without sink marks, and snap-fit geometry reviewed with Moldflow or tooling partner before steel is cut.
IP67/IP68 Sealing Architecture
Reliable IP67/IP68 requires precise O-ring groove geometry — compression ratio (15–25%), groove width tolerances, sealing surface finish (Ra ≤1.6 µm), and corner radii preventing O-ring rolling — with gasket channels, molded-in ribs, and overmolded TPE seals sized for production capabilities.
Sheet Metal Enclosure Design
Sheet metal enclosures with correct bend radius (1× material thickness), accurate K-factor flat patterns, hemmed edges for safety, and PEM nut placement respecting minimum edge distances — with flat patterns and bend tables ready for turret punch and press brake.
CNC Machined Components & Tolerance Stack-Up
Machined housings, heat sinks, and brackets with tolerances of ±0.05 mm milled / ±0.025 mm bored, full GD&T per ASME Y14.5-2018, and stack-up analysis on all assemblies with functional clearance requirements.
Thermal Management via Enclosure Design
Fin array design, heat sink sizing, TIM contact surface specification, and natural or forced convection airflow path design — validated with SolidWorks Flow Simulation or FloTHERM before prototyping, with material and surface finish selections for maximum emissivity in radiating designs.
EMC Shielding Integration
Conductive gasket groove design (fabric-over-foam, wire mesh, or solid elastomer), aperture placement and maximum dimension constraints for target frequency, PCB standoff specification to minimize slot antenna effects, and cable entry sealing with filtered connector or ferrite approaches — coordinated with the electronics team from the first mechanical concept.
PCBA & Electronics Integration
Mechanical designs accounting for PCBA stack heights, connector protrusion depths, and TIM stack-up — with an integration drawing specifying clearances for assembly sequences that avoid impossible tooling access or exceeded SMT z-height budgets.
UL/IEC Safety Spacing & Regulatory Integration
Enclosures for UL 62368-1, IEC 60601-1, and IEC 61010-1 with creepage and clearance distances determined by pollution degree, rated voltage, and CTI group — explicitly dimensioned on production drawings with pre-submission compliance review.
How We Work
Mechanical Requirements Capture
A structured requirements workshop covers environmental specs (IP rating, temperature, humidity), regulatory targets (UL, IEC, MIL-STD), assembly process, volume, and unit cost. These are formalized in a mechanical requirements document that drives every subsequent design decision.
Concept & Architecture
Two to three concept directions in SolidWorks — differentiated by assembly method, material, and sealing approach — are scored against the requirements matrix and narrowed to one with documented rationale. This phase locks the parting line strategy, which drives draft direction and tooling cost.
Detailed CAD Design
Wall thickness, snap-fit deflection, boss pull-out strength, and O-ring groove geometry are modeled to functional requirements — not templates. PCBA clearances are verified against the latest board layout and a complete GD&T drawing package is produced for each machined or sheet metal component.
DFM Review & Tooling Coordination
A formal DFM review — internal for common molding rules, joint with the vendor for complex geometries — dispositions each comment before tooling is released. The tooling quotation is issued against a reviewed, stable design so the vendor cannot unilaterally redesign the part.
Prototype & Validation
First-article prototypes — SLA, FDM, machined, or soft-tooled — are measured against drawing tolerances and IP sealing prototypes are pressure-decay tested before production tooling is released. Any dimensional nonconformances are dispositioned and drawing updates issued so tooling reflects the final intent.
Production Release & Tooling Support
Production drawings ship as controlled documents; FAI support covers CMM report review against GD&T callouts, first-shot approval, and corrective action for out-of-tolerance features. CAD files are delivered in native SolidWorks, Fusion 360, and STEP formats with a BOM mapped to manufacturing part numbers.
The Mechanical Engineering Details That Drive Manufacturing Success
Injection Mold DFM: The Details That Determine Tooling Cost
Tooling cost escalators — undercuts requiring side actions ($5–15K each), non-uniform wall thickness, gate locations driven by aesthetics — are avoidable when DFM is applied at sketch stage. Rules embedded from the start: 1° draft per 25 mm, wall thickness ±20%, boss fillets at 0.5× wall, cutting NRE by 30–50%.
Rapid PrototypingO-Ring & Gasket Sealing: Getting IP68 Right
IP68 rarely survives first-attempt testing when groove geometry is treated as a detail. Groove designs specify compression ratio (18–22%), width for 5–8% stretch, sealing land Ra ≤ 1.6 μm, and corner radii of 0.4–0.5 mm — validated with pressure decay before IP testing.
Electronics DesignGD&T Tolerance Stack-Up: Preventing Assembly Interference
Five components at ±0.1 mm each accumulate ±0.5 mm worst-case — enough to prevent connector mating or break an IP seal. WC and RSS analyses per ASME Y14.5-2018 relax non-critical tolerances where RSS shows margin and flag interference before prototype when WC shows risk.
Manufacturing Readiness
Parametric CAD to production tooling — designed for the process, not the portfolio.
Mechanical Design Across Ankh's Product Range
Every hardware product requires a mechanical housing — our practice covers the full range of manufacturing processes and regulatory environments.
Wearable Electronics
Overmolded TPU housings, flex PCB routing, ergonomic curvature, and IP68 sealing for sweat and immersion
View ProductMedical Devices
IEC 60601-1 safety spacing, biocompatible materials, cleanroom clearances, and autoclave-rated options
View ProductCold Chain Monitoring
IP67 enclosures for food-safe washdown environments with snap-tab battery access and label/barcode window integration
View ProductStructural Monitoring
IP67 mounting brackets with captive hardware, vibration-isolated PCB mounting, and cable strain relief
View ProductIndustrial Equipment Monitoring
DIN-rail and panel-mount enclosures with terminal block access, UL 508A clearances, and IP54 ventilation
View ProductAI Vision Systems
Optical window with AR coating spec, camera alignment fixtures, and active thermal management integration
View ProductPOS & Kiosk Hardware
Anti-tamper features, vandal-resistant hardware, ADA mounting standards, and cable management channels
View ProductWireless Communication
Radome design for integrated antennas, RF window material selection (low-loss ABS/PC blends), and coax feed-through sealing
View ProductData Loggers
Field-replaceable battery doors with IP67 sealing, stainless hardware for corrosive environments, and external sensor port integration
View ProductRuggedized Devices
MIL-STD-810H drop and vibration analysis, shock-mounted PCB isolators, overmolded rubber bumpers, and IP68 certification support
View ProductSmart Home Automation
UL 94 V-0 flame-rated housing materials, electrical outlet box mounting templates, and Class 2 wiring clearances per NEC
View ProductPower Monitoring
UL 508 industrial control panel spacing, CT sensor mounting brackets, current-carrying busbar clearances, and thermal derating analysis
View ProductDFM as a Design Input, Not a Design Review
DFM problems at tooling quotation are expensive — parting line changes require tooling redesign, wall thickness changes require full exterior resculpt. DFM constraints applied from the first parametric sketch mean vendors receive a buildable design and quotes match expectations.
Electronics-Mechanical Co-Design Integration
Connector protrusions exceeding depth, heat sources against insulating walls, antenna keep-outs violated by metal structure — all artifacts of mechanical design without live electronics reference. STEP imports of the PCBA are checked against the enclosure model on every revision so interference is caught in CAD.
Sealing & Environmental Compliance by Design
IP compliance treated as a test result rather than a design outcome leads to prototype failures and late-stage redesigns. O-ring groove geometry, gasket durometer, surface finish, and compression retention are specified from the first concept and validated with pressure decay testing before tooling is committed.
Deliverables
Mechanical Requirements Document
Formalized environmental, regulatory, and assembly requirements used as the basis for all design decisions throughout the program.
Parametric CAD Models
Native SolidWorks or Fusion 360 part and assembly files, fully parametric with design intent in feature tree naming and equations.
Production Drawing Package
GD&T-annotated drawings for every manufactured component per ASME Y14.5-2018 with material, finish, and inspection callouts.
Tolerance Stack-Up Analysis
Worst-case and RSS tolerance analyses for all critical assembly interfaces, with tolerance budgets documented and traceable to drawing callouts.
DFM Review Report
DFM assessment against the selected manufacturing process with identified issues, design responses, and rationale for accepted non-conformances.
STEP/IGES Export Package
STEP and IGES exports of all part and assembly models for tooling vendors, contract manufacturers, and downstream teams.
Sealing Architecture Specification
O-ring groove geometry tables, gasket material specifications, mating surface finish requirements, and assembly torque procedures for all sealing interfaces.
First Article Inspection Support
CMM report review against GD&T callouts, first-shot injection mold assessment, and disposition of dimensional nonconformances with tooling correction instructions.
Deliverable scope scales with the manufacturing process and program complexity — a machined aluminum prototype has a different documentation footprint than a 5-part injection mold family.
Often Paired With Mechanical Design
Electronics Design
Simultaneous PCB and enclosure co-design eliminates connector clearance, thermal interface, and antenna keep-out conflicts before prototype.
ExploreRapid Prototyping
3D printed prototypes come from the same parametric CAD models used for production tooling, so validation transfers directly.
ExploreManufacturing Readiness
Mechanical drawings and tooling specifications from the design phase feed directly into the manufacturing readiness engagement.
ExploreRegulatory Certification
Safety spacing analysis, material flammability documentation, and IP test procedures produced here accelerate regulatory submissions.
ExploreWork That Demonstrates the Standard
IP68 Handheld Medical Device Enclosure — 4-Part Injection Mold
A 4-part polysulfone enclosure for a wound assessment device (IEC 60601-1, autoclave-rated 134°C, 50K units/year) required a post-mold machining step to hold ±0.025 mm on the sealing land after stack-up showed standard mold tolerances would vary O-ring compression by 10%. First-article prototypes passed IP68 at 1.5 m for 30 minutes on first attempt.
Read the Case StudySheet Metal Industrial Controller Enclosure — UL 508A Compliant
A 14-gauge steel motor controller enclosure was over budget from complex brake forming — rebuilding in SolidWorks cut unique bend angles from 7 to 3, eliminated two compound-angle bends, replaced welded gussets with formed reinforcements, and verified UL 508A clearances. The result was 12% unit cost reduction with zero external form factor changes.
Read the Case StudyReady to Design an Enclosure That Survives Manufacturing?DFM-first. IP-sealed. Production-validated.
Ankh designs mechanical enclosures that pass tooling review, clear IP testing, and survive the field — from the first parametric sketch to first-article inspection support.