The customer develops industrial control equipment that must fit into a standard 19-inch rack cabinet at 3U height. Since the product was still in the R&D and prototyping stage, investing in dedicated extrusion tooling was not cost-effective. The customer needed a mold-free, flexible, and cost-controlled enclosure manufacturing solution.
After in-depth communication with the PUMAYCASE engineering team, the following solution was implemented:
① Material Selection 6063-T5 aluminum alloy sheet was selected for its excellent strength, ductility, and compatibility with anodizing surface treatment — ideal for bending operations.
② Pre-Bending CNC Punching & Cutting Before bending, the flat aluminum sheet underwent precision CNC machining:
③ Bend Forming Using precision sheet metal bending, the fully pre-punched aluminum sheet was formed into the complete 3U box structure in a single bending sequence, with corner joints designed for mechanical interlocking — no welding required.
④ Surface Finishing After forming, the enclosure underwent anodizing treatment, resulting in a uniform silver matte finish that is corrosion-resistant, scratch-resistant, and visually professional.
| Category | Traditional Tooling | This Solution (Bend Forming) |
|---|---|---|
| Tooling Cost | Thousands of dollars | No tooling required |
| Lead Time | 4–6 weeks | Sample in 8–10 days |
| Design Flexibility | Fixed dimensions | Fully adjustable |
| Suitable Volume | Large batch | Small & medium batch |
| Ventilation Design | Requires extra process | Integrated in one step |
The customer expressed high satisfaction with the custom solution. The bend-forming approach not only eliminated mold investment but also achieved personalized functional designs — including the geometric side-panel cutouts and top perforation mesh — all in a single production workflow. 1 The final enclosure met full 3U rack-mounting standards with solid structure and a clean professional finish.
