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Enclosures

Authors:
Geoffrey Hunter
Geoffrey Hunter
Published On:
Sep 3, 2012
Last Updated:
Apr 12, 2023

Plastic Enclosures

Plastic enclosures are usually made of either ABS or polycarbonate. ABS is a cheaper material, but is not as impact resistant or UV resistant as polycarbonate. Many manufacturers will state that ABS is UV resistant, but in the harsh Southern Hemisphere sun (I live in New Zealand), ABS will degrade and crack in as little as 2 years. Polycarbonate enclosures are much more resistant to the UV and I have seen them continue to work well after 6 years (slight yellowing may occur).

Examples

Hammond 1554 Series

The Hammond 1554 series is a family of watertight polycarbonate and ABS enclosures. They offer IP protection up to IP68.

A photo of the Hammond 1554YA2GYCL 300x240mm polycarbonate enclosure.1

The ABS version is rated for indoor use only while the polycarbonate version is rated for outdoor use. The ABS version is available with a grey lid, whilst the polycarbonate version offers a grey, clear or smoked lid.

The different lid options available for the Hammond 1554 series polycarbonate enclosures (only grey lids available for the ABS version).2

Fibox EK Series

The Fibox EK series is a family of polycarbonate enclosures. They range in size from 190x190x130 mm to 760x560x250 mm (for the single enclosures).

A photo showing a range of products available from the Fibox EK series of enclosures.3

The family is split up into subfamilies which have the same width and length, but different heights (depths). Each subfamily is denoted with a letter(s) suffix after the EK. The subfamilies are:3

  • EKH: 190 x 190 x 30/80/100/130/180 mm
  • EKJ: 280 x 190 x 30/80/100/130/180 mm
  • EKM: 280 x 190 x 30/80/100/130/180 mm
  • EKO: 280 x 280 x 30/80/100/130/180 mm
  • EKPE, EKPG: 380 x 280 x 30/80/100/130/150/180 mm
  • EKPK, EKPL: 380 x 280 x 150/180/230 mm
  • EKT: 560 x 280 x 30/100/130 mm
  • EKU: 560 x 380 x 30/150/180 mm
  • EKW: 760 x 560 x 100/150/250 mm

Mounting plates are available for many of the enclosure sizes.

The screenshot from the Fibox website showing some of the mounting plate offerings for the EK series of enclosures.4

Extruded Aluminium Enclosures

Extruded aluminium enclosures consist of one piece of box-section aluminium for the body, with two plastic/metal end caps and a optional bezel. These enclosures are really good for small/medium PCB projects. The extruded aluminium normally has guide rails on the insides so that PCBs can slide into it. With the case being made of metal, heatsinking is easy.

Examples of extruded aluminium enclosures by Vero Technologies.

Hammond is a large manufacturer of this type of enclosure. See their page, Extruded Aluminium Enclosures (Metal End Panels) (1455 Series).

Some of the Compatible Connectors

Mini-DIN (circular)

Mini-XLR (circular)

Molex Micro-Fit 3.0 Series (rectangular)

Suppliers

Here is a link to DigiKey’s Boxes, Enclosures, Racks > Boxes section.

Footnotes

  1. Hammond. Part Number: 1554YA2GYCL 300X240X120MM P/C NEMA CLR LID [product page]. Retrieved 2026-02-25, from https://www.hammfg.com/part/1554YA2GYCL. ↩

  2. Hammond. Type 4X, 6P Polycarbonate & General Purpose ABS Enclosures 1554 Series [product page]. Retrieved 2026-03-02, from https://www.hammfg.com/electronics/small-case/plastic/1554. ↩

  3. Fibox. EK Series [product page]. Retrieved 2026-03-10, from https://www.fibox.com/products/ek. ↩ ↩2

  4. Fibox. EK Series Accessories [product page]. Retrieved 2026-03-10, from https://www.fibox.com/products/ek/ek-accessories. ↩