There’s no debate that your medical and diagnostic equipment should have adequate protective covering surrounding them. The components inside are not only pricy and vulnerable to damage, they also must have limited exposure to the atmosphere to stay in immaculate working order for patient safety.
An area where there should be some leeway, however, is in the material used to manufacture the enclosures, which is often made of thermoformed plastic. The truth is sheet metal is not only a viable alternative, but also has incentives that make it the long term choice for medical diagnostic enclosures.
Low Upfront Tooling Investment
The best thing about sheet metal manufacturing is that it offers versatility without raising expenses. This means that the basic fundamentals of building with sheet metal are constant such as cutting, forming, welding, and finishing. With plastic manufacturing, special molds and tooling must be purchased to come up with the final design – costs which are passed on to the buyer instead of absorbed by the manufacturer.
Streamlined Product Development
Another issue with having to develop molds and tooling with plastic manufacturing is that it delays the creation of the final design. This initial step can take multiple revisions which then must be tweaked during each prototype development.
Conversely, when an enclosure is designed for sheet metal, the parts can be unfolded using CAD and sent to the production floor for cutting many times in a matter of hours for a much more streamlined process and timeline.
Flexibility in Design
Sheet metal is simply a much more flexible material to work with than plastic in virtually every phase. Features like knockouts, louvers, embosses, and more can be implemented or removed by simply adjusting production steps instead of changing molds, forming code, etc.
Stylish Product Detail When Finished
Whether a product is finished with powder coat or left in its natural sheet metal look for sanitation purposes, the end design looks stylish, professional, and belonging in the high-performance medical field. Plus customization in color is easily achieved, and in the end, the buyer controls the looks of each unit.
Besides these four benefits to the design and implementation of sheet metal equipment protection, the long-term advantages are durability and increased life span. Sheet metal is more collision resistant than plastic and won’t be damaged by high temperatures.
This is why choosing PMI for your product design and fabrication allows you to take advantage of our fully automated facility which is perfect for large runs. In addition, our personalized service for prototyping and developing single pieces all while maintaining tight tolerances and detail. Contact us today to learn how we can fulfill all your enclosure needs.