MODIFYING 19" RACK ENCLOSURES FOR DESKTOP USE…AND VICE VERSA

GIVING YOU MORE CHOICE

Imagine this scenario: you’ve found the perfect aluminum enclosure for your electronics. It has all the technical features you need, looks fantastic and requires very little customization. Just one minor hurdle: it’s a 19" rack case…but you need a desktop enclosure.

Or vice versa. You’ve found a great enclosure for your 19" rack electronics. Perhaps it would be just right for offset mounting, enabling you to free up space for cabling or a rack-mounted power supply. But sadly the housing in question is designed specifically for desktop instrumentation.

And yet neither of these quandaries need be a dealbreaker. You can have your ideal enclosure and at a sensible price point. That’s because customizing a standard model is now so much faster, easier and more cost-effective than was previously possible.

It’s all thanks to smart design – and advances in CNC machining and digital printing technology. So a rack case can be modified quickly and easily for desktop use. Or an instrument enclosure originally intended for a laboratory bench can now sit comfortably in a rack.

SPECIFY COMBIMET 19" AS A DESKTOP INSTRUMENT ENCLOSURE

COMBIMET 19" – our bestselling rack case – is also available as a desktop enclosure, further adding to its popularity. The secret of COMBIMET’s success is that it’s technically advanced and highly versatile…and yet it’s also our most cost-effective 19" rack case. With a flat front and no bezels, these enclosures can be readily manufactured in custom heights, widths and depths.

Over the years, customers have requested any number of bespoke features for COMBIMET. Some of these modifications have proven so popular that we’ve made them available as standard. Examples include Version T (open top) for maximum ventilation, ‘super-deep’ 24" cases for server racks, and a ‘solid top’ variant with a wraparound cover that removes the need for fixing screws on the upper panel.

It’s possible to specify COMBIMET as a desktop instrument enclosure in heights of 1U, 2U, 3U or more, and in narrower widths than the standard 19 inches. That brings all the benefits of rack-mounted COMBIMET to the desktop or laboratory bench – building on its traditional markets in communications, networking, AV and industrial control. Let us know the size you need and we’ll configure it for you.

COMBIMET aluminum enclosures offer full access to your circuit boards thanks to their removable top, base and rear panels. Both the top and base can be specified as either ventilated or unventilated as standard.

All that’s missing from desktop COMBIMET are rack ears and the model’s distinctive signature handles. Instead, the cases are fitted with non-slip rubber feet or molded tilt-feet. However, you can also specify screw-fitted rack ears if rack mounting may be required by the user.

COMBIMET 19" >>

RACK MOUNTING YOUR DESKTOP ENCLOSURES

All that is required to rack mount a desktop enclosure is a 19" shelf. They are custom fabricated from a single sheet of aluminum. Then you can either specify a standard enclosure from our range – or we can custom manufacture one for you.

The enclosures in the picture above are fully bespoke but also very cost-effective – proving that fully custom housings need not be costly. Their simple design comprizes one U-shaped sheet of aluminum for the base, front and rear panels, and another similarly shaped wraparound section for the top and sides.

We can machine all the necessary apertures and cutouts for fitting displays, connectors and controls. Inside, we can add fixings and inserts for installing PCBs, assemblies and components, for earth connectivity.

Assembly of these enclosures is with screws through the sides. They screw into tabs that fold up from the base panel. Underneath, there are four non-slip rubber feet which fit neatly into matching apertures in the rack shelf. These ensure the enclosure does not slide out of place but can be easily removed for inspection, maintenance or desktop use when required.

Learn more about bespoke enclosures >>

CUSTOMIZING STANDARD ALUMINUM ENCLOSURES

All METCASE standard enclosures are designed with customization in mind. Our enclosures can be modified even in small volumes, making them viable for niche applications such as highly specialized instrumentation.

Services include bespoke sizes, custom front panels, CNC machining (punching, folding, milling, drilling and tapping), fixings and inserts, powder coating, wet painting and photo-quality digital printing of legends, logos and graphics.

All customization work is carried out in-house to ensure superior quality and complete accountability. This saves you time and money. It’s also better for the environment because the enclosures don’t have to be shipped between multiple suppliers.

View our customization services >>

GET EXPERT ADVICE ON 19" RACK CASES AND DESKTOP ENCLOSURES

Contact our expert team for specialist advice on how to specify the best standard or customized enclosures for your desktop and 19" rack electronics.