Metcase’s marketing director, Robert Cox, guides buyers through the process of purchasing instrument enclosures, from footprint and finish to accessories and options.
Technology has decluttered the physical desktop. Documents, files, folders, desk diaries, blotters, calendars and Newton’s cradles are long gone. So why do our desks and tabletops still feel overcrowded? Keyboards, mice and banks of screens are the obvious culprits. One solution is to build upwards not outwards, which is why tower-style instrument enclosures are becoming increasingly popular.
Metcase’s new Technomet TX exemplifies the concept, offering more space than the original Technomet desktop instrument enclosures it is based on. At 350 by 220 by 300 mm, the biggest of the two new standard TX sizes offers 37.50 per cent more space than the previously largest Technomet (350 by 320 by 150 mm). Yet the TX’s footprint is just 58.93 per cent of its predecessor.
Enclosures like these are finding favour across a broad spectrum of applications including medical/ wellness, test/measurement, industrial control, peripheral devices/interfaces, switchboxes, communications and laboratory equipment.
However, tower enclosures are not the only answer. Desktop instrument housings may need to be portable or have a sloping front for easier viewing and operation. A 19in desktop mini-rack for standard subracks and chassis might better suit 84HP electronics. Alternatively, a 10.5in (42HP) enclosure might suit compact instrumentation.
Desktop enclosures can be specified with an adjustable viewing angle (especially if they don’t have a sloping front). Canting can be provided by tilt feet like those on a computer keyboard. However, this method usually offers only two settings: tilted or flat. Better still is an indexable tilt/swivel carry handle that can double as a desk stand and be adjusted in 30 degree increments.
Other considerations include how will circuits be mounted? Will they sit on pillars or slide into guide rails for easy installation and removal? Does the preferred enclosure offer both options? Are threaded earthing pillars standard on every panel or are they a custom feature? Is there a generous front recess to protect a display/controls and rear recess to safeguard connectors and interfaces? Are non-slip feet standard?
Then comes aesthetics. The enclosure must underline the quality of the ENCLOSURES ENCLOSURES June 2025 09 electronics inside. Cuttingedge technology merits a premium enclosure: anything less undersells it. This is why Metcase designs and manufactures Technomet aluminium enclosures to tolerances similar to moulded plastic housings. Front and rear diecast bezels fit flush with the main case body. Fixing screws are concealed beneath snapon trims. This modern, cohesive design is the hallmark of the Technomet family, giving each model a shared design language so they match when used together in proximity.
Good desktop enclosures must also be easy to customise, minimising modification costs. Metcase’s marketing director, Robert Cox, said: “This is particularly important for instrument enclosures because they tend to be specified for highly specialist devices that are ordered in small quantities.”
Can the enclosure be specified in custom sizes in all three dimensions? How low is the minimum order number? Are custom colours and other finishes available? Is there a premium for customerspecified colours, or is there no extra charge if that shade is always in stock?
Standard enclosures should be supplied fully assembled. Fully customised housings should be delivered ‘PCB ready’, able to go straight from goods-in to the production line for installation of the electronics. It is important to partner with an enclosures specialist that can provide all the customisation services in-house: bespoke sizes, custom front panels, CNC machining, fixings/inserts, painting/finishing and photo-quality digital printing of legends, logos and graphics. This ensures quality and accountability from start to finish. It also saves time, money and the environment because the enclosures don’t have to be shipped between multiple suppliers.
