Part block
Custom machined housings and enclosures
A housing is a box with a sealing face and a bore, and the price is set by how many faces have to be machined to make those two things true. This block covers milled and turned housings from a 40 mm sensor body to an 800 mm frame.
What we make in this block
| Envelope | Up to 800 × 500 × 400 mm (5-axis); smaller parts in high volume on 3-axis |
|---|---|
| Wall thickness | 1.5 mm minimum in aluminium, 2.0 mm in steel |
| Bore tolerance | H7 standard, H6 on request |
| Sealing face flatness | 0.02 mm over 100 mm |
| Hole position | ±0.05 mm standard; ±0.01 mm on a bored pattern in one setup |
| Surface finish | Ra 1.6 µm milled; Ra 0.8 µm on sealing faces |
| Materials | Aluminium 6061 / 7075 / 5083, stainless 303 / 304 / 316, brass, steel 1045, POM, PEEK, ABS |
| Typical finishes | Anodizing, bead blasting, powder coating, passivation, chem film (conductive) |
Faces machined vs setups — where the cost sits
| Faces required | Setups | Typical tolerance across faces | Price effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 face | 1 | ±0.02 mm | Baseline |
| 2 opposite faces | 2 | ±0.03 mm | ×1.3 |
| 3 faces | 2 (one re-clamp) | ±0.05 mm | ×1.6 |
| 4+ faces | 3–4 | ±0.08 mm | ×2.0+ |
| 5 faces, tight datum | 1 (5-axis) | ±0.02 mm | ×1.8 (machine rate higher) |
Processes, materials and finishes
Processes
- 3-axis milling
- 5-axis milling
- CNC turning (round housings)
- Wire EDM (windows)
- Tapping
- Deburring
- Leak testing (customer-specified)
Materials
- Aluminium 6061 / 7075 / 5083
- Stainless 303 / 304 / 316
- Steel 1045 / 4140
- Brass H62
- Copper C110
- POM / PEEK / ABS / PC
Finishes
- Anodizing Type II
- Hard anodizing Type III
- Bead blasting
- Powder coating
- Passivation
- Chem film / alodine
- Laser marking
How it is quoted
| Minimum order | 100 pieces per part number (prototype quantities from 1) |
|---|---|
| Sample lead time | 7–10 days after drawing approval |
| Production lead time | 25–35 days after sample approval |
| Quote turnaround | Within 24 hours, with DFM feedback |
Specific part pages in this block
- Enclosures and housings
- Milled parts
- Machined components
- Heat sinks
- Valve bodies
- Hydraulic manifolds
- Machine fixtures
Technical reading for this block
- CNC milling design rules
- Surface finish Ra chart
- Design for assembly
- Cost reduction checklist
- Surface finishes and how they are quoted
- Alodine and conductive coatings
Questions
What is the thinnest wall you can machine in a housing?
About 1.5 mm in aluminium and 2.0 mm in steel for a wall up to four times its thickness tall. Thinner or taller walls deflect, so the machine takes lighter passes and the price rises faster than the material saving.
Can you machine a sealing face flat enough for an O-ring?
0.02 mm over 100 mm is standard on a single setup, and Ra 0.8 µm on the sealing face. The face and the bore should be machined in the same clamping or the seal will not sit square.
Do you machine five faces in one setup?
Yes, on 5-axis. It removes setups and improves tolerance across faces — which is usually cheaper than the higher hourly rate suggests, because handling is the least visible line in a quote.
Can you supply an IP-rated enclosure?
We machine the housing and the sealing geometry to drawing. The IP rating itself is a test result on the assembled product, so it is the brand that holds it, not the machined part.
Send the drawing for housings and enclosures
Quotes come back within 24 hours with DFM feedback. Minimum order 100 pieces per part number; samples from one piece.