Custom printed enclosures
Digital Printing on Plastic Enclosures
Logos, legends, safety text and full-color graphics printed directly on the panel by two in-house UV printers, with no screen to make and no minimum. Custom printed plastic enclosures from a single Raspberry Pi case to a production run.
How it works
Digital printing on plastic, straight from the artwork file.
Digital printing on plastic works like printing on paper: the artwork file goes to the printer and UV-cured ink lands on the panel. There is no screen to burn, no color separation and no limit on the number of colors, so a four-color logo costs the same to set up as a one-color legend. Toolless runs two UV printers, one dedicated to prototypes and one to production, including a TX9060V, and the ink bonds to ABS, polycarbonate and the other sheet materials we stock with better adhesion than silk screening.
Printing can be done on the flat panel before bending or on the assembled enclosure, which means an existing housing can be printed as well as a new one. Fine detail, gradients and photographic images reproduce cleanly.
Three print options
Full color, white ink and raised texture.
Each option runs on the same printers and the same artwork file. They are combined on one panel when the design calls for it.
Full-color graphics
Logos, product names, control legends, warning symbols, QR codes and photographic artwork in unlimited colors. Placement is taken from the CAD model, so legends line up with the buttons and ports they describe.
White ink on dark panels
White ink prints opaque on black and dark grey ABS, so light text and logos read on a dark enclosure without a paint step. It also serves as an underbase for colors that need to stay bright on a dark surface.
Raised TEXTUR3D prints
Layered UV ink builds a raised graphic you can feel: tactile button markers, embossed-look logos and accessibility cues, printed rather than molded into the surface.
Choosing a marking method
Industrial plastic enclosure marking, compared.
We offer three ways to mark an enclosure in house. Digital printing covers most branding and legend work. Engraving, comparable to laser etching, suits permanent identification that must survive abrasion. Painting handles whole-panel color when a stock sheet color is not close enough.
The table sets out how we choose between them on a typical job.
Small runs, big logos
A custom logo Raspberry Pi case, one at a time or by the hundred.
Single-board computer products are where digital printing plastic parts pays off most. A custom logo Raspberry Pi case gives a Pi-based product the look of a finished appliance, with the brand on the lid and the port labels on the edge, and it is printed from the same file whether the order is one unit for a trade show or 500 for a launch. Cases are available for Pi 1 through 5 and Zero, plus BeagleBone, Banana Pi, Arduino, Orange Pi and other boards, with lead times as short as 3 to 4 weeks.
The same applies to Kickstarter hardware: the FlightBox ADS-B receiver case went from campaign to shipped product with printed panels from the first prototype.
Production example
Printed instrument housings that leave the plant finished.
The cart-mounted instrument shown here carries its product name, control legends and brand colors printed directly on the ABS panels. Because printing is a secondary operation inside the same facility as the machining and bonding, the housing ships assembled, labeled and inspected under our ISO 9001:2015 system with no second vendor in the chain.
Artwork placement is set in the SolidWorks model, so a revised legend or a new distributor logo is a file change on the next release. Read more on the digital printing page and in the post on printing flat parts versus printing after bending.
Related
More on finishing.
Digital printing service
The printing page, with equipment details and examples.
Learn moreEngraving
Permanent legends and identification comparable to laser etching.
Learn moreCustom panels
Printed front panels and bezels as standalone parts.
Learn moreBlog: durable digital printing
How the UV printers produce customized enclosure graphics.
Read articleWhat artwork format do you need?
Send the logo or panel artwork as a vector or high-resolution image file and tell us the panel it belongs on. Our engineers place it in the SolidWorks model so it lines up with the cutouts, and you approve the placement before printing.
Can you print on an enclosure I already have?
Yes. Our UV printers handle assembled enclosures as well as flat panels, so an existing housing can be printed with a logo or legends. Send a photo and dimensions for a quote.
How does UV printing hold up compared with silk screening?
The UV-cured ink adheres to plastic better than a standard silk screen, reproduces finer detail and has no limit on the number of colors. For markings that must survive heavy abrasion, engraving is the more permanent choice.
Is there a minimum quantity for printed enclosures?
No. Printing needs no screen or tooling, so a single printed prototype is set up the same way as a production run. One- and two-unit orders carry a setup charge for the enclosure itself.
Why engineers choose Toolless
Trusted for enclosures since 1998.
Startups, OEMs and medical device makers across the USA, Canada and Australia come back for the next run. Read more testimonials.
- Years without molds
- 25+
- Certified quality system
- ISO 9001
- Units per order
- 1–10,000
- Sq ft in Everett, WA
- 13,000
“We initially considered injection molding, but with our volume the cost of tooling would never be recovered. It took only a week to settle on a design and get a prototype, and we were in production a week later.”
“I spent 9 years as a quality engineer at Rockwell and tend to be a perfectionist. Your professionalism and diligence in helping evolve our cover is greatly appreciated.”
“After a number of orders, Toolless have become our preferred supplier. Even though we are located in Australia, all deliveries have been fast and hassle free.”
Start your enclosure
Send the board. We’ll send the box.
Quotes come from an engineer, not a form robot. Attach CAD, photos or a sketch and we reply within one business day.