Enclosure guide
Types of Enclosures and Their Components
A working guide to the enclosure types Toolless builds, from standard C Box and U Box designs to custom electronic, medical, Raspberry Pi, ABS and acrylic housings, and the components that go into each one.
What an enclosure is
Custom plastic enclosures, casings and housings without a mold or a tool.
Toolless Plastic Solutions designs, produces and manufactures custom plastic enclosures, plastic casings and plastic housings without a mold or a tool. From project creation and design to delivery of the finished product, we collaborate with our customers to deliver the best quality product, built with exclusive Toolless technology and without the expense, lead time and inflexibility of molds and tooling.
A custom plastic enclosure is a boxed-in object made of plastic, metal or any material that can be fastened together to form the desired shape. NEMA enclosures protect electrical components, whereas custom enclosures house electronic devices such as medical testing equipment, card readers in a shop and even laptops. The Toolless manufacturing process produces high-quality, solid designs with excellent engineering and none of the molds or tooling of injection molding, so modifications are simpler, quicker and less expensive.
Standard plastic enclosures
Two proven designs, resized to your board.
Toolless offers two types of standard plastic enclosures: the C Box and the U Box. Both are plug-and-play housings adapted to your dimensions and cutouts.
Two-piece design
C Box Enclosure
A simple two-piece design intended as a plug-and-play solution. Two C-shaped halves snap together over the circuit board.
C Box details
Four-piece classic
U Box Enclosure
A ready-to-use plug-and-play housing in the classic four-piece style: a U-shaped body, a cover and two end panels, easily adapted to your needs.
U Box detailsCustom plastic enclosures
Six families of custom enclosure.
Each family shares the same sheet process. What changes is the material, the mounting and the features machined into the panels.
Electronic enclosures
Plastic cases that contain electronic components are known as electronic enclosures or electronic housings. Computers, gaming consoles and medical devices are common uses. The case keeps the electronics safe and stable and protects against circuit board damage. Toolless also provides custom circuit board and PCB enclosures.
Learn more
Medical enclosures
Since 1994 Toolless has collaborated with medical companies on custom plastic medical enclosures and laboratory instruments: surgical quarters, dry eye solutions, breathing simulators, sleep diagnostic equipment, respiratory devices, CPAP ventilators, a robotic sampling device and a custom EEG device among them.
Learn more
Custom Raspberry Pi cases
Made with no-mold, no-tooling technology. The number and size of holes, standoffs, dimensions, acrylic screens and LED light tubing are customized to the customer, with company logos added by digital printing. Past builds include a time management controller case, a checkpoint case and a diabetes adjuster box.
Learn more
ABS plastic enclosures
ABS, or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, is a tough thermoplastic that delivers excellent performance at low cost and suits indoor applications such as desktop electronics. General-purpose ABS accounts for 80 percent of Toolless production, for small and large enclosures alike.
Learn more
Custom acrylic enclosures
Acrylic sheet incorporated into enclosures as viewing windows or barcode reader panels, cut on a CNC feature modified to look like a laser cut so the sheet does not break. Acrylic or Plexiglas enclosures suit parts displays and point-of-sale units, and are more durable and cost-effective than glass.
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Wall mount and handheld enclosures
Where the design lets you see inside a product, acrylic extends to wall mount, Raspberry Pi and handheld enclosures. Wall mount units add keyholes, flanges and hinged doors; handheld units add battery doors, straps and drop-tested joints.
Learn moreAlso see handheld enclosures, wall mount enclosures and the full enclosure portfolio.
Components
What goes into an enclosure besides the walls.
The features below are machined, bonded or installed as part of the Toolless process. Details and design rules are on the functional features page.
Bosses and inserts
Self-tapping bosses for parts opened a few times; heat-staked brass inserts, through-wall inserts or Rivnuts for repeated service.
Windows and light pipes
Acrylic windows solvent-bonded into a recess from behind, flush or chamfered, with tinted or smoked sheet where the display needs it.
Vents and fan mounts
Machined slot patterns with a 2 mm minimum slot width, fan mounting through holes or bosses, and matched inlet and outlet areas.
Hinges, latches and printing
Acrylic or metal hinges, latches, key locks, handles and belt clips, plus digital printing and engraving for labels and branding.
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.