Project:

Redesign of an avionic enclosure to reduce mass and volume

This project involved the re-imagining of a electronic enclosure from a machined-from-billet cuboid to a minimalist plastic injection moulding which was then metallised for reasons of EMC / RF performance. An aluminium member was incorporated into the design for heat transfer purposes. In order for the design to be successful the internal assembly had to be inverted to ensure effective heat sinking, with additinal features incorporated to facilitate “blind mate” assembly.

Prototypes were made by Additive Manufacturing / 3D printing techniques, followed by a metalisation process. The prototypes were tested for EMC / RF and thermal performance and were proven to function within specification.

The mass of the finished enclosure was just 27% that of the original.