CNC machined heat sinks
Thin fins, deep slots and a large flat base — the combination that makes heat sinks the most deformation-prone part in milling.
Part family · CNC machined parts
CNC machined enclosures
A visible part: besides dimensions, surface texture, edge condition and the gap at the joint line decide whether it passes.
What it is, and where it usually goes wrong
An enclosure is a part the customer's customer will look at. Dimensions can be inside tolerance and the part still fails, because the brushed direction runs the wrong way, the edge is sharp, or the lid gap opens at one corner.
How we machine it
- Decide the cosmetic faces and the machining direction before the first cut — a brushed finish has to follow the longest edge.
- Machine the joint faces last, after stress has been released, so the lid gap stays even.
- Break every external edge with a controlled chamfer rather than a hand deburr; then the edge catches light consistently.
- Cut pockets with radiused internal corners that match the customer's PCB or module clearance.
Where it is used
Consumer electronics and instrument housings, handheld devices, panels and decorative covers.
What we check before it ships
- Joint-line gap at four corners with the lid fitted
- Surface texture and brushed direction under raking light
- Wall thickness at the thinnest pocket
- Thread depth and screw seating on the closing holes
Measured against your drawing and written on the inspection sheet that ships with the parts. First article reports are available on request.
What to send for a quote
- Which faces are cosmetic and which are hidden
- The finish: anodised, bead blasted, brushed, painted or bare
- The lid or mating part, so the gap can be checked as an assembly
- Internal components and their clearance, if the pocket geometry is tight
A STEP file plus a drawing is ideal; a PDF with tolerances also works. Quantity, material and finishing are enough to give you a real price instead of a range.
Questions we get on this part
Can you match an existing anodised colour?
Send a physical sample. Anodising colour depends on alloy, bath and part geometry, so a code alone does not reproduce it; with a sample we adjust the batch and send a first article for approval before the run.
How do you keep the lid gap even?
The joint faces are the last operation, cut after the pockets have released stress, and the two halves are machined from the same block where the design allows. On a single-piece prototype we check the gap with the mating part fitted, not on the bench.
Other cnc machined parts we machine
CNC machined brackets
Simple shape, difficult job: hole positions on several faces and one consistent datum for every set-up.
Flashlight housings
A cylindrical shell where the coaxial relationship between knurled body, thread section and assembly shoulder matters most.
Send a drawing, get a price within 24 hours
STEP, IGES, DWG, PDF or a dimensioned sketch — plus material, quantity and finishing. We reply with a price and any questions in one message.