GreatLight prototypes and builds electronic hardware: machined enclosures, heat sinks, brackets, busbars and test jigs. Upload a model and get a free DFM review and quotation within 12 hours.
Four problems we see on almost every board-level program.
Board revision three is ready and the housing still does not fit. Connector cutouts land 0.4 mm off because the CAD model was never checked against the actual mating part. Two more weeks go into rework before anyone can power the unit up.
A drawing shows the heat sink outline and nothing else. The base comes back with 0.1 mm of bow, contact area drops, and the thermal test fails at full load.
A front panel needs anodizing and laser marking at 1.5 mm character height. It arrives brushed in one direction, with tool marks under the coating, and the industrial designer rejects the whole lot.
Five brackets for a bench test wait three weeks because the shop is busy with a 10,000 part order. Every day lost here pushes the whole build schedule back.
One supplier for the metal and plastic around your board.
Machined housings make sense when you need walls thin enough to fit around a board but stiff enough to survive a drop test. We cut 6061-T6, 7075, 304 stainless, copper C110 and beryllium copper on 16 simultaneous 5-axis centers and 16 mill-turn centers. Pocket floors, connector openings and mounting bosses come off the same setup, so hole positions stay tied to each other instead of to a re-fixture.
Tolerances hold at ±0.005 mm on critical features. Surface finish runs Ra 0.8–1.6 μm as standard, with Ra 0.2–0.8 μm available on sealing faces and RF cavities. For heat sinks, we machine the base flat and specify flatness on the drawing rather than leaving it to the process.
Sheet metal covers the larger flat parts: rack chassis, mounting plates, EMI shields and brackets. Laser cutting, forming and hardware insertion on 4,000 mm travel keep long panels straight. Hardware positions are set from the flat pattern, so a card guide lines up with the board it holds.
When a housing shape is still moving, 3D printing gets a usable part in days instead of weeks. We print ABS, PC, PA, POM and carbon fibre filled grades for fit checks, cable routing and airflow mock-ups. Once the geometry freezes, the same file goes to CNC or vacuum casting for a production-representative part.
Match the process to the part before you send an RFQ.
| Part | Recommended process | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Enclosure, 20–200 mm, tight fit | 5-axis CNC | Wall control and connector position in one setup |
| Rack chassis, long and flat | Sheet metal | 4,000 mm travel, hardware from the flat pattern |
| Heat sink base | CNC, flatness specified | Flatness and finish drive contact resistance |
| Early fit check housing | 3D printing | Geometry still changing, low tooling cost |
| Front panel, cosmetic | CNC plus anodizing | Grain direction and laser marking controlled |
| Small bracket set, 5–50 pcs | CNC, no minimum | No tooling, no minimum order quantity |
Enclosures, heat sinks, RF housings and busbars cut from aluminum, copper, stainless and titanium on 16 simultaneous 5-axis centers.
Shafts, standoffs, connector shells and threaded inserts. 16 mill-turn centers handle turned features and milled flats on one part.
Chassis, brackets, card cages and EMI shields. Laser cutting, forming and hardware insertion up to 4,000 mm.
ABS, PC, PA, POM, PEEK and carbon fibre grades for fit checks, airflow mock-ups and cable routing trials.
Small batches of urethane housings and covers for pilot builds, cast from a printed master pattern.
Anodizing, electroless nickel, zinc, silver and gold plating, powder coating, bead blasting and laser marking at 1.5 mm character height.
| Item | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum part size | 4,000 mm | Larger travel: 4,000 × 400 × 150 mm |
| Tolerance | ±0.005 mm | ±0.0002 in on critical features |
| Surface finish | Ra 0.2–3.2 μm | Ra 0.8–1.6 μm as standard |
| Batch size | 1 to 10,000+ | No minimum order quantity |
| Lead time | 3–5 days | Quotation within 12 hours |
| Inspection | 100% before shipment | Reports on request |
| Confidentiality | NDA on request | Uploads kept secure |
Critical features measured against a ±0.005 mm band, with reports available on request. Most electronic housings never need it, but RF and optical parts do.
16 simultaneous 5-axis centers, 12 four-axis mills, 27 three-axis machines and 16 mill-turn centers across three plants.
Send a STEP file and drawings. An engineer reviews the design for manufacturability and returns a quotation within 12 hours.
Raw material check, in-process monitoring and final inspection before anything ships. 100% inspection on every order.
No minimum order quantity. One prototype and a 10,000 part run go through the same inspection process.
ISO 9001:2015, IATF 16949:2016, ISO 13485:2016 and ISO 27001:2022.
Sealed aluminum enclosures for power electronics, machined and anodized.
Motor mounts, sensor brackets and cable guides for actuator assemblies.
Cavities and waveguides where finish and flatness drive electrical loss.
Bench fixtures, pogo pin plates and board supports for pilot lines.
STEP or IGES for the 3D model, plus a 2D PDF for tolerances, finishes and any features the model does not carry. We can work from a native SolidWorks or Creo file as well.
If you only have a printed housing in hand, send photos with a few key dimensions and we will say whether we can reverse engineer it.
Yes, but the mating geometry has to be in the model. Send the PCB outline and the connector positions along with the housing.
We machine connector openings and mounting bosses in the same 5-axis setup, so the position error between them stays small. Splitting them across two setups is what usually causes the 0.4 mm mismatch.
Flatness has to appear on the drawing. If it is not called out, the process will only hold whatever the machine naturally produces.
Tell us the value you need and where it is measured. We machine the base, check it, and report the number if you ask. For high-power parts, we sometimes recommend a copper base instead of aluminum.
Aluminum 6061 or 5052 with a conductive finish is the usual answer for sheet metal shields. Conductive anodizing keeps the coating from insulating the joint.
For machined shields, aluminum 6061-T6 works well. If weight matters less than conductivity, copper C110 gives better shielding but costs more and machines slower.
Yes. There is no minimum order quantity. A single enclosure goes through the same inspection as a production run.
Most first articles ship in 3–5 days after the design review clears, and production can start within 24 hours of approval.
Uploads stay confidential and we do not share files outside the project team. An NDA is available on request if your legal team needs one on file before you send data.
We are certified to ISO 27001:2022 for information security, which covers how design data is stored and accessed.
Anodizing and plating are done in controlled batches, and we keep the grain direction and masking consistent between parts. Laser marking holds a minimum character height of 1.5 mm so small text stays readable.
Send one approved sample finish and we will match it. If the color has to match an existing painted panel, a physical sample beats a screen reference.
We inspect 100% of parts before shipment, so out-of-tolerance features are caught here rather than at your bench. Raw material, in-process and final checks all run.
If something does slip through, send the measurement report and photos. We will rework or remake the part and tell you what changed in the process.
Upload a STEP file and drawings. An engineer reviews the design for manufacturability and returns a quotation within 12 hours.
12-hour quote100% inspectionNo minimum order quantityNDA on request
Trusted by engineers and manufacturers worldwide
Upload your 3D model or 2D drawing and get a quotation with a free DFM analysis. Maximum processing size 4,000 mm.
CNC Metals 13 grades
CNC Plastics 10 grades
Machines & processes 12 options
Surface & post-processing 10 options
Material: not selected Machine: not selected Post-process: not selected
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