In the rapidly growing consumer electronics sector, high-quality plastic enclosures are critical for the protection and functionality of electronic devices like wireless routers, sensors, and other smart home equipment. Vacuum casting has become an increasingly popular method for producing these enclosures due to its ability to create precise, durable, and cost-effective components. Polyethylene (PE) and ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) are two of the most commonly used materials for electronic enclosures, each offering unique properties suited to different applications.
Polyethylene is known for its excellent chemical resistance and impact resistance, making it ideal for creating durable enclosures for electronics that may be exposed to harsh environmental conditions. It is also lightweight, which is an advantage for portable devices like wireless routers and battery-powered sensors. ABS, on the other hand, is a versatile material known for its superior toughness, rigidity, and ease of processing, making it an excellent choice for creating robust, high-performance enclosures that can withstand the rigors of everyday use.
The vacuum casting process is ideal for producing high-quality plastic enclosures for electronics. It starts with the creation of a master model, which can be made through 3D printing or CNC machining. This master is then used to create a silicone mold, which captures all the fine details of the design. Liquid resin, such as polyethylene or ABS, is injected into the mold, and a vacuum is applied to remove air bubbles, ensuring that the resin fills every part of the mold. This process results in parts with smooth, even surfaces and precise dimensions.
The key benefits of using vacuum casting for electronic enclosures include rapid prototyping and short production runs, both of which are essential in the fast-paced electronics market. Manufacturers can quickly test new designs, modify prototypes, and make adjustments before moving to full-scale production. Whether it’s for a new wireless router or a sensor component, vacuum casting allows for fast turnaround and cost-effective production of high-quality, durable enclosures.
Applications of vacuum casting Vacuum casting is one of the most cost-effective ways to produce high quality, low volume plastic parts which can be similar to injection moulding parts
The parts are especially suitable for form, fit and function tests during the embodiment design stages, where they can be used for marketing, field user testing and product design verification purposes
There are many Urethane casting resins commercially available that can be used to create parts to satisfy a wide range of design requirements such as temperature requirements, different surface textures, hardness, etc.
Materials are also available to create parts that are fully opaque, translucent or completely transparent
Sometimes high-quality wax masters can be made using vacuum casting for investment casting to increase the finer details of intricate features
Typical technical specification
Time frame
Within 24 hr – 5 working days for up to 30-50 parts
Material choice
Wide variety of materials available
Accuracy
±0.3% (with a lower limit of ± 0.3 mm on dimensions smaller than 100 mm)
Minimum wall thickness
To ensure that the mould is filled properly, a wall thickness of at least 0.75 mm is necessary. But best results are achieved with a recommended wall thickness of 1.5 mm
Maximum part dimensions
The size of the mould is limited by the dimensions of the vacuum chamber
Typical quantities
Up to 50 parts per mould
Surface structure
Gloss to Matt surface finish can be obtained
Polyurethane (PU), the full name of polyurethane, is a polymer material formed by polyol and polyisocyanate through polycondensation reaction with excellent mechanical properties
[1], which is extremely plastic. Its synthesis can be traced back to 1937, when Professor Byaer first synthesised straight-chain linear polyurethane resins using 1,6-hexanediisocyanate and 1,4-butanediol as raw materials
[2]. Several major classifications of polyurethanes include polyether-type, polyester-type, polyimide-type, and polyurea-type, etc. They can be made into materials such as polyurethane plastics (mainly foams), polyurethane fibres (known as spandex in China), polyurethane rubbers and elastomers
[3].After nearly eighty years of technological development, this material has a wide range of applications involving products such as coatings, adhesives, fabric finishes, leather modifiers, polyurethane soft/rigid foam, elastomers, etc., which are used in the fields of textiles, construction, aviation, shipping, transportation, medicine, electronics, and so on.
Flexible polyurethane mainly has a linear structure with thermoplasticity, which has better stability, chemical resistance, resilience and mechanical properties than PVC foams, with less compression variability. Heat insulation, sound insulation, shock resistance, anti-virus performance is good. Therefore, it is used as packaging, sound insulation and filtration materials. Rigid polyurethane plastic is lightweight, sound insulation, superior thermal insulation performance, chemical resistance, good electrical properties, easy processing, low water absorption. It is mainly used in construction, automotive, aviation industry, thermal insulation structure materials. Polyurethane elastomer performance between plastic and rubber, oil resistance, abrasion resistance, low temperature resistance, aging resistance, high hardness, elasticity. It is mainly used in the shoe industry and the medical industry. Polyurethane can also make adhesives, coatings, synthetic leather, etc.
