Front panels are important components of a case, system or subrack because they contribute significantly to the first impression it makes to the end user of the equipment. With a variety of cutouts for different connectors, LEDs, handles and switches, plus overprinting, Pentair offers options for individual design and manufacture, including colour gradients and artistic designs, through the Schroff front panel program. Martin Traut, product manager for subracks and cases at Pentair - Schroff GmbH, and David Martin, managing director, Pentair – Schroff UK, explain
The front panels of a 19" subrack, system or case must be individually designed and manufactured for each application. Standard, blank panels are available on the market in various sizes and versions but few users have the facilities necessary to efficiently carry out the machining and overprinting that they require. For prototypes, pre-production or small production runs, however, it is often essential to carry out the machining in just a few days, so that any corrections or modifications can be made quickly.
With the all-round services of the Schroff front panel program, customers have attractive solutions available to them. The program includes not only an extensive range of front panels and plug-in modules but also options for mechanical modifications (from quantities of 1 upwards), a wide selection of accessories and painting or printing in vivid photorealistic image quality.
Choice of materials
In addition to aluminium and steel, front panels in stainless steel can also be machined. Thanks to new laser cutting technology, it can be ensured that the inner edges of the necessary cutouts are sharp edged and that the inner edges are free of paint to ensure that e.g. the shielding of connectors is assured good contact with the panel. Likewise with painted aluminium panels, this manufacturing technique ensures that the inner edges of cutouts are free of paint. This technology is of particular interest for small and medium-sized batches, for which costly tooling was previously required.
From mechanical processing through to printing
Customers can choose from well over 200 off-the-shelf front panels and plug-in units from stock with dimensions from 2 U to 9 U and widths from 2 HP to 84 HP and a variety of finishes and versions. The POWER search at www.schroff.biz provides easy access to these standard products and offers 2D and 3D data on the panels for download. The desired mechanical processing, such as different cutouts, can now be marked in by the customer on his own CAD system. Customers are also given support for working with the CAD file in this way. The front panel drawings thus contain, on the one hand, component mounting limits that show the designer which parts of the front panel he can use, without falling foul of, say, the 19" standard. On the other hand there is a tool library with predefined cutouts for standardized Sub-D and coax connectors - with counter bores, face milling or fully open. Cutouts can be downloaded as macros and entered directly into the front panel design.
Next, components such as insertion and extractor handles, the EM shielding material (textile or stainless steel), etc. are selected from a wide selection of accessories. A range of front panel kits, individual component sets and a service option for full assembly are also available. Wording and design on the front panels can be realized by printing or engraving. Printing to individual customer specifications is done, for example, by digital printing with up to 32 million colours (CMYK palette as standard; extra high colour fastness for the RAL, Pantone and HKS colour spaces). The inks used are durable and resistant to light, heat, cold, chemicals, and other environmental influences. Almost seamless gradients through to photorealistic images can be realized. Digital printing makes it possible to print intricate details with the smallest print size of down to 3 point.
Everything custom: front panel design, price and delivery time
The front panel configuration program lets customers create individual front panels in only a few steps by answering a series of online questions, without registration and without the need for software downloads. By entering the number of cutouts required, the choice of printing type (monochrome or multicolour), the fitted accessories option, the quantity and the desired delivery time, the customer ultimately determines the individual price for the front panel.
