Mounting Parts in Sheet Metal Assembly

When designing sheet metal, you have to consider several factors. You need to think about arranging your parts to maximize space, making the enclosure as efficient as possible without cutting down on performance or space, and also how it will all be assembled together. In this blog, we will focus on mounting parts or components inside your sheet metal assembly.

Questions that arise in Sheet Metal Assembly

Before getting started, you’d want to figure out how the parts will assemble as part of your design. At this stage, it’s important to keep the following questions in mind:

• Do the parts need to be easily accessible from the outside?
• Can they be installed once, and permanently left in that position?
• How often will the parts need to be removed?

Once you have the answers to the aforementioned questions, you can determine where and how you place your components.

L-bracket example

For the purpose of this blog, let’s say that an L bracket needs to be permanently mounted inside an enclosure to contain a solid-state drive (SSD). Consider that the bracket never has to be removed. Then, you’d want to contemplate how the bracket would be attached, either welding or rivets.

Both options mentioned above are more permanent means for mounting a bracket, especially welding. On the other hand, rivets are technically not permanent. They can, though, be more difficult and burdensome to remove when compared to self-clinching fasteners.

Conversely, a bracket might have to be removed or swapped in the future. Then, self-clinching fasteners would be the preferred option. A great way to mount this style of bracket would be to place a small self-clinching stud that protrudes inside the base, and clearance holes on the bracket for it to fit over top.

After the bracket is placed, you then simply fasten a couple of hex nuts on and you are good to go. This is a very useful method to protect your design, so that you don’t face issues when there is a need for upgrades or replacements in the future.

Rackmount example

Rackmount enclosures are very popular.

Consider a scenario where you wish to have access to the inside of the enclosure. And you want to do it without physically removing it from the rack. In such a situation, installing self-clinching fasteners on the inside of the chassis, with mounting screws that fasten from the outside of the front panel would be the best method. If you do this, you can simply screw off the front panel and gain access to the enclosure’s interior. This is possible without removing the part from the rack.

On the other hand, if you don’t require access to the inside of a rackmount from the front, using self-clinching studs that mount using a hex nut on the inside of the chassis is often considered. With this method, you would need to actually remove the rack to take off the cover, and then gain access to the inside.

Recap

All in all, there are several different ways to mount parts in your sheet metal assembly; it all comes down to the intent and nature of your design.

If you’re looking for a resource to check out all the fasteners that are stocked at Protocase, click here.

If you have queries on sheet metal assembly or anything else, our engineering and design services team is here to help. Reach out to us at info@protocase.com.