Common Challenges of Designing Cutouts

Cutouts are an essential part of your design for custom parts and enclosures. They can be used for functional and mechanical purposes, as well as to improve the aesthetics of a part.

Designing cutouts might seem straightforward at first glance, but if you’ve tackled projects that involve intricate shapes or precise placements, you know the challenges can add up quickly. And for cutouts to serve their intended purpose, whether it is for connectors, switches, displays, or ventilation, it’s important to understand and tackle design challenges.

Cutout Placement

Cutout positioning is one of the earliest decisions in a design process. A misstep here can lead to a lot of problems down the line.

A common mistake is placing cutouts close to bend lines. When the sides are bent using our press brakes, the cutout can stretch or flare out. This can be a problem, especially if you need to fit a component inside the cutout.

Therefore, you should consider the minimum flange value, which is the minimum distance the edge of a flange or specific cutouts can be from the bend. You should refer to the material bend radii and minimum bend size chart on our website for these numbers when designing.

But of course, there are some situations when you simply have to place cutouts closer to a bend. To overcome a problem here, you can use notches.

If notches are a problem, CNC machining is a great solution as you can create precise cutouts with smooth edges, giving you more flexibility in your designs.

Thermal and Electrical Considerations

It’s also important to take thermal and electrical considerations. For example, if you place electrical connectors too close together, it can lead to signal interference or even arcing.

On the other hand, if you’re adding cutouts to a load-bearing structure, poorly placed openings could end up weakening the whole design.

Incorrect Sizing of Cutouts

If a cutout is too small or too big, it may fail to serve its intended purpose or risk structural instability.

For examples, holes that are too tight may damage connectors during insertion. Meanwhile, oversized cutouts can result in loose fits or require additional gaskets.

That’s why it’s important to account for manufacturing tolerances, for which you can find details here.

Material Expansion and Shrinkage

It’s easy to overlook material expansion and shrinkage, but if your part has tight tolerance features and will be used in extreme conditions, this is something to keep in mind.

A good plan to get this right is to test with different iterations and adjust your size assumptions. That’s where Protocase can help you out. Whether you choose sheet metal fabrication, CNC machining, or 3D printing, we can manufacture your custom parts in just 2-3 days. This empowers you to test and adapt quickly, helping you boost project velocity while sustaining momentum.

Spacing Concerns

The spacing between cutouts can really impact how strong and aesthetically-pleasing a design turns out. If the cutouts are too close together or irregular, it could weaken the structure and impact the overall appearance of the component.

For example, imagine designing cutouts for a speaker grill. If the holes are too close together, the material can lose strength and might crack or warp. On the other hand, if they’re too far apart, the design might not maximize sound quality.

Installation of Components

Sometimes, a component might fit perfectly in a 3D model but be difficult to install later on.

For example, a wrench or screwdriver might not fit in the available space, or it might be hard to hold a component in place while securing it. Providing access for a screwdriver through a flange to reach a screw below can make installation much easier by keeping the tool straight.

Tip – Check Out Protocase Designer

Here’s a tip: With our in-house design software, Protocase Designer, you can create your own cutouts or choose one from the cutout library for your design.

The best part is that there are live manufacturability checks. So, if there’s an issue with the size, placement, or spacing of the cutouts, you’ll get a heads-up right away. Give it a try!