Wie dick müssen die Wände eines gedruckten Gehäuses sein?

Ab 0,8 mm ist ein Gehäuse druckbar, brauchbar wird es meist ab 2 mm. Für Deckel mit Schraubverbindung und größere Flächen planen wir 2,5 bis 3 mm ein, weil sonst Verzug und Durchbiegen sichtbar werden. Rippen bringen mehr Steifigkeit als eine gleichmäßig dickere Wand.

Sind gedruckte Gehäuse dicht?

Gegen Staub und Spritzwasser lassen sich Gehäuse mit einer Nut und einer TPU-Dichtung gut abdichten. Eine IP-Schutzart können wir nicht zusichern, weil dafür geprüfte Bauteile und eine Prüfstelle nötig sind. Für höhere Anforderungen empfehlen wir eine gekaufte Dichtung im gedruckten Nutprofil.

Welcher Werkstoff für ein Gehäuse im Außeneinsatz?

ASA und ASA-CF, weil beide UV-stabil sind und bei Temperaturwechsel maßhaltig bleiben. PETG hält Feuchte aus, vergilbt aber unter dauerhafter Sonne. PLA ist für Außeneinsatz nicht geeignet.

Gibt es flammgeschützte Gehäusewerkstoffe?

Ja, ABS FR und PC FR mit UL94 V-0 Einstufung des Filaments. Wichtig: die Einstufung gilt für den Werkstoff in der geprüften Probengeometrie, nicht automatisch für Ihr Bauteil. Für eine Zulassung Ihres Produkts braucht es eine Prüfung am fertigen Bauteil.

Wie werden Schrauben und Gewinde im Gehäuse gelöst?

Für wiederholtes Öffnen setzen wir Messing-Gewindeeinsätze ein, die eingepresst oder eingeschmolzen werden. Direkt in den Kunststoff geschraubte Blechschrauben halten wenige Zyklen und sind nur für Einmalmontage sinnvoll.

Housings and covers from 3D printing

From a protective cover to a control housing: printed enclosures without tooling cost, with threaded inserts, cable entries and a sealing groove. From one piece, in ASA for outdoor use or flame retardant in ABS FR and PC FR.

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Single housings in 2 to 4 working days, series in 4 to 15 working days

Typical housing jobs

Housings are the classic case where an injection mould only pays off at high volumes. Until then printing is the only route that does not force you to freeze the design.

Control and electronics housings

Housings with board standoffs, connector cut-outs and a lid. Cut-outs get a little clearance so connectors fit without rework.

Protective covers on machinery

Covers for drives, sensors and controls. Large faces are split and joined so they do not warp.

Outdoor housings and weather protection

ASA housings with a drip edge, cable entry and TPU gasket for applications that stay outdoors permanently.

Device housings for pre-series

Ten to a few hundred housings for field tests and first sales before a mould is ordered. A change only costs the next batch.

Suitable materials

For a housing the decisive factors are internal temperature, sunlight, impact load and fire safety requirements. Material choice then usually becomes clear.

Read the materials guide

Details that make a housing usable

01A STEP file of the housing and, if possible, of its contents. From that we check clearances and connector positions.
02Where screws will be undone and retightened. Those spots get brass inserts instead of direct screwing.
03Sealing requirement: dust, splash water or just touch protection. That defines groove profile and gasket section.
04Internal temperature and heat dissipation of the electronics, so the material is not run close to its heat deflection limit.
05Mark visible faces. We orient them in the build so layer lines do not run distractingly.

Full DFM checklist

What makes a printed housing good

Technically a housing does only a few things: hold components, take loads, route cables, keep the environment out and open again. Printing solves four of those easily. The fifth, repeated opening, is the most common failure point. Self-tapping screws in plastic strip after a few cycles, so we plan brass inserts wherever a lid gets removed in service.

The second point is orientation. FDM parts are weaker between layers than within one. For a housing that means screw bosses and snap hooks should not sit so that the load pulls the layer plane apart. We rotate the part in the build accordingly, even when that means more support material.

With larger housings the build volume becomes the limit. Above roughly 250 mm edge length we deliberately split the part where a bonded or screwed joint is acceptable anyway, and add locating features. A split, properly joined housing is in practice stiffer than a single part printed at an angle to fit the build volume.

Manufacturing data at a glance

Location: Schleswig, Germany
Part size: up to approx. 250 x 250 x 250 mm, larger parts split and joined
Quantities: 1 to several thousand, no minimum order quantity
Tolerances: approx. ±0.2 mm for PLA, PETG and carbon grades, ±0.3 mm for ABS, ASA and PC
Layer height: 0.10 to 0.30 mm
Materials: 20 engineering filaments from PLA to PA12-CF and PC FR
File formats: STEP, STL, 3MF, OBJ, IGES up to 200 MB
Lead time: 2 to 4 working days for samples, 4 to 15 working days for series

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Printed housing FAQ

How thick do the walls of a printed housing need to be?: From 0.8 mm a housing is printable, but usually only usable from 2 mm. For screwed lids and larger faces we plan 2.5 to 3 mm, otherwise warping and flexing become visible. Ribs add more stiffness than uniformly thicker walls.
Are printed housings sealed?: Against dust and splash water a housing seals well with a groove and a TPU gasket. We cannot certify an IP rating, because that requires tested parts and a test house. For higher demands we recommend a bought seal in a printed groove profile.
Which material for an outdoor housing?: ASA and ASA-CF, because both are UV stable and stay dimensionally stable through temperature swings. PETG handles moisture but yellows under permanent sun. PLA is not suitable outdoors.
Are flame retardant housing materials available?: Yes, ABS FR and PC FR with a UL94 V-0 rating on the filament. Note that the rating applies to the material in the tested specimen geometry, not automatically to your part. Approval of your product requires testing the finished part.
How are screws and threads handled in the housing?: For repeated opening we use brass threaded inserts, pressed or heat set. Self-tapping screws driven straight into plastic survive few cycles and only make sense for a single assembly.