Electronics, Lighting and Telecom Housings
Cast, Machined and Sintered Parts from One Supplier
Hydroforce die casts finned aluminium housings, machines connector bodies and mounting parts, and presses and molds miniature PM and MIM components for LED street and area lighting, airfield lighting, outdoor telecom and signalling equipment, industrial control and power electronics enclosures, emergency and public telephones, and connectors and miniature parts.
Why the Housing Is Part of the Electronics
An LED chip that runs hot at the junction gives less light and fails sooner, so its heat has to go into the housing and out to the air straight away. Aluminium alloys conduct heat at 90 to 160 W/m·K, and a die-cast housing can do the job of the heat sink. The cooling fins are cast in one piece with the body, and their shape is worked out for cooling by natural convection in outdoor air.
Street and airfield fixtures stand outside all year. Rain, UV light and salt in the air act on the surface, and the temperature changes a lot between a winter night and a summer afternoon. A cast wall is strong enough for the knocks, vibration and wind load at the roadside or next to a runway. Cable glands and gasket grooves are cast with the body. Where a mating face needs an O-ring groove, we machine it after casting. Powder coating gives extra protection against UV and salt. Anodising forms an oxide layer, and this layer also helps the housing give off heat by radiation.
The die also forms the inside of the housing. The driver compartment is cast to the size of the driver, with standoffs for the board and channels for hidden wiring. On a two-part enclosure the mounting lugs and hinges are cast with the body, which saves assembly work. Large control cabinets are made the same way, with cable inlets, bosses and flanges cast in. After casting, only the mating surfaces and threaded holes go to the CNC machine.
A street-lighting or airfield programme installs the same fixture by the hundred, so every housing in the series has to be the same. The die stays on file between batches. Each piece ships with its alloy certificate, dimensional report and coating record, from a single prototype to a full series.
Some parts in the assembly are too small for a casting. A hinge pin, a latch or a gear for a connector actuator may have cross-holes and thin webs, and machining it would take several lathe setups. We make such parts by metal injection molding. Our powder metallurgy line already supplies small parts of complex shape to electronics makers.
By Type of Equipment
Built for Outdoor Lighting, Telecom and Control Electronics
LED street and area lighting
die-cast heat-sink housing with cast-in cooling fins, frame and driver-compartment cover, with a machined mounting spigot for the pole and machined seats for the sealing faces.
Airfield lighting
paired die-cast optical housings and lamp bodies, machined with seats for the optical insert and O-ring grooves.
Outdoor telecom and signalling equipment
die-cast finned radio-unit housing and cover, with a machined mounting bracket for the mast.
Industrial control and power electronics enclosures
die-cast cabinets and large equipment housings with cast-in cable entries, bosses and flanges, and mounting faces and threads machined to tolerance.
Emergency and public telephones
two-part die-cast housing with cast-in hinges and sealing surfaces, with MIM hinge and latch parts.
Connectors and miniature parts
die-cast connector housings, machined RF-connector bodies, MIM miniature parts and actuator gears, carbide wire-drawing dies and precision molds.
What We Make for Electronics Builders
Six Technologies for Lighting, Telecom and Control Electronics Builders
Aluminium Die Casting
Die casting is our main process for electronics: heat sinks, enclosures and connector housings. Cooling fins, mounting bosses, cable ports and gasket grooves are usually formed with the body in one shot. We cast in AlSi10Mg, AlSi12 and AlSi9Cu3 (EN AC-43400, EN AC-44300, EN AC-46000) and similar alloys, with component weight from 0.05 to 30 kg, minimum wall thickness 1.5 mm and as-cast tolerance ±0.1 to ±0.3 mm, tightened to H7/h7 on machined fits. Injection pressure is 600 to 1,200 bar and the cycle takes 30 to 90 seconds. For the finish we offer anodising (standard 400-500 HV, hard 600-700 HV), powder coating, e-coating, chromating, sandblasting and polishing.
Typical applications
- Finned heat-sink housings for LED street, area and airfield lighting
- Paired optical housings machined for the optical insert and sealing gasket
- Finned enclosures for outdoor telecom and radio equipment
- Cabinets and enclosures for industrial control and power electronics, with cast-in bosses and flanges
Machining and Gears
In this trade most of our machining is done on die castings. We turn the mounting spigot on a luminaire housing, cut sealing grooves and O-ring seats and bring the mating faces for the gasket to tolerance. From bar stock we turn RF-connector bodies and make mounting brackets with threaded holes. Our Haas CNC milling centres (1270 x 660 x 635 mm work envelope) and DMG MORI turning machines (Ø500 mm, 1000 mm length) hold ±0.05 mm and IT6-IT7 fits, with geometric control to ISO 2768-fH, ISO 286 and ISO 1101.
Typical parts
- Mounting spigots and pole-mount fittings machined onto die-cast luminaire housings
- Sealing grooves, O-ring seats and mating faces cut after casting
- Turned bodies for RF and outdoor connectors
- Mounting brackets and threaded holes for mast- and wall-mounted equipment
Powder Metallurgy and MIM
Hinges and latches for two-part telephone housings and miniature gears for connector actuators are made by metal injection molding. The mold forms the whole part in one shot, including cross-holes and gear teeth, and sintering turns it into dense metal. MIM parts weigh from 0.1 g to 100 g, and conventional press-and-sinter PM parts up to 250 g. Walls go down to 0.3 mm. Standard tolerance is ±0.02 mm for MIM and ±0.05 mm as sintered for PM, and final density reaches 97%. Compaction pressure goes up to 800 MPa. Pressing and sintering a part uses up to 30% less material than cutting it from bar.
Typical applications
- Hinges and latches for two-part emergency and public telephone housings
- Miniature MIM parts for connector assemblies
- Gears for connector and actuator drives
- Small sintered parts where machining from bar would need several setups
Cemented Carbides
Carbide has a narrow place in electronics manufacturing. We make precision dies for drawing copper wire to the gauges used in connectors and cable assemblies, and inserts for the precision molds that shape small MIM and electromechanical parts. Hardness is 1,400 to 2,000 HV across the ISO 513 grade range. Functional bores are diamond ground to ±0.01 mm with a surface finish of Ra 0.1 to 0.4 μm.
Typical applications
- Precision carbide dies for drawing copper wire used in connectors and cable assemblies
- Fine-grained, low-cobalt grades for wire-drawing dies that hold a smooth bore over long runs
- Carbide inserts and core pins for the precision molds that shape small MIM and electromechanical parts
- Diamond-ground bores and cavities held to ±0.01 mm and Ra 0.1-0.4 μm
Hydraulic Cylinders
Hydraulics have a small role in an electronics or lighting plant. They work in presses and lifting tables on the assembly line. For such a line we supply cylinders from our standard range, bore 20 to 1000 mm and working pressure up to 500 bar. Every unit is tested before it ships.
Typical parts
- Press cylinders for assembly-line presses used in housing and enclosure production
- Lifting-table cylinders for line ergonomics
- General-purpose cylinders for factory material handling
- Replacement cylinders for equipment already on the line
Hydraulic Motors and Pumps
Motors and pumps have an equally small place here. On the shop floor they drive a press or a line conveyor. Our range covers gear, planetary, axial-piston and radial-piston motors from 0.25 to 8000 cc/rev, working pressure up to 450 bar. The mounting flanges follow SAE and DIN standards, and a replacement fits an existing unit without an adapter.
Typical applications
- Gear pumps for a press or line hydraulic power unit
- Drive motors for conveyor and line-handling equipment
- Replacement motors and pumps for units already installed
- Motors and pumps function tested and pressure tested against catalogue values before dispatch
Cost Logic
Where the Budget Goes, and How We Keep the Price Down
A buyer usually compares a housing or a connector body with the previous batch on unit price. We spend on the checks that show whether every fixture in a series gets the same part. The rest of the order is kept standard.
| We invest in | How we keep the price down |
|---|---|
| X-ray inspection of die-cast housings for porosity at mounting bosses and sealing faces | Near-net-shape casting and pressing that removes machining, one setup for a batch of identical fixtures |
| Precision machining of mounting faces, sealing grooves and O-ring seats to drawing tolerance | Standard mounting types, pole spigots, wall brackets and flanges, where the fixture design allows |
| Batch testing on sintered and MIM parts: density, hardness and dimensional verification | Die and tooling cost spread over the series |
| Material certificates and full documentation: EN 1706 alloy certificate, CMM report, coating-thickness records | Special finishes and coatings applied only where outdoor exposure needs them |
Aftermarket
Repeat Orders and Legacy Parts
A lighting or telecom programme runs for years, and a housing ordered today has to match one made several years ago, down to the mounting hole pattern. For every die-cast part we keep the tool drawings, the gate and overflow layout and the process settings. A repeat order is then cast, machined and finished to the same baseline as the first article. For PM and MIM parts we keep the injection parameters, the debinding profile and the sintering programme. A hinge or a latch reordered five or ten years later has the same dimensions and metallurgy as the first one.
If a fixture or an enclosure has no drawing left, send us the part or its dimensions. We measure the geometry on the CMM and then quote a replacement. After the die or the mold is built and the first article approved, we run batches from it with no redesign, for ten housings or for ten thousand.
By drawing
By worn sample
Batches for a series
Dies kept on file
Documentation
Standards and Documentation
Our component documentation refers to these standards.
| Standard | What it covers |
|---|---|
| EN 1706 | Chemical composition and mechanical properties of cast aluminium alloys |
| EN 10204 3.1 | Material certificate with traceable test results, on request |
| ISO 5755 / ISO 22068 | Specification for sintered PM and MIM materials |
| ISO 513 | Classification of cemented carbide grades |
| ISO 1328 | Accuracy classes for gear tooth geometry |
| ISO 2768-fH / ISO 286 / ISO 1101 | General machining tolerances, dimensional fits and geometric form |
Product safety, EMC and ingress-protection rules apply to the complete luminaire, cabinet or device and are the responsibility of the manufacturer who integrates our components. We supply the component documentation: the alloy certificate, the CMM report, coating-thickness records and a leak test where the part specification calls for one.
Our quality system is certified to ISO 9001:2015. More on inspection stages and equipment: Quality.
Quality
Quality Control
Every order goes through three inspection stages. We check incoming material against its certificate, and where the alloy or the powder lot matters we run a spectrochemical analysis. During machining we measure with Renishaw probes on the machine and on a CMM with an error under 3 μm, checked on schedule every 45 machine hours.
Die-cast housings are X-rayed for porosity at mounting bosses and sealing faces before machining. Sintered and MIM parts such as hinges, latches, connector bodies and actuator gears are checked for density, hardness and dimensions on every lot, with weight control on MIM green parts as an early warning of a feedstock drift. Carbide dies and mold inserts are ground to their functional tolerance, tested for Rockwell hardness and checked under the microscope for grain size and binder distribution.
More detail: Quality.
From Hydroforce
From Our Workshop
Aluminum Die-Cast Housings for LED Lighting and Industrial Applications
Aluminium heat sinks, lamp bodies, outdoor enclosures and equipment covers from 0.05 to 30 kg, with fins, mounting bosses, cable ports and gasket grooves cast with the body, made from a single prototype up to series.
Read more → Die CastingAluminum Die Casting for LED Lamps
How the housing affects the temperature and service life of an LED fixture, with cooling fins designed for natural convection, driver compartments and mounting bosses cast to size, and anodising or powder coating for outdoor use.
Read more → Powder MetallurgyMetal Injection Molding (MIM) and Powder Metallurgy Parts for Locks
Net-shape steel hinges, latches, cams and gear trains formed in one shot, sintered, hardened and finished. We use the same MIM route for miniature parts in connectors and equipment housings.
Read more →Procurement FAQ
FAQ
What documentation do you supply for electronics and lighting housings?
Die-cast housings ship with an EN 1706 alloy certificate, a first-article CMM dimensional report and coating-thickness records. PM and MIM parts ship with a material certificate for the powder lot and a dimensional and hardness report. Carbide dies and molds come with hardness testing and CMM verification. Tell us the documentation your programme needs and we plan the package with the order.
Can you match an existing housing or fixture with no drawing?
Yes. Send us the part or its dimensions and we measure the geometry before quoting a replacement or a new batch. Once the die or the mold has been built and approved, further batches run to that same baseline, with no redesign.
We install the same fixture or enclosure in series. Can you supply it as a batch?
Yes. Once the first part has been quoted and measured against your drawing or your sample, further units run as a batch, with the same certificates and tests on every piece and one setup for the run. For die-cast, PM and MIM parts the drawing and the tooling stay on file, so a repeat order matches the first part with no redesign.
What is the minimum order and the lead time?
A single cylinder is fine, with the same certificates and tests as a series batch. For motors and gears, tell us the quantity and we will quote. Die casting, powder metallurgy and MIM are tool-based series processes, so send us your volumes and we will size the tooling and quote. We quote the lead time with the offer: the die is built and trialled before the first article, and coating and leak test add steps depending on the finish and the specification.
Related capabilities:
Get a Quote
Send us a drawing, a specification or a photo of the part you need, and tell us what it is for: LED street or area lighting, airfield lighting, outdoor telecom or signalling equipment, industrial control and power electronics enclosures, emergency and public telephones, or connectors and miniature parts. We will quote the die-cast housing, the machined connector body or mounting part, the sintered or MIM component, or the carbide die, made to tolerance and tested before dispatch, with the documentation your programme needs.