About Hardware

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Fasteners

Screws and Other Conventional Fasteners

Protocase stocks a wide variety of conventional fasteners, the most common being machine screws and hex nuts. In Protocase Designer, screws are included in each enclosure template (along with its hole cutout), and cannot be added manually.

  • In countersinks, the Thread Size includes the angle of the countersink on the head, and the standard thread size. For example, a thread size of "100.0° #2" indicates a countersink angle of 100 degrees, with the standard #2 thread size. Flathead screws, and screws for a rackmount enclosure with Full Height Chassis, are countersunk automatically.
  • When you load an enclosure template or any point thereafter, you can change the screw type and color.
  • When editing a face in Designer, you cannot replace a screw with another screw, but you can see information on screws, and replace a screw with a self-clinching fastener (PEM).

For additional information on screws, see:

Self-Clinching Fasteners

Self-clinching fasteners are threaded nuts, studs, or standoffs that are mechanically pressed into sheet metal to provide solid fastening points. Nuts can be used to accept bolts, standoffs can be inserted for mounting circuit boards, and studs can be used for mounting connectors. At Protocase and in Designer, they are often referred to as PEM fasteners, or PEMs. PEM is a trademark of Penn Engineering & Manufacturing Corporation, the company that makes this most commonly used brand.

  • As of Version 4.4.9-Jan11,16, the Cutout Library does not include self-clinching fasteners; they can be placed only using the Cutout Library and Fasteners > Place Self-Clinching Fasteners command in the Face Editor.
  • When silkscreening over fasteners, ensure that fasteners or other hardware do not cover the silkscreened graphics or text. Fasteners often leave small creases that result in breaks in silkscreened lines. For an example, see About Graphics.

For additional information on self-clinching fasteners, see:

Brackets

Protocase builds custom brackets that can be part of a full enclosure design, or ordered as separate or standalone components. Powdercoat finish is standard, and silkscreening where applicable. Since brackets can be made of copper, they can be used as precision bus bars in your enclosure design. For some examples, see Protocase Copper Bus Bars.
See Also: Creating and adding brackets in Designer

Other Hardware

Other hardware that can be added to an enclosure includes rubber feet, handles, drawer slides, louvers, and hinges. While these items cannot be added directly within Designer, you can add a note to your design requesting Protocase to add them. For details on these, see: