Posts Tagged ‘Extruded Aluminum’

« Older Entries

CBT Technology Inc. – The 3 W’s: What? Why? When?

Tuesday, October 25th, 2011

We are ‘interrupting’ the ongoing Design Innovation blog series this month to highlight an exciting event at our company.

On October 3rd, amid much fanfare, we announced the launch of CBT Technology, Inc.  This was an important next step for us – to finally break ‘out of the extruded’ box.  Dating back to 1945 (even prior to the incorporation at Extrusion Technology Inc.!) the company’s roots were in leveraging our internal extruding capabilities to address customers packaging requirements.  As our market focus evolved, we established the XTech brand which became synonymous with ‘Extruded Front Panels and Enclosures.’

To be a full service provider to our customers,  we recognized it was critical to expand our front panel offering to encompass a broader range of products.  New architectures like ATCA and MicroTCA highlight the sheet metal front panel solutions typically associated with proprietary telecom and networking platforms.  Now, emerging ruggedized architectures like VPX demanded a new range of front panel options.

In addition – the importance of the extractors in the overall value proposition was becoming clear.  After all, it is the front panel ejector which plays a key role in the interface of the front panel with the chassis – as well as the ability to service/remove a board.  Providing our customers with complete technical solutions – means  more than the panel.  This lead us to key additions to our portfolio – namely Triple E Ruggedized solutions  and Purcell Technologies.  From Purcell PC Brackets to Triple E All Metal Ejectors – both acquisitions enabled us to significantly broaden our front panel offering for our customers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the focus on providing our customers with world class products and services – focused on key elements which attach to and support circuit boards in a full range of modalities from die cast to sheet metal to extrusions -  we had outgrown the company name Extrusion Technology.  With a global footprint and the largest offering of front panel solutions – CBT Technology Inc will continue to focus on you – our customers around the globe…

Please check out the video from Reinhold Hesse,  President and CEO announcing the change.

Please visit our new CBT Technology website.

And download  our new CBT Brochure – “CBT Technology Inc. – Out of the Box.”  Leave a comment below if you or your company have questions about the name change.

Join our employees in celebrating this next step in our company’s journey!

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Design and Engineering, Ejectors/Injectors, Front Panel | No Comments »

Getting Outside the Box (or in this case ‘in the box’) Installment #2 in the ETI Always Made Custom – Design Innovation Series

Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011

Electronics are getting smaller, often reduced to single board computers.  We need to have a packaging solution which protects the electronics, provides the ability to mount the product, and facilitates power/data transfer. For larger solutions – this generally means some type of chassis or system.  But for smaller configurations,  an enclosure such as the options shown below, are often required.

To reduce cost,  while providing a robust and stable mechanical mounting solution – features such as those listed below are generally integrated into the solution :

  1. Wall or pole mounting options
  2. Board slots
  3. Conductive/EMI provisions as needed
  4. Provisions for IP or EMI Gasketing
  5. Front/Rear Endplates for connectors and I/O
  6. Labeling

So how do you get from your single (or multiple board solution) to the right enclosure design….

Matt Travers – our roaming applications engineer provided the following guidelines:

First – start by identifying the key features which are critical to your application

  1. IO
  2. Power/Thermal
  3. Mounting requirements
  4. EMI Specifications

Next – look for an enclosure solution which most closely meets your requirements.  Generally for low  to medium volume- but robust application equirements  – an aluminum enclosure is the answer.  These can be customized for low runs starting at 100 units, with tooling costs of less than $1500.  For high volumes later in the project’s life cycle – the transition is often made to die cast.

For details on a whole range of standard off-the-shelf enclosure options – visit our Aluminum Enclosures page.

Now – armed with your PCB layout, such as shown below, we can work with your engineering team to design an enclosure customized to meet your  application.

Using a standard configuration as a guideline, such as the WS-4517 below, we will work to adapt the design to your application requirements.

From this standard solution – we were able to configure a solution which  accommodated the custom board layout, all of the IO requirements,  and was also adapted to meet the customer’s aesthetic requirements.

Squeezing in all the I/O and indicators

For more ideas on how to develop an enclosure solution for your application – check out our Photo Gallery of different designs.

And call Matt – to get started on your next design at 1-888-444-1644!

With the right design engineering partner,  and a standard enclosure solution to guide the way – a cost effective,  fast time to market solution – is readily available….

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Aluminum Enclosures, Design and Engineering | No Comments »

GPS Enclosures and the Aluminum Advantage

Thursday, April 7th, 2011

Rugged aluminum enclosure solutionsThe Global Positioning System (GPS) has brought us amazing capabilities to know the location people and cargo at any moment.  By placing a simple antenna and transmitter on what you want to track, you can have up to the minute information about the target.

There are options for housing these GPS transmitters, but aluminum extrusions offer several distinct advantages.

Why Aluminum?

  • Light Weight
  • Durable and Strong
  • Non-Corrosive

Comparable material cannot stand up against the rigors of GPS asset tracking.  Steel can be heavy and plastic can be flimsy in rough situations.  For tracking, especially in transportation, there are some important concerns.  Applications in rail must have vibration protection and trucking can expose GPS units to dust.

XTech aluminum enclosures have taken all this into account.  We offer lightweight and long-lasting enclosures that fit your GPS transmitter, gaskets to protect your electronics from the environment, and mounting hardware to affix your GPS transmitter to your valuable assets.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Aluminum Enclosures | No Comments »

« Older Entries