The November 11, 2019 MD+DI & QMED online edition features Are You Using a Requirements-Based PCB Enclosure Selection Process? written by Nigel Syrotuck, StarFish Medical Mechanical Engineering Team Lead. Sub-headed Avoid wasting time trying to find the optimal PCB enclosure, the article explains, “Printed circuit board (PCB) enclosures are very common in medical devices, and although they are not overly complicated, a requirements-based approach can save a lot of time and effort during development.”
Syrotuck offers the following example: “There is no worse time to learn that your enclosure needs a complete design change than when you fail IEC 60601 testing. Enclosures may seem trivial, but they often have a lot of safety and efficacy implications that are key to medical device certification.”
Syrotuck includes his own PCB Enclosure Selection Process Decision Matrix and concludes with this advice: “Modifying off-the-shelf enclosures is typically the best choice when the requirements allow. I suggest designing an enclosure from scratch when the requirements are complex or when volumes are projected to be very high (as they may be cheaper in the long run). I hope this PCB Enclosure Selection Process blog has helped you choose the option that works best for your requirements!”