Large construction projects often require a lot of customization. Whether you’re working on a manufacturing facility, a car wash, or just a large building, there are things you’re going to need to do the project properly, and standard options aren’t always the best.
One clear example of this is electrical enclosures. Depending on the project, they might need a specific shape, finish, or configuration.
In those cases, you have to customize those boxes. On a small scale, you can do this by hand, and a couple of tips can help you succeed. At a larger scale, you need to work with the manufacturer to get exactly what you need, and there are tips to help with that too.
Pick the Right Material
If a job is going to require minute adjustments and on-the-fly customization for your electrical enclosures, then choose enclosures that are easy to customize. In most applications, metal enclosures aren’t necessary, and customizing metal takes a lot more time and effort than working with non-metals.
Use non-metal enclosures as much as possible. They’re easier to punch, cut, shave, and drill, and you’ll save a ton of time and energy.
Use the Right Tools
Even when you do work with non-metal enclosures, you want to use the right tools for the job. Sure, there are times when an enclosure has to fit into a weird space, and you might grab a knife and make it work.
In most cases, the customization needs a little more precision and care. Bring the right tools for the job. Cordless drills and saws (especially with the right blades) give you a lot more freedom with your customizations. You won’t have to butcher any boxes to get things just right, and you can work quickly.
Especially for large projects, saving time with the right tools is extremely valuable.
Let the Manufacturer Do It
Then again, those are for on-the-fly adjustments. If you know you need specialized customizations for your electrical enclosures, you can work with the manufacturer to get them customized during fabrication. They’ll ship with the exact shape and configuration that you need. No onsight customization will be necessary.
Some of the most valuable manufacturer customizations include finishes, holes, cutouts, and shapes. For any type of specialized work, the finishes on the boxes can mean the difference between success and failure, and getting those finishes from the manufacturer saves countless hours of work. It also saves on the equipment you need to apply the finishes.
For holes and cutouts, it’s just about saving time. Sure, you can customize on the fly, but a large project might install thousands of boxes. How much labor can you save by outsourcing that work to the manufacturer?
Lastly, custom shapes come up often, and it’s always better to do this through fabrication. When standard sizes and boxes won’t fit or serve the function of the enclosure, you don’t want to spend hours trying to shave corners to make things fit. Get the custom shapes from the start. They’ll function better, install easier, and make the whole project run more smoothly.
Other customizations are also available with manufacturers, including customized hardware and accessories. Spell out everything you need, and the manufacturer will work with you to make it right.
