Smart new backlighting option for customised plastic enclosures

OKW has added a special new machining service for LED backlighting to its enclosure customisation options – allowing electronics designers to overcome the ingress protection problems associated with fitting LEDs and/or light pipes to a housing's front panel.

This smart new solution allows designers to add extra visual cachet to their devices. It is excellent for displaying numbers and letters in a wide range of electronics applications – especially where dust or water ingress is a risk.

The backlighting has a soft, subtle glow. Numbers or letters appear only during illumination. At other times, they disappear: the lighting is invisible – no LEDs can be seen because they are mounted below the panel's surface. Ingress protection is maintained by the enclosure's designated IP rating.

The company allows the backlighting effect by machining small indentations into the underside of a panel. Beneath these indentations LEDs can then be assembled depending on the customer's configuration. The indentations are thin enough to let light from the LEDs pass through the plastic. However, neither the LEDs nor the indentations are visible when the illumination is off.

Backlighting is ideal for models such as the company's SMART-PANEL, a slim and discreet wall-mount enclosure for building control systems, smart homes, offices, IoT/IIoT, measuring, healthcare, laboratories and security technology.

The new backlighting option is part of the company's extensive range of modification services, which include CNC machining, printing, laser marking, decor foils, EMC shielding and installation/assembly of accessories. Lacquering and special materials can also be selected.