A server chassis is a sheet metal box that has to be flat, square and repeatable, because every board, rail and panel inside it is positioned from its folds. Balford fabricates 19-inch rack chassis, sub-racks and DIN rail enclosures to drawing.

What we build

Chassis work is defined by the interface: the rack width, the mounting holes and the internal rail positions must repeat from unit to unit and from batch to batch.

19-inch rack mount chassis and 1U to 6U housings
Sub-racks, card cages, brackets and mounting ears
DIN rail enclosures and control boxes
Cover panels, front panels and vented faces

Tolerances that matter

For a chassis the critical dimensions are usually geometric rather than a single length: squareness of the box, flatness of the bottom face and the position of the rack holes.

Rack hole positions held to the drawing datum, both sides matched
Bottom face flatness controlled so boards and rails sit without shimming
Overall squareness checked by diagonal measurement
Vent patterns cut by laser, so the open area is repeatable

Materials, finish and assembly

Rack hardware usually needs screening and grounding as well as corrosion protection.

Cold rolled steel, stainless steel 304, aluminium 5052 and 6061
Zinc plating, powder coat, passivation, and conductive masking for grounding points
PEM studs, standoffs, inserts and rivet nuts installed in house
Sub-assembly with slides, rails and fans when supplied

Send a chassis drawing for review →