Short answer: give the 15 in panel its own slim stainless housing with about 4 in [100 mm] of interior depth. Put that housing on a freestanding pedestal when your operator stands in one spot, or on a VESA 100 swing arm when they work along the machine. The display's cutout sheet sizes the shell for you: a typical 15 in touch panel wants a 394 x 250 mm [15.5 x 9.8 in] hole and lands on a 412 x 268 mm [16.2 x 10.6 in] bezel. It needs 50 mm [2 in] of clear depth behind the door. Keep the screen vertical, because one panel maker cuts its 50 C rating to 45 C on a tilt. Make the mount hold a 10 to 15 N touch press without drifting. The HMI enclosures guide covers the general ground; this page is the pedestal-or-arm decision with its numbers.
Pedestal, swing arm or fixed box: the operator decides
Match the mount to where your operator stands and the choice makes itself. A freestanding pedestal puts the screen at a standing workstation when no wall or machine face sits in the right place. A swing arm carries the screen out from the machine frame to the point of work, then folds it clear of the aisle. A shell bolted straight to the wall or machine works when the standing position never moves.
| Where your operator works | The mount that fits | The check that decides it |
|---|---|---|
| One standing spot, nothing behind it to bolt to | Freestanding pedestal, VESA 100 head | Screen center near 60 in [1.5 m]; base bolted down; head steady under a 15 N press |
| Several points along the machine | Swing arm off the machine frame | Reach covers the farthest work point; joints hold about 2 N·m under touch |
| One fixed position at a wall or machine face | Shell bolted direct, no arm | Door lands the 412 x 268 mm bezel with 25 mm of flat steel all round |
Mounting straight onto the machine has its own page: machine mounted HMI enclosure size, rating and cutout. Arms have one too, what to specify on an HMI suspension arm. This page sticks to the choice between them and the numbers it hands you.
What the display's cutout sheet sets
These figures come from one 15 in touch panel's published cutout sheet, and they are typical of the size class:
- Cutout: 394 x 250 mm [15.5 x 9.8 in], held within 0.5 mm [0.02 in] of the drawing. One display manual sets that tolerance outright.
- Bezel: 412 x 268 mm [16.2 x 10.6 in], standing about 6.4 mm [0.25 in] proud of the door.
- Body behind the door: 50 mm [2 in], 2.7 kg [6 lb].
- Door thickness at the cutout: 2 mm to 6 mm, the window one display maker holds for an IP65 / Type 4X front-face rating. A 12 ga [2.7 mm] stainless door sits mid-window; 14 ga [1.9 mm] sits below it, so a thin door needs the display maker's word in print.
Ratings here are manufacturer ratings all the way down. Our shells keep an IP65-type front seal with the display installed, and they are not UL listed; checking an HMI NEMA rating claim shows what a claim is worth on paper.
Give the bezel 25 mm [1 in] of flat door on every side, so the cutout stays clear of the door gasket and the corner radii. That means 462 x 318 mm [18.2 x 12.5 in] of flat steel for this panel. Clamp the shell at its rear VESA pattern and leave the proud bezel face free — those 6.4 mm are where fingers land.
Depth, tilt and the 50 C line
Interior depth is the panel's 50 mm body plus a 50 mm margin for connectors and your hand: 100 mm [4 in]. Order that depth. Some builds put a touch monitor in the door with a mini PC on a bracket behind it; take the depth from those two datasheets and apply the margin once, at the end. For smaller panels, how shallow an HMI enclosure can be works the same arithmetic at 8 in.
Then the temperature line, which decides tilt. Panels of this class are rated 0 to 50 C in vertical mount, and one operator-panel manual cuts the maximum to 45 C when the screen is tilted. At 35 C [95 F] measured at the bezel you hold 15 K of margin vertical and 10 K tilted, so a walk-up station on a slight tilt is still sound. Push the bezel air to 40 C [104 F] and tilt leaves 5 K, so above that you mount vertical. Measure at the screen where the operator stands; the reading across the room counts for nothing here.
With the panel as the only device, it is also the only heat source, and most of its heat leaves through its own front glass to the room. Land the connectors with the power off, in the margin you kept. Add a mini PC later and you add watts inside the shell — 15 K is the whole budget, so redo the sum then.
The mount: VESA 100, load and a steady screen
Our HMI shells carry a 100 x 100 mm VESA pattern on the rear, so pedestal and arm heads bolt straight on. Add up what the mount carries: the display at 2.7 kg [6 lb], plus the shell. Figure 4 to 5 kg [9 to 11 lb] for a slim 304 body of this size until your drawing prints the exact mass. Pick a pedestal or arm rated for at least twice that total — about a 15 kg [33 lb] class here — so the friction joints sit well inside their grip.
Steadiness is the second number. A firm press on a touchscreen runs 10 to 15 N, and a press near the top of a 268 mm bezel loads the mount with about 2 N·m: 15 N times 0.134 m. Bolt the pedestal base down or weight it. Set the screen center near 60 in [1.5 m] for a standing adult, then press each corner of the glass in turn. A mount that drifts or springs back under that press is the wrong mount, whatever its capacity plate says.
Worked example: a 15 in panel as the only device at 35 C ambient
The inputs, each with its source:
- Cutout 394 x 250 mm, bezel 412 x 268 mm, body 50 mm, mass 2.7 kg — the display's cutout sheet.
- Rating 0 to 50 C vertical, 45 C tilted — the display's hardware manual.
- Bezel ambient 35 C [95 F] — the plant on a warm day.
- Touch force 15 N — a firm press, the top of the usual 10 to 15 N range.
- Depth margin 50 mm, flat-door margin 25 mm a side — the working rules above.
- Shell mass about 4.5 kg — planning figure for a slim 304 body of this size; the drawing states the real one.
The rules in words: interior depth is panel body plus margin; door face is bezel plus the margin twice; tilt margin is tilted rating minus bezel ambient; corner-press torque is force times half the bezel height; mount capacity is twice the carried mass.
The arithmetic:
- Depth: 50 + 50 = 100 mm [3.9 in] of interior depth.
- Door face: 412 + 50 = 462 mm by 268 + 50 = 318 mm of flat steel.
- Tilt: vertical 50 - 35 = 15 K in hand, tilted 45 - 35 = 10 K. The station may tilt; at 40 C ambient tilt falls to 45 - 40 = 5 K.
- Mount: 15 N x 0.134 m = 2.0 N·m at the top corners. Carried mass 2.7 + 4.5 = 7.2 kg, twice = 14.4 kg, so a 15 kg class pedestal or arm.
The decision: a 304 stainless shell cut for the display with 100 mm of interior depth, on a bolted-down VESA 100 pedestal rated 15 kg, screen center at 60 in, vertical. The threshold to carry forward is 40 C [104 F] at the bezel: at or above it, vertical only.
What to put on the order
Start in the HMI enclosure range with a 304 stainless housing cut for the display you named. That is the 15 in panel PC housing for a 15 in panel PC, or the 15.6 in housing when your build is the widescreen 15.6 in version. Both carry the VESA 100 rear and the gasketed rear cover. Both are delivered in 10 business days, counted from your order or, for custom work, from your approval of the drawing. The enclosure selector narrows the shortlist if this station's environment changes. Orders run through the checkout of Industrial Monitor Direct, who builds, ships and supports every one.
| Line on the order | What it says for a 15 in panel |
|---|---|
| Housing | 304 stainless HMI shell, cut for the named display; cutout 394 x 250 mm within 0.5 mm |
| Interior depth | 100 mm [4 in] behind the display |
| Door | 462 x 318 mm of flat steel; thickness 2 to 6 mm at the cutout |
| Mount | VESA 100 pedestal or arm, capacity at least twice the carried mass — 15 kg class here |
| Orientation | Vertical; tilt only with 10 K of margin at the bezel |
| Front rating | IP65-type front seal with the display installed; manufacturer rated, not UL listed |
| Delivery | 10 business days, from your order or your drawing approval |
Enclosures in this article
| Enclosure | Material | Outside H x W x D / display | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15" HMI enclosure | 304 stainless | 12.91 x 16.06 x 3.88 in | IP65-type front seal with the display installed, manufacturer rated; not UL listed |
| 15.6" HMI enclosure | 304 stainless | 11.69 x 17.64 x 4.13 in | IP65-type front seal with the display installed, manufacturer rated; not UL listed |
Questions
How deep should the enclosure be when a 15 in HMI is the only device?
Plan 100 mm [4 in]: the 50 mm the panel body needs behind the door, plus a 50 mm margin for connectors and your hand. If the shell also carries a mini PC on its bracket, add that unit's depth from its datasheet and apply the margin once, at the end.
Is a freestanding pedestal steady enough for touch input?
Yes, once the base is bolted down or weighted and the head holds the screen under a 10 to 15 N press. That press near the top of a 268 mm bezel turns into about 2 N·m of torque at the VESA point, which is what the joints have to hold. Press each corner of the glass after setting the height; the screen stays where you put it.
Does tilting the HMI change its temperature rating?
Yes. One operator-panel manual drops the maximum from 50 C, vertical, to 45 C when the screen is tilted. At 35 C ambient you keep 10 K of margin on a tilted screen; at 40 C ambient that is down to 5 K, so above 40 C mount the panel vertical.
Can I move the enclosure from a pedestal to a swing arm later?
Yes. The rear of the shell carries a 100 x 100 mm VESA pattern, so any pedestal or arm with a VESA 100 head takes it straight on. Keep the same load rule on the new mount: rated capacity at least twice the mass of panel plus shell, about a 15 kg class for a 15 in build.
What tolerance should the door cutout hold?
Hold the hole to the display's cutout drawing within 0.5 mm [0.02 in]; one display manual sets that tolerance outright. A wider gap leaves the gasket loose and drops the front seal. Order the shell pre-cut so the cutout comes from one controlled drawing, not a field measurement.
