Order the housing as a custom stainless box sized around the module, not as a stock electronics case. A 240 x 128 graphic LCD with one logic board behind it and cables leaving the back clears in 1.6 in [41 mm] of interior depth: 0.50 in [13 mm] of module stack, a 0.25 in standoff gap and 0.8 in [20 mm] for the plugs. Swap in your module's datasheet depth and the same arithmetic repeats. Cut the window 0.06-0.12 in [1.5-3 mm] larger than the view area on each side, so the frame flange and its gasket cover the cutout edge without covering pixels. Stainless carries the rating: 304 for hose washdown at Type 4X, 316L where salt or sanitizers ride along. The box is cut from one piece to your width, height, depth and every cutout, and delivered in 10 business days.
Which rating and material the room decides
The rating follows the room, and a display housing usually meets one of five. Dust and oil mist indoors: Type 12. Hose-directed washdown: Type 4X, defined in NEMA 250 by hose-directed water tests plus a corrosion phase, where Table 5-1D runs another 200 hours of salt spray against an AISI 304 stainless specimen. Outdoor rain and sleet without a hose: Type 3R. Submersion: Type 6P, built to the depth, duration and fluid you name. Ratings are manufacturer ratings: ours are rated NEMA 4X / IP66 by the manufacturer, not UL listed, and they are not immersion-rated.
| The display's room | Type to order | What we cut it from |
|---|---|---|
| Control room, lab bench, dust and oil mist | Type 12 | Powder-coated carbon steel or 304 stainless |
| Food and beverage washdown, hose-directed water | Type 4X | 304 stainless |
| Salt air, brine, sanitizers, pharma and chemical areas | Type 4X | 316L stainless |
| Outdoor rain and sleet, no hose | Type 3R | 304 stainless or coated steel |
| Stated depth and duration under water | Type 6P | 316L, designed around the stated fluid |
316L is the chloride decision. Its molybdenum raises pitting and crevice resistance, while the stress-cracking threshold in chlorides stays near 60 C [140 F] for both grades, so keep the wall below that in hot brine or sanitizer service. The type-by-type comparison, with the test behind each rating, sits in the NEMA 4 vs 4X vs IP66 guide.
The window is the weakest part of the assembly. The rating holds while the display's gasketed frame seals on flat metal, the door gasket seats and every gland matches the type; a gland with a lower IP drags the whole box down to its own level. The raised lip vs flat face gasket decision shows the geometry that keeps that window gasket tracked.
Size the cutout from the view area, not the PCB
240 x 128 is the pixel count; the physical window comes from the datasheet's dimensions drawing, which gives the view area and the frame outline separately. Size the cutout to the view area plus 0.06-0.12 in [1.5-3 mm] per side, so 0.12-0.24 in [3-6 mm] across both width and height. The frame flange then overlaps the cutout edge on all four sides and its gasket compresses on flat metal. Put a radius in each corner: 1/16 in [1.6 mm] is the usual minimum on display windows, or one material thickness on thicker plate.
Keep the nearest fixing hole or gland clear of the gasket footprint, so the gasket bears on uninterrupted metal instead of bridging a hole. Where the module's own flange is thin, a bezel frame sized to the module carries the overlap instead; the common 16 x 2 character LCD has a dedicated one. The cutout, gland and window fundamentals sit in the cutouts, glands and windows guide. The same arithmetic sizes a panel cutout for a bare OLED display, and the dimensions to check first on an LCD keypad cutout lists the drawing figures that bite most often.
Depth for a 240 x 128 module with rear ports and a board behind it
The inputs, with their sources:
- Module stack, glass to module PCB: 0.50 in [13 mm]. A worked assumption; replace it with the overall depth on your module datasheet.
- Standoff gap between the module PCB and the logic board: 0.25 in [6 mm] on M3 standoffs, enough to clear through-hole pins and solder tails.
- Connector allowance behind the board: 0.8 in [20 mm], the room a latched plug needs past its shell.
The rule in words: interior depth equals the module stack, plus the standoff gap, plus the connector allowance. The arithmetic:
0.50 in + 0.25 in + 0.80 in = 1.55 in [39 mm]
Order 1.6 in [41 mm] of interior depth, the next tenth above the total, so sheet tolerance and standoff variation never pinch the stack. That is the decision for this stack. A second logic board doubles the standoff gap, taking the total to 1.80 in [46 mm] and the order to 1.9 in [48 mm]. Ports out of the side walls spend the 0.8 in from width instead of depth, which drops this depth to 0.75 in [19 mm] and lets width carry the plugs.
Watch what a datasheet's depth figure includes. One panelboard maker lists a 10.40 in [264 mm] box with a 0.90 in [23 mm] cover for 11.30 in [287 mm] overall, so read whether the figure covers the box or the assembly before you order. The same clearance logic sets single board computer enclosure clearance for expansion boards, and the shallow-depth trade for a full panel PC runs in how shallow an HMI enclosure can be for an 8 in panel.
Mount the module and the board so both come out again
Fix the module through its frame holes, just outside the cutout, with M3 screws into standoffs or a mounting plate behind the front wall. Stack the logic board on M3 standoffs at the gap height from the depth section, clear of the module PCB, and hold it square to the back wall. Leave a 0.5 in [13 mm] loop of slack in the ribbon so the board lifts out without pulling its terminations. The full stack, from cutout to standoff pattern, gets the detail treatment in LCD mounting in an enclosure: cutouts and standoffs, and the front side works through mounting a bare display module with a bezel and gasket.
Cable entry: glands sized to the cable, spaced for a wrench
Side entry keeps the depth short. Pick the gland from the cable, then place the hole: an M16 gland clamps 0.18-0.39 in [4.5-10 mm] of cable OD and an M20 takes 0.24-0.51 in [6-13 mm], the typical clamping ranges published for elastomer-sealed metric glands. Space glands about a body-width apart so a wrench fits, keep them on the lower half of a side wall or on a bottom gland plate, and hold them clear of the display gasket by the flat-metal margin from the cutout section.
More than three or four cables earns a gland plate rather than a dozen individual holes; when to specify a stainless enclosure with a gland plate is its own call. The cutout designer lays the holes on any face, checks the spacing and exports the layout with the quote request, the way the enclosure for a router board works through size, cutouts and cable entry.
What goes on the order
Send these lines with the quote:
| Order line | The value to send |
|---|---|
| Material | 304 stainless, #4 brushed, for washdown; 316L for salt, brine and chemical areas |
| Type rating | Type 4X, manufacturer rated, for hose-directed water |
| Interior depth | Module stack + standoff gap + 0.8 in of connector room; 1.55 in in the example, ordered as 1.6 in [41 mm] |
| Interior width and height | Module frame outline plus 0.25 in of clearance per side, plus each side port's plug swing |
| Display cutout | View area + 0.06-0.12 in [1.5-3 mm] per side, radius 1/16 in [1.6 mm] minimum in each corner |
| Standoffs | M3, at the gap height from the depth section, matching the module's frame holes and the board's mounting holes |
| Cable entry | Gland sizes by cable OD, M16 for 0.18-0.39 in and M20 for 0.24-0.51 in, on the lower side walls or a bottom gland plate |
| Quantity | From one piece; the drawing comes back for approval before the build |
| Delivery | Delivered in 10 business days; for custom work, from your approval of the drawing |
The decision, by room: indoor dust and oil mist takes powder-coated carbon steel at Type 12; hose-directed washdown takes 304 stainless at Type 4X; salt, brine and sanitizers take 316L at Type 4X; submersion takes a Type 6P design built to your stated depth, duration and fluid. Set the size, material and every cutout in the custom enclosure builder. When the display grows into a full panel PC, the catalog HMI housings carry it instead, with a VESA 100 rear mount and an IP65-type front seal with the display installed.
Catalog dimensions to compare
Compare these catalog dimensions with your component layout. Open each enclosure for its rating, material and usable space, then check those specifications against your application.
| Enclosure | Material | Outside H x W x D / display | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8" HMI enclosure | 304 stainless | 8.39 x 9.98 x 3.92 in | IP65-type front seal with the display installed, manufacturer rated; not UL listed |
| 10.1" HMI enclosure | 304 stainless | 8.72 x 12.66 x 3.48 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 |
| 12 × 10 × 6 in | 316L stainless | 12 x 10 x 6 in | Rated NEMA 4X / IP66 by the manufacturer; not UL listed |
Questions
How much interior depth does a 240 x 128 LCD with a circuit board behind it need?
Add three layers: the module stack, the standoff gap and the connector allowance. With a 0.50 in [13 mm] assumed stack, a 0.25 in standoff and 0.8 in [20 mm] for plugs, the total is 1.55 in [39 mm], so order 1.6 in [41 mm]. Replace the 0.50 in with your module datasheet's overall depth. Ports through the back wall spend the connector room from depth; ports through a side wall spend it from width.
How large should the display cutout be in the enclosure wall?
Larger than the view area, not the PCB: add 0.06-0.12 in [1.5-3 mm] per side, so 0.12-0.24 in [3-6 mm] across both width and height, and radius each corner 1/16 in [1.6 mm] minimum. The frame flange then overlaps the cutout edge on all four sides and the gasket seals on flat metal; keep every fixing hole and gland outside the gasket footprint, with flat metal all round it.
Which material and rating for a washdown display housing?
304 stainless at Type 4X for hose-directed washdown; 316L where salt, brine or sanitizers are present. The rating is a manufacturer rating, not UL listed, and it holds only while the display's gasketed frame, the door gasket and every gland seal at the same level. In chloride service keep the wall below about 60 C [140 F], where stress cracking starts for both grades.
Can the housing keep its rating with a window cut into it?
Yes, when the display's own gasket compresses onto flat metal all round the cutout and every penetration matches the rating; the weakest part sets the assembly. Our HMI housings take that route with an IP65-type front seal with the display installed, manufacturer rated. A raised lip keeps the gasket tracked in one position on the flange instead of wandering as the screws pull down.
How fast does a custom display enclosure arrive?
Delivered in 10 business days, anywhere in the world, counted from your order; for custom work, from your approval of the drawing. You set the material, width, height, depth and every cutout, built from one piece, with a minimum quantity of one.
