Custom AV Enclosures and Brackets: How Design for Manufacture Saves Integrators Time

Most AV projects can be delivered with standard mounts and stands. But every in­te­gra­tor has met the exception: a display size nobody makes a bracket for, a security re­quire­ment that rules out off-the-shelf hardware, or an architect's design that looks great on paper and is hard to make. That's where custom fab­ri­ca­tion, done properly, saves time and money.

When standard won't do

Common reasons to go custom:

• Security: cor­rec­tion­al, mental health, public or un­su­per­vised spaces where hardware has to resist tampering
• In­te­gra­tion: displays or equipment built into joinery, walls or furniture
• En­vi­ron­ment: outdoor, dusty or wash-down areas
• Unusual di­men­sions: non-standard displays, video walls or equipment com­bi­na­tions
• Aes­thet­ics: a design brief that standard products don't meet

What design for man­u­fac­ture means

Design for man­u­fac­ture (DFM) is the practice of shaping a design so it can be made ac­cu­rate­ly, ef­fi­cient­ly and con­sis­tent­ly, without losing what the designer intended. In sheet metal, that means thinking about bend radii, material thickness, weld access, fastener choice, finish and how the part will be installed.

A design that ignores DFM can still be made, but it costs more, takes longer and is more likely to have problems on site.

The custom process

Brief

Start with re­quire­ments: what it holds, where it goes, who might interfere with it, how it's serviced and what it must look like. Include display models, weights, VESA patterns and any security or com­pli­ance standards.

Design and review

Gilkon's team turns the brief into a man­u­fac­turable design, often sug­gest­ing changes that make the product stronger, cheaper or easier to install. On major projects, designs may be reviewed by engineers, builders, ar­chi­tects and the client before sign-off.

Prototype

A prototype confirms fit, function and finish before pro­duc­tion. It's the cheapest point at which to make a change.

Pro­duc­tion and finishing

Gilkon products are man­u­fac­tured by OPIE Man­u­fac­tur­ing Group at Emu Heights, NSW. Parts are laser cut on TRUMPF fibre lasers, formed on CNC press brakes, welded and powder coated in-house, then assembled and checked under an ISO 9001 quality system. Because every­thing happens in one facility, custom work doesn't pass between multiple sub­con­trac­tors. See OPIE's man­u­fac­tur­ing services.

Two examples

Ravenhall prison, Victoria. Every display at Ravenhall, from 24" in-cell IPTV screens to 58" displays in waiting and common areas, is protected by a custom Gilkon security shroud. The shrouds were designed from scratch to meet pre-defined security and ISM standards. Engie's project manager Firas Zain said Gilkon "gave input as to how best to achieve the initial design by the architect", and the QA process meant zero units were returned for fixing (read more).

Uni­ver­si­ty of Canberra lectern centre. For a free­stand­ing, height-ad­justable lectern orig­i­nal­ly developed with UTS, Gilkon ensured the com­po­nents were easy to man­u­fac­ture and the process cost-efficient. UTS's AV project manager Dale Arnull described UTS as "a great partner in the pro­to­typ­ing process" (read more).

(Both projects were delivered before Gilkon became part of OPIE Man­u­fac­tur­ing Group.)

Tips for a smoother custom project

1. Involve the man­u­fac­tur­er early, ideally at design de­vel­op­ment, not after tender.
2. Share the real con­straints, including security, servicing and in­stal­la­tion access.
3. Provide accurate equipment data: model numbers, weights and di­men­sions.
4. Budget for a prototype on anything new.
5. Agree the finish: powder coat colour and texture.
6. Plan in­stal­la­tion: fixings, wall types and site access.

Fre­quent­ly asked questions

How long does a custom AV project take? It depends on com­plex­i­ty, approvals and quan­ti­ties. Simple brackets can move quickly, while multi-stake­hold­er security projects take longer. Involve us early and we'll give you a realistic program.

Is there a minimum quantity for custom work? Talk to us. Pro­to­types and small runs are possible, and larger quan­ti­ties bring the unit cost down.

Can you match a specific powder coat colour? Powder coating is done in-house, so most colours can be ac­com­mo­dat­ed.

Who owns the design? Agree in­tel­lec­tu­al property and design ownership at the start of the project, es­pe­cial­ly when an architect or con­sul­tant has produced the original concept.

Have a custom AV re­quire­ment? Send your brief to the Gilkon team or browse standard products first. The answer may already exist.