Industrial Robot Housing
SKU: FL-IN-015
Custom robot housing/cover for industrial robots. Sheet metal + powder coating.
| Material | Cold-rolled steel SPCC (1.5-2.0mm) |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing Process | Laser cutting + bending + welding + powder coating |
| Surface Finish | Powder coating |
| Tolerance | ±0.3mm |
| Dimensions | Custom per robot model |
| Access panel | Removable |
| Cable routing | Pre-cut |
| Color | RAL 9005 / 7035 |
| MOQ | 10 units |
| Lead Time | Quoted after drawing review and process confirmation |
| Sample Time | Quoted after drawing review and process confirmation |
| Sample Fee | USD 350 |
| Price Range | USD 450-1200/unit |
| Applications | Industrial robots, automation cells |
| Compliance | ISO 10218 |
| Export Markets | USA, Germany, Japan, Korea |
How This Industrial Robot Housing Is Fabricated and Checked
A robot housing is a safety and accuracy part. It has to hold its shape around a moving machine, mount flat to the floor or frame, and still let a technician reach the inside when something needs adjusting.
| Stage | What happens | What is verified before the job moves on |
|---|---|---|
| Shell forming | Panels and doors formed, frame sections cut | Panel flatness and the frame section. A panel that is not flat shows as an uneven gap around a moving arm |
| Frame welding and squaring | Base and frame welded in a fixture | Base flatness and the diagonals. The base is what the housing sits on and what the machine is aligned to |
| Base and mounting provision | Mounting holes, levelling pads and anchor points made | Hole positions and base flatness, and that the mounting face has not been distorted by welding |
| Access provision | Doors, hinged panels, removable panels and service openings cut and framed | Door swing and the clear opening size, measured against what actually has to pass through it |
| Guarding interfaces | Mounting provision for guarding, interlocks and safety devices made to the design | Position and condition of those mounting points, since those fixings are part of the machine’s compliance |
| Surface preparation and coating | Degrease, phosphate and powder coat, with earth and interface faces masked | Film thickness, and that masked faces are clear, especially where a machine interface has to sit flat |
| Dimensional check and packing | Hardware, doors and interlocks fitted; assembled dimensions checked; braced and wrapped | Assembled dimensions, door gaps, and that the packed unit can be handled without loading a panel |
Changes Industrial Robot Housing Can Absorb Without New Tooling
The machine interface is fixed; the enclosure around it is where the choices are.
| What can be changed | What it affects | What it does not affect |
|---|---|---|
| Overall size and access openings | Panel sizes, door count and the clear opening dimension | The base structure |
| Base and floor interface | Mounting pattern, levelling arrangement and the flatness requirement | The panels |
| Guarding and interlock provision | The mounting points for the safety devices | The coating, where those faces are masked |
| Door and panel type | Hinge positions, access and whether panels are removable | The frame |
| Cable and service routing | Cut-out positions and the path into the machine | The structure |
| Colour and finish | Specification and appearance | Nothing structural |
FAQ on Industrial Robot Housing
How flat does the base need to be?
Flat enough that the machine interface sits without shimming, and it is stated as a value rather than left to whoever assembles it. The base is welded in a fixture and checked before the panels go on, because correcting flatness after assembly means machining.
Does the housing itself carry the safety rating?
The housing carries the mounting points for whatever guarding and interlock the machine design uses. We make those fixings to the drawing. The rating of the safety system is a machine design and validation matter, and it is worth keeping the two clearly separate.
Can the housing be delivered in sections for restricted access?
Yes, provided the joints are designed for it: where the split falls, the fixing pattern, and whether the joint needs sealing. A housing that is cut in half later on site will not go back together square.
The base flatness and the access openings decide whether the machine goes in easily, and both are set before the panels are formed. Send the machine interface drawing through the RFQ form so the base and the openings are made to it. Related: welding, metal enclosure manufacturing and measurement tools.
Clearance, Cable Routing and Service Access
A robot housing has to enclose a mechanism that moves, which is harder than enclosing one that does not. The shell has to clear the full swept envelope at every axis position, the cable and hose routing has to survive millions of flex cycles without chafing, and a technician has to be able to reach the service points without dismantling the whole cover. We design the cover from the sweep envelope the drawing gives us, and we flag it where clearances are tight enough that tooling tolerance could close them.
- Cover geometry is checked against the stated swept envelope, not against the rest position.
- Cable paths get protected edges and a bend radius, because chafing is the usual cause of a field failure.
- Service openings are positioned to the maintenance points, and fasteners are captive so panels are not lost.
Weight, Stiffness and the Moving Mass
Every kilogram on a moving arm costs cycle time and increases the load on the drive, so there is constant pressure to make covers thin. Thin covers drum, crack at the fixing points and transmit noise. The answer is usually forming rather than thickness – a rib, a return flange or a slight crown adds stiffness for no mass – and that is the conversation worth having before the gauge is fixed.
Material is normally aluminium for weight, or steel where the cover also has to take an impact. Impact protection, safety certification and the risk assessment for the finished robot cell belong to the integrator and the machine’s own approvals process. Lead time is quoted after drawing review and process confirmation.
Payment Terms
How a project is paid for is agreed before production starts, and the structure that applies to your order is stated on the quotation and on the order confirmation, so there is no ambiguity later.
- 30% advance payment with the order and the 70% balance before shipment — our standard structure.
- 70% advance payment with the order and the 30% balance before shipment — used for some projects.
- 100% payment in advance before production starts — used for some projects.
If your finance team works to a fixed structure, say so in the first enquiry and we will confirm what applies to your order before you commit. Request a quotation.
Questions buyers ask before sending drawings
The questions that come up most often before a project starts, answered the way we answer them by email.
What do you need from me to quote Industrial Robot Housing?
2D drawings as PDF, DWG or DXF, or 3D files as STEP, IGES or SolidWorks, together with material grade, sheet thickness, surface finish, quantity and destination country. If the drawing is not finished yet, send a photo, a sketch or the existing part instead — we review what can be measured from it and reply with the questions that still need answering.
How long does a quotation take?
Enquiries are answered within one business day. Simple laser-cut and bent parts are quoted within 24 hours. Welded frames, assembled units and multi-part structures are quoted after the drawing review and process confirmation, and the date is confirmed in our reply.
Is there a minimum order quantity?
Prototypes are made from a single piece and small batches of 10–50 pieces are routine. Prototype, first batch and repeat volume are quoted together so the numbers stay consistent as the project scales.
Can you work from a sample or a photo if I have no drawing?
Yes. Send the part itself, clear photographs with a rule or caliper in frame, or a dimensioned sketch. We measure what can be measured, list what is still undefined, and confirm it with you before production.
Need a Similar Part?
Most enquiries that start on a page like this are not an order for Industrial Robot Housing — they are a search for a factory that can make something like it. Send us your drawing, 3D model or sample and we will review the manufacturing process and the quotation requirements, then come back with a process plan, a price and a lead time.
We work from 2D drawings, STEP / DWG / DXF / PDF files, or a physical sample if that is all you have.
No complete drawings yet? Describe the part, send photos or a sketch, or send a sample — we can start from there. Discuss your project.
Trade Terms and Delivery
We quote under the standard Incoterms your logistics team already works with, and build the packing and documentation around the one you choose.
- EXW — you collect from our Ningbo facility and run export clearance through your own forwarder.
- FOB Ningbo — we deliver to the vessel at Ningbo port and handle export clearance.
- CIF — we cover carriage and insurance to your named destination port.
- DDP — we handle carriage, insurance, import clearance and duties through to your door.
Send your destination country, target delivery date and preferred trade term together with the drawing. Request a quotation.
Quotation Time
We quote from your drawings. How long that takes depends on what the part asks for:
- Simple parts — quoted within 24 hours. Laser-cut blanks and bent components, supplied with complete 2D or 3D drawings. Mon–Fri, GMT+8.
- Complex assemblies — quoted after the drawing review. Payment kiosks, multi-part welded frames, enclosures with purchased hardware, or anything needing a coating or assembly trial. We confirm a quotation date once the scope is clear.
Production lead time is quoted separately, after drawing review and process confirmation. Send your drawings.
What stands behind this quotation
- Manufacturing since 20162,500 m² Ningbo plant — 3 laser cutting machines (including newer TRUMPF), 4 CNC press brakes and 10 welding stations.
- Shipped to more than 30 export marketsEnclosures, cabinets and formed parts supplied to OEM buyers across Europe, North America and Asia.
- 123 documented product casesMedical device housings, HVAC and heat pump enclosures, agricultural and livestock equipment, industrial hydraulics, material handling trolleys and EV charging cabinets.
- Factory evidence you can checkTUV Rheinland audit reference MIC-ASI243729 and Bureau Veritas reference MIC-ASR263630 available for buyer review under NDA.
Before you send drawings: an NDA is signed on request · first-article inspection is carried out before a batch continues · pricing is staged from prototype quantity to repeat volume · pre-shipment photos and packing records are prepared when the project needs them.