Custom Sheet Metal OEM
Outdoor HVAC Unit Casing Fabrication
Fulei Metal manufactures outdoor HVAC unit casing for buyers comparing galvanized and powder-coated sheet metal casing options for outdoor HVAC equipment.
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Louvre Geometry Balances Airflow Against Water Rejection
A louvered panel on an outdoor unit has to do two things that fight each other: pass as much air as the coil and fan need, and stop rain being drawn in with it. The blade does that by turning the air while the water’s momentum carries it into a channel behind the opening, where it drains. Get the pitch wrong and one of two things happens – either the opening is too restrictive and the unit loses capacity, or the blades are too open and water carries straight through onto the coil and the electrical compartment.
- Blade depth and pitch decide the turning radius the air has to follow. That is a forming decision, and it has to suit the panel gauge.
- The drain path behind the louvre has to actually go somewhere. A formed channel that dead-ends holds water against the panel.
- Louvres formed into the panel are stiffer than a flat sheet with a separate grille fitted over an opening – the forming adds strength as well as the aperture.
Cut Edges and Fixings Are Where an Outdoor Casing Starts to Rust
An outdoor casing has two predictable corrosion starts, and neither is in the middle of a painted panel. The first is the sheared edge: cutting removes the coating or zinc layer exactly along the edge, and that edge is where water sits longest. The second is the fixing – a fastener is a dissimilar metal in a hole that has broken the coating, in permanent contact with the panel it is holding. A casing can be built from the right material and finished correctly and still rust at both places within a couple of seasons.
The countermeasures are specification decisions, not manufacturing ones. Edge treatment or a coating system specified for the exposure class; fastener material and finish chosen to suit the panel rather than chosen for availability; and drain provisions at the bottom hem so water does not stand inside a folded edge. Tell us where the units are installed – coastal, industrial, or inland – because that answer drives the material and coating route more than any other input. Lead time is quoted after drawing review and process confirmation.
Outdoor HVAC Unit Casing Fabrication Specifications
| Material Options | SGCC / SPCC |
|---|---|
| Thickness Range | 0.8-2.0mm |
| Typical Tolerance | ±0.1mm |
| Manufacturing Process | Laser Cutting / Bending / Welding / Weather-resistant powder coating |
| MOQ | 1 pc |
| Lead Time | Quoted after drawing review and process confirmation |
| Drawing Formats | PDF, DWG, DXF, STEP, IGES or SolidWorks files |
| Trade Terms | FOB Ningbo, EXW, CIF or project-based terms after quotation |
What Outdoor Exposure Does to a Sheet Metal Casing
An outdoor casing fails in a small number of predictable places, and almost all of them are details rather than material thickness: a cut edge that was never coated properly, a louvre that lets driven rain through, or a seam where two panels meet and hold water.
We treat the casing as a drainage and sealing problem first. Louvre geometry, the direction water travels down a panel, and how the top sits over the side panels do more for service life than moving up one material grade.
Material and finish work together. Galvanised SGCC provides a base layer of protection at the cut edge, and the powder coating specified for outdoor use does the visible work. Where a casing will sit in a coastal or industrial atmosphere, say so at quotation time — it changes what finish is appropriate.
Panels, Louvres and Weather-Resistant Coating
Panels are laser cut and formed, with louvre and vent features formed in the same operation where the geometry allows, so the opening keeps its shape and its edge stays protected.
Casing panels are joined by welding or by fasteners depending on the design and on whether the unit is serviced in the field. Seams that face weather are positioned so they do not trap water.
Before coating, parts are deburred and surface prepared, because coating adhesion at a cut edge is where corrosion usually starts. Powder coating for outdoor use is applied to the specified colour and finish, and parts are packed so coated faces are not abraded in transit.
What We Check on an Outdoor Casing
Panel fit is checked before coating — a casing that does not close squarely before finishing will not close after it. Louvre and vent openings are checked for shape and for burrs that would hold water or catch debris.
Coating coverage is checked at edges and at formed corners, where thin coverage is most likely. Where the drawing specifies a coating or corrosion requirement, it is stated in the quotation so the requirement is testable.
Incoming material checks, first-article inspection, in-process dimensional checks and final inspection photos can be provided. Corrosion performance is verified on the finished unit in its service environment rather than on a panel alone — send any test requirement with the drawing.
Casings and Panels for Outdoor Units
- Outdoor unit casings and side panels
- Louvred panels and vent covers
- Top covers and base trays
- Fan guards and grilles
- Replacement panels for existing outdoor units
What Speeds Up a Casing Quote
- Drawing with panel layout and louvre detail
- Material: galvanised SGCC or cold-rolled SPCC
- Where the unit will be installed, including coastal or industrial sites
- Coating colour and any corrosion or test requirement
- Quantity for prototype and for production
Outdoor Casing Questions
Galvanised or cold-rolled?
Galvanised SGCC protects the cut edge and is the usual choice for outdoor casings; SPCC with a specified coating system is used when the design and finish call for it.
Can you form louvres into the panel?
Yes, usually in the same forming operation as the panel, which keeps the opening consistent.
Will the coating hold at the cut edges?
Edge preparation before coating is what determines this. Parts are deburred and surface prepared before the coating line.
Can you match an existing colour?
Send the colour reference or a sample panel and we will confirm what can be matched.
How an Outdoor HVAC Unit Casing Fabrication Project Starts
Send the drawing, material, installation environment and quantity through the RFQ form.
Request a Quote for Outdoor HVAC Unit Casing Fabrication
Send your drawings and quantity requirement. Fulei Metal will review the manufacturing route and reply with the information needed for quotation.
Related Outdoor HVAC Unit Casing Fabrication Pages
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.
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.
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.