Water Heater Enclosure & Shell Panels
Water heater shell and enclosure panels for storage and instant types: 0.6–1.2 mm steel with a decorative coating or brushed stainless front, insulation-retaining ribs inside the shell, and a base that takes the filled weight of a 100 litre tank. Made by WERIX Metal from SECC 0.8mm / SUS304 0.6mm to a tolerance of ±0.1mm, finished with powder coat or brushed stainless. Typical order volume is from 1000 to 100000+. Free DFM quote within 24 hours.
Engineering drawing available on request
Send your target specifications — we reply with a drawing and a DFM quote within 24 hours.
Water Heater Enclosure & Shell Panels
Water heater shell and enclosure panels for storage and instant types: 0.6–1.2 mm steel with a decorative coating or brushed stainless front, insulation-retaining ribs inside the shell, and a base that takes the filled weight of a 100 litre tank.
| Part number | P-113 |
|---|---|
| Product type | Water Heater Housing |
| Industry | Home Appliances |
| Material | SECC 0.8mm / SUS304 0.6mm |
| Tolerance | ±0.1mm |
| Surface Finish | powder coat or brushed stainless |
| Manufacturing processes | deep drawing · stamping · spot welding |
| MOQ / Volume | from 1000 to 100000+ |
Water Heater Enclosure & Shell Panels: manufacturing notes
This part — water heater enclosure & shell panels — is manufactured in our Dongguan plant. The notes below explain the manufacturing decisions behind the specification: why this material, why this forming sequence, and what the tolerance actually requires in production.
Why this part is made in galvanised steel
Water Heater Enclosure & Shell Panels is specified in SECC 0.8mm / SUS304 0.6mm. Galvanised sheet carries a zinc layer that protects sheared and lasered edges where the coating cannot reach, which is why it is the default choice for outdoor and humid-service parts. It welds cleanly if the zinc is dressed back at the joint, and it takes powder coat without a primer as long as the surface is degreased and the pre-treatment is phosphated rather than simply washed.
How the part is formed
The production route for this part is deep drawing, stamping, spot welding. Deep drawing forms a part from a single blank, so there is no seam to seal or finish. The material is stretched rather than folded, which means the draw ratio and the blank-holder force are the design constraints, and the finish has to be applied after forming because the surface is displaced. Stamping moves the cost from the labour line to a hardened die, which pays off from a few thousand pieces upward: cycle time stops being a labour cost and becomes machine time, and every subsequent part inherits the die’s tolerances instead of the operator’s. Below that volume the same geometry is normally lasered and formed.
What ±0.1mm actually requires on the shop floor
The drawing calls for ±0.1mm. On a part like this that is a process decision, not an inspection decision: it fixes which machine holds the critical features, how the part is fixtured for each operation, and whether a formed feature can be checked after coating or has to be measured before it. We confirm the first article against the drawing and record the values, so the tolerance is demonstrated rather than assumed. If a dimension in your drawing is tighter than this part needs, it is usually worth relaxing it — over-toleranced features are one of the quietest cost drivers in a sheet metal quote.
Finishing: powder coating
powder coat or brushed stainless. Powder coating builds a film of roughly 60–120 µm per face and cures at 180–200 °C. Two consequences get designed for: the film adds to every mating dimension, and the cure temperature is high enough to move an unsupported panel, so stiffening or return flanges go in before the part reaches the oven. Colour is matched to the RAL range given on the drawing.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the minimum order quantity for water heater enclosure & shell panels?
- The order range for this part is from 1000 to 100000+. Below the low end of that range the tooling and setup are spread over too few pieces to be economic, so if you are prototyping we would normally build the first units from the same process route and quote the production quantity separately.
- Can the material be changed to reduce cost or weight?
- Yes, and it is worth asking before the design is frozen. The current specification for this part is SECC 0.8mm / SUS304 0.6mm; depending on the service environment, a different grade or a lighter gauge with formed stiffening can meet the same requirement. What we would not do is change the material without re-checking the bend radii, the welding process and the coating system, because all three move with the substrate.
- What finishing options are available for this part?
- The current finish specification is powder coat or brushed stainless. Powder coating, anodising, zinc or nickel plating, brushing and blasting are all available in-house, so the finish can be changed without changing supplier — and where the part will be seen, we match colour to the RAL or Pantone reference on your drawing.
- How long does production take, and what do you need from us to quote?
- Prototypes are typically 3–7 business days and production runs 7–15 days once the drawing is released and the finish is confirmed. To quote we need the drawing or CAD file (STEP, DXF, DWG, IGES or PDF), the material and finish, the quantity and the destination — and any tolerance or inspection requirement that is not already on the drawing. You get a DFM review with the quotation, not after it.
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