A critical step in planning and developing an optimal product design architecture includes determining the most appropriate custom electronic enclosure, both materials and process.  The selection defines enclosure development methodology based on production level and process.  This defines design rules.  Having its roots in manufacturing, NETBased knows the areas of flexibility and limitations within each set of materials and processes.  For instance, in a sheet metal enclosure, if the design calls for an irregular hole, a bridge lance, cardguide or tab, can it be run on inexpensive machinery or will it take more expensive machinery plus multiple secondary operations?  Knowledge of machinery, programming methods, setups, capabilities, etc., makes a difference as it defines the design rules and ultimately the reoccurring production costs.  If it’s the more expensive route, what are the alternatives to reducing production cost?  Designing to each processes strengths is key to reducing manufacturing costs and time-to-market.