EKINSUN LTD is a custom parts manufacturer, and panels come to us from every bench that builds things: lab instruments getting a proper face, pro-audio and synth builds, homelab patch boxes, industrial control fronts, restored gear whose original faceplate is beyond saving. The common thread is always the same — the layout is yours, so no template has it.
Rack Sizes — the Real Numbers, Not the Nominal Ones
A 1U panel is not 44.45 mm tall. EIA-310 subtracts a clearance from every rack unit so panels never bind on their neighbours — order a "1U" cut to 44.45 and it will fight the panels above and below. The figures we machine to:
| Format | Panel height | Width |
|---|---|---|
| 1U (19" rack, EIA-310) | 43.7 mm | 482.6 mm, slotted corner holes |
| 2U | 88.1 mm | 482.6 mm |
| 3U | 132.6 mm | 482.6 mm |
| 4U | 177.0 mm | 482.6 mm |
| Eurorack 3U module | 128.5 mm | HP × 5.08 mm |
| Your own format | Any outline — faceplates for instruments and machines follow the instrument, not a standard | |
Where Template Tools Stop — and Machining Starts
| What you need | Template tool / catalogue? | The honest route |
|---|---|---|
| Blank rack panel, standard size | Yes — cheap catalogue item | Buy the blank. No machining beats a stocked blank on price |
| Simple layout that fits a configurator's library | Yes — online panel services are genuinely good at this | Use them — fixed prices, fast, no argument from us |
| Mixed cutouts on one plate — XLR + D-sub + display window + counterbores | Template libraries run out of shapes | Machined from your sketch or DXF, from 1 piece |
| Back-side features — countersinks, pockets for connector bodies, stiffening ribs | Most tools only know the front face | Both faces machined in one job |
| Rack ears for gear that never had a rack kit | Universal ears rarely line up with your screws | Drilled to your unit from photos with a tape measure — mirrored pairs |
| A replacement faceplate for restored gear | Original is long out of production | Redrawn from the old panel or a straight-on photo, legends re-set |
Legends That Do Not Rub Off
The standard look is black anodized 6061 with laser-marked legends — the mark comes out white-to-cream against the black, and because it sits under the anodize surface rather than printed on top, it cannot rub off under a decade of fingers. Engraved-and-filled lettering suits heritage and brass builds; bare-machined logos on colour anodize make a front panel look like a product instead of a project. Artwork comes in as DXF or SVG — or as a clear photo of a hand-drawn layout, which we re-set cleanly.
Materials
- 6061 anodized — the default: flat, stable, takes anodize and laser marking beautifully; black, clear, and colours
- 5052 where ears and brackets are folded rather than machined from angle
- Brass — heritage restorations and audio builds that want weight and warmth
- 304 stainless — washdown and industrial fronts; 316 where chemicals demand it
- 7075 only when the panel is structural — for a face, it buys nothing over 6061
"2U panel for a homelab patch box: four XLR, two D-sub with countersinks from the back, a cutout for an OLED, engraved labels, black anodize. Every online tool choked on the D-subs. One panel — maybe three if the first one looks right."
That is a complete enquiry and a familiar one — the "one now, three later" shape is why the drawing is archived. Rack ears travel the same route: photos of the unit's side with a tape measure in frame, screw positions marked, mirrored pair machined. Enclosure-side cousins live at custom enclosures and heatsink enclosures; if the panel carries heat as well as connectors, see custom cold plates.
How to Order
- The outline: U size, eurorack HP, or your own W × H — thickness 2, 3 or 4 mm typical
- The cutouts: a dimensioned sketch, DXF, SVG or STEP — connector names are enough for standard shapes ("XLR", "DE-9", "1/4 jack")
- The legends: text and positions, or artwork files; font matched if you name it
- Finish: anodize colour, or bare brass/stainless with brushed grain
- Quantity: from 1 piece — the price ladder shows what the next three cost
A dimensioned approval drawing comes before machining — cheaper to argue about a PDF than about anodize. Quote in 12 hours; production typically 5 working days after approval, plus courier.
Frequently Asked Questions
A 1U panel is machined to 43.7 mm, not 44.45 — EIA-310 subtracts a clearance of about 0.8 mm from each rack unit so panels never bind on their neighbours. The working figures: 1U = 43.7 mm, 2U = 88.1 mm, 3U = 132.6 mm, 4U = 177.0 mm, all at 482.6 mm (19 inch) width with slotted corner holes. Order by U size and we cut the real number, not the nominal one.
Yes — mixed cutouts on one plate are exactly where template-based panel tools stop. XLR rounds with their three screw holes, D-sub trapezoids with countersinks from the back, rounded display windows, threaded holes and counterbores all sit on the same drawing. Send a dimensioned sketch, a DXF or a STEP; you approve the drawing before machining.
Yes. The standard look is black anodized 6061 with laser-marked legends — the mark comes out white to cream against the black and cannot rub off, because it sits under the surface rather than on it. Engraved-and-filled legends and bare-machined logos on anodize are also normal work. Send the artwork as a DXF, SVG or even a clear photo of a hand-drawn layout.
Yes — that is one of the most requested parts on this page. Send photos of the unit's side with a tape measure in frame, plus the screw positions you can use. The ears are machined or folded to put the front face flush with the rack rail, drilled to your gear on one leg and to EIA slots on the other. Pairs are made as mirrored sets.
Yes — eurorack 3U panels are 128.5 mm tall by HP × 5.08 mm wide, and we machine them in anodized 6061 with your cutouts and legends. Honest note: for standard eurorack sizes there are fixed-price panel services aimed purely at that format, and for a plain panel they are hard to beat on price. Our lane is the mixed job — odd formats, thicker plates, panels plus the matching brackets and ears in one order.
EKINSUN — a custom parts manufacturer machining panels, faceplates and rack ears from 1 piece, quote in 12 hours. Honest boundaries: online panel configurators are genuinely good when your layout fits their template and their library has your cutouts — use them; blank rack panels in standard sizes are cheap catalogue items. Custom machining is for the panel with mixed cutouts, back-side features, engraved legends and the geometry no template accepts.
Get a Quote
Size, cutouts, legends, finish, quantity. A sketch is enough. Reply in 12 hours.
// In short
- →Fits a configurator template? Use it
- →Mixed cutouts, back features? We machine it
- →1U = 43.7 mm — real EIA numbers
- →From 1 piece, drawing kept for reruns
- →Quote in 12 hours
or email: [email protected]