Enclosure Body & Door
The drawing-defined shell in coated steel, stainless steel or aluminum, with specified door, gasket, lock and bonding provisions for the OEM's configured enclosure.
Solar · PV Infrastructure
Solar Inverter
Solar Inverter
Enclosure
Fabrication
Custom solar inverter enclosures and PV combiner boxes for OEM programs targeting NEMA 3R/4/4X or IP requirements. We fabricate seal-ready metalwork, mounting plates and thermal features to the released drawing; the OEM owns final rating and electrical approval.
✓ NEMA targets by OEM
✓ Outdoor finish by drawing
✓ Integration-ready
4X NEMA target
OEM
NEMA / IP Target
RFQ
Material & Thickness
ITP
Inspection Scope
Rev
Released Build Package
01 / What We Fabricate
The PV Enclosure — Protecting the Electrical Heart of Solar
Solar panels are only the start — the strings, fuses, and inverter that turn their output into usable power need protection from sun, rain, and corrosion. We fabricate the sheet metal enclosure that houses and protects that equipment.
Mounting Back Plate
A back plate (and deep mounting base) for the inverter, fuses, disconnects, and SPDs — sized and drilled to your equipment, kept clear of the door for arc safety.
Cable Entries & Gland Plates
Bottom or drawing-specified cable entries and gland plates located for the buyer's conductor layout, gland system and sealing strategy.
Thermal & Dead-Front
Venting and breather/condensation provisions to manage heat and humidity, plus dead-front provisions to prevent contact with live parts.
Our scope: the sheet metal enclosure
We fabricate the PV enclosure — body, door, back plate, gland plates, cable entries, and thermal/dead-front provisions — laser-cut, formed, welded, and finished, ready for equipment integration. Bought-out components such as the inverter, combiner busbars, string fuses and holders, DC disconnect switches, surge protection devices (SPDs), rapid shutdown devices, monitoring, and electrical wiring are integrated by you or your installer. We build the enclosure with mounting and entry provisions sized to your equipment.
02 / Enclosure Types
Enclosures for Every PV Node
We fabricate the enclosure for the full range of PV electrical nodes, indoor-adjacent to fully outdoor, to your design.
Combiner String Combiner Boxes
Enclosures that combine multiple PV strings — housing string fuses and the combined output — with multiple sealed cable entries for the string conductors.
- Use Combine PV strings
- Rating NEMA 3R/4/4X
- Entries Multi-conductor
Inverter Inverter Housings
Weatherproof housings for string inverters — with thermal management provisions and mounting for the inverter and associated equipment in the field.
- Use String inverters
- Feature Thermal venting
- Material Steel / aluminum
Distribution Recombiner & Distribution
Larger recombiner and distribution enclosures that aggregate multiple combiner outputs — for utility- scale PV plant electrical architecture.
- Use Utility-scale PV
- Role Aggregate combiners
- Build Larger, floor/rack
Coastal Coastal / Corrosive-Site
316L stainless enclosure metalwork for OEM designs targeting NEMA 4X in coastal, chemical and washdown sites. Final environmental validation remains with the OEM.
- Material 316L stainless
- Rating NEMA 4X
- Use Coastal, corrosive
03 / Technical Capabilities
Weatherproof, UV-Stable, and Safe
A PV enclosure has to survive years of sun and weather, manage heat and humidity, and keep the electricals safe. Here's what we fabricate to.
| Materials | Coated carbon or galvanized steel, 304/316L stainless steel, or aluminum as specified |
|---|---|
| Material Thickness | Drawing-defined for body, door, back plate, gland plates and structural supports |
| NEMA / IP Target | Specified by the OEM; NEMA and IP are not direct equivalents, and final validation remains with the OEM or responsible test body |
| Door Sealing | Gasket material, compression path, joints and acceptance checks defined by the released drawing and enclosure validation plan |
| Grounding | Drawing-defined bonding studs and conductive interfaces; electrical safety and continuity acceptance remain OEM-defined |
| Back Plate | Mounting back plate (and deep base) sized/drilled to your inverter, fuses, SPDs |
| Cable Entries | Bottom or specified entries and gland plates — multi-conductor for combiners |
| Thermal | Light colors, venting, and breather/condensation provisions to manage heat/humidity |
| Safety | Dead-front provisions; deep base keeping cables clear of backplate for arc safety |
| Finishing | Drawing-defined pretreatment, powder coat, stainless finish, color, masking and corrosion-test requirements |
| Tolerances & Inspection | Drawing-defined CTQs for mounting, door, gasket, gland and back-plate interfaces; report format and sampling agreed by RFQ |
| Quantity & Delivery | Prototype or repeat quantity, price breaks, packaging, destination and required delivery date confirmed in the quotation |
We fabricate the enclosure to your equipment and site. The inverter, combiner busbars, fuses, disconnects, SPDs, rapid shutdown, monitoring, and wiring are integrated by you or your installer.
04 / Manufacturing Process
From Sheet to PV Enclosure
Weather exposure, thermal layout and service access are reviewed against the released mechanical package. The OEM owns system design, electrical safety, environmental rating and service-life validation.
01
DFM & Layout
Review your inverter/combiner equipment, string count, site, and rating — confirm material, NEMA/IP target, back-plate layout, and entries.
02
Laser Cutting
Fiber laser cutting of body, door, back plate, and gland plates — with cable entries, vent openings, and mounting holes to precise position.
03
Forming
CNC press-brake forming of the enclosure body and door — accurate bends for a sealed, true enclosure with a deep base for arc clearance.
04
Welding & Sealing
Welding the body and fitting the door, gasket, bonding provisions and back plate to the released geometry. Final NEMA/IP validation is outside the fabricated-metalwork scope.
05
Finishing
Apply the drawing-defined pretreatment, powder coat or stainless finish, including color, masking and corrosion-test requirements when specified.
06
Inspection
Dimensional inspection of the back plate and entries, seal integrity, and finish inspection before delivery for your equipment integration.
05 / Why It Matters
Why the Enclosure Decides PV Reliability
The enclosure affects weather protection, thermal behavior, service access and electrical integration. These requirements must remain tied to the OEM's configured-system validation plan.
Weather & UV Protection
Outdoor design life is a buyer-defined target that requires project-specific validation. Material, finish, door geometry and sealing provisions can be built to the released outdoor design. The OEM or test body validates the final environmental rating.
Thermal Management
Enclosure color, size, mounting and vent provisions affect internal temperatures. The OEM supplies the heat load, solar exposure and acceptance criteria for thermal review.
Corrosion Resistance
Coastal and chemical exposure may require a different material and finish system. Material, pretreatment and corrosion-test requirements should be stated in the controlled specification.
Electrical Safety
Bonding, dead-front and cable-clearance provisions are manufactured to the released layout. Electrical safety, code compliance and final product approval remain with the OEM.
Customer Project
Solar Inverter Enclosure: Outdoor Heat and Service Access
Materials, fabrication decisions and results for an anonymous customer project.
Component reference image
The Customer Challenge
Solar exposure increased temperature, moisture damaged electronics and the housing restricted maintenance.
Project Measurements & Details
IP65Protection test
≤45 KTemperature rise
C4Project coating classification
Results apply to the project configuration described on the linked page.
Read the Customer Project → 07 / Why Choose Us
PV Enclosure Manufacturing Controls to Review
01
PV-specific interface review
Equipment layout, cable-entry zones, back plates, service access and outdoor exposure are reviewed against the released mechanical package.
02
Rating responsibility stated
The quotation records the OEM's NEMA or IP target, mechanical scope and responsible test party without treating the two rating systems as equivalent.
03
Coastal-grade options
316L stainless and drawing-defined finish systems can be reviewed for coastal or corrosive exposure. Acceptance depends on the controlled specification.
04
Thermal-aware design
Light finishes, venting and breather provisions are manufactured to the OEM's heat-load, exposure and condensation strategy.
05
Integration-ready
Back plates, gland plates, and entries sized to your inverter, fuses, SPDs, and string conductors.
06
Prototype to volume
Prototype and repeat-production quantities are reviewed against tooling, inspection, purchased content, packout and delivery requirements.
08 / Related
Explore More
09 / FAQ
Solar Inverter Enclosure FAQ
Do you supply complete combiner boxes or just the enclosure?
We fabricate the sheet metal enclosure — body, door, back plate, gland plates, cable entries, and thermal/dead-front provisions. The inverter, combiner busbars, string fuses and holders, DC disconnects, SPDs, rapid shutdown devices, monitoring, and wiring are integrated by you or your installer. We build the enclosure with mounting and entry provisions sized to your equipment.
How is this different from your electrical enclosure?
Our general electrical enclosure covers broad applications. This page focuses on PV-specific mechanical inputs such as solar exposure, multi-conductor entries, back-plate layout, bonding and thermal provisions. The OEM owns electrical design, safety and final rating.
What NEMA rating do I need?
The OEM or responsible engineer should specify the rating from the installation environment and governing requirements. Send the NEMA or IP target, test method and responsible test party; these systems are not direct equivalents.
Why does enclosure color and venting matter?
The enclosure's color, size, and mounting directly affect internal temperatures. Lighter colors absorb less solar radiation, and proper venting (or breather vents in humid areas) reduces heat and condensation — both of which extend the life of the components inside.
Can you build for coastal or corrosive sites?
We can fabricate 316L stainless enclosure metalwork from a customer design targeting NEMA 4X for coastal, chemical or washdown environments. DRAmetal does not assign the rating; the OEM or test body validates the complete configured enclosure.
What's your minimum order quantity?
Minimum order and production quantity depend on geometry, tooling, material, purchased hardware, inspection and packout. They are confirmed after the released scope and forecast are reviewed.
What should I include in a PV enclosure RFQ?
Send released 2D drawings and 3D models, material and thickness, equipment and back-plate layout, cable-entry schedule, NEMA or IP target, thermal inputs, finish, CTQs, inspection records, quantity or forecast, packaging, destination and required delivery date.
Get Started
Need Solar Inverter
Need Solar Inverter
Enclosures Fabricated?
Send released drawings, equipment and back-plate layout, cable-entry schedule, material and thickness, site exposure, NEMA or IP target, thermal inputs, finish, inspection scope, quantity, packaging and destination. We will review the fabrication scope and quote the released sheet metal enclosure.
✓ RFQ-based DFM review ✓ OEM-defined NEMA targets ✓ Finish by specification ✓ Packaging and delivery by RFQ