Background
A Mumbai-based industrial electronics distributor had a standing purchase order from a petroleum refinery customer for a custom industrial switch enclosure — a housing for DIN-rail mounted control switches used in hazardous area Zone 2 classified locations. The enclosure geometry was unique to the customer's switchgear configuration and could not be sourced off-the-shelf.
The distributor had been managing this customer with a small forward stock of 30–50 units, replenished monthly from an SLS supplier in Bengaluru with a 12–14 day standard lead time. A refinery expansion project created an immediate demand spike — 250 units in 10 days. The Bengaluru supplier quoted 18 days for the batch. The distributor contacted Layer X in Ahmedabad on Monday morning.
Technical Requirements
- Material: PA12 SLS, natural white — must accept black dye for finish consistency with existing stock
- Geometry: 110 × 85 × 45 mm enclosure body with DIN rail clip recess, M20 cable gland entry, and two M4 PCB mount bosses. Four M3 lid screw boss positions.
- Tolerance: ±0.2 mm on DIN rail clip dimensions and PCB boss positions (fits standard 35 mm DIN rail)
- Quantity: 250 units
- Finish: Black dye, bead-blasted surface
- Delivery: Mumbai, by EOD Friday (5 working days)
Production Planning
At 110 × 85 × 45 mm, each enclosure body fits within a 350 × 350 × 600 mm SLS build chamber at 12 parts per build (2-layer stack, 4 parts across). For 250 units: 21 builds were required. Layer X runs two SLS machines — 10 builds Monday (split across machines), 11 builds Tuesday–Wednesday morning.
Build time per batch: 14 hours. With two machines running in parallel with staggered starts, all 250 units were depowdered by Wednesday afternoon. Post-processing pipeline: bead blast (4-hour batch run on Wednesday), hot dye immersion black (2 batches, 4 hours each on Thursday), final inspection and packaging Friday morning.
Quality Control
For a 250-unit production batch, Layer X performs:
- First article inspection (FAI): Full CMM inspection of the first 3 units from Build 1, including all 18 critical dimensions on the drawing. All within ±0.2 mm tolerance. FAI approved before remaining builds continue.
- In-process dimensional check: Random sample of 5 units from every 5th build. Caliper and feeler gauge check of DIN rail clip dimensions and PCB boss spacing. Zero failures across all sample checks.
- Visual inspection: 100% visual inspection of all 250 units after dye and bead blast. 6 units rejected (porosity on one cable gland entry face) and reprinted in the same batch cycle.
- Final count and packaging: 250 conforming units bagged in groups of 10, labelled with Layer X order reference.
Logistics
250 units shipped via Bluedart Express priority freight from Ahmedabad on Friday at 11:00 AM. Delivery confirmed in Mumbai by 6:30 PM the same day. The refinery customer received their purchase order delivery on time.
Results
| Metric | Bengaluru supplier (standard) | Layer X Ahmedabad (rush) |
|---|---|---|
| Lead time | 18 days | 5 working days |
| Unit cost (250 units) | ₹380/unit | ₹425/unit (15% premium for rush) |
| Conformance rate | Standard (not documented) | 97.6% first pass; 100% after reprint |
| Customer PO fulfilled | Would have missed deadline | On time |
| Total premium paid for rush service | — | ₹11,250 (₹45 × 250) |
The distributor estimated the value of meeting the refinery customer's PO deadline at ₹3.5 lakh in avoided penalty clauses and customer relationship preservation. The ₹11,250 rush premium was, in their words, "the best money we spent this year."
Ongoing Partnership
Following this engagement, Layer X became the distributor's primary SLS production partner for all custom enclosure orders. A blanket PO arrangement with weekly batch ordering and 5-day standard lead time replaced the monthly replenishment cycle. The distributor reduced their safety stock from 50 units (₹19,000 tied up) to 15 units (₹5,700), freeing ₹13,000 of working capital permanently.
Contact Layer X for SLS batch production of industrial enclosures, housings, and custom polymer components in Ahmedabad — 250 units in 5 days is standard, not exceptional, for us.