engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

, a housing or enclosure is a

container A container is any receptacle or enclosure for holding a product used in storage, packaging, and transportation, including shipping. Things kept inside of a container are protected on several sides by being inside of its structure. The term ...

, a protective exterior (e.g.

shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses Science Biology * Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...

) or an enclosing

structural element In structural engineering, structural elements are used in structural analysis to split a complex structure into simple elements (each bearing a structural load). Within a structure, an element cannot be broken down (decomposed) into parts of dif ...

(e.g. chassis or

exoskeleton An exoskeleton () . is a skeleton that is on the exterior of an animal in the form of hardened integument, which both supports the body's shape and protects the internal organs, in contrast to an internal endoskeleton (e.g. human skeleton, that ...

) designed to enable easier handling, provide attachment points for internal mechanisms (e.g. mounting brackets for

electrical component An electronic component is any basic discrete electronic device or physical entity part of an Electronics, electronic system used to affect electrons or their associated electromagnetic field, fields. Electronic components are mostly industrial ...

cable Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...

s and

piping Within industry, piping is a system of pipes used to convey fluids (liquids and gases) from one location to another. The engineering discipline of piping design studies the efficient transport of fluid. Industrial process piping (and accomp ...

s), maintain

cleanliness Cleanliness is both the state of being clean and free from Germ (microorganism), germs, dirt, Trash (garbage), trash, or waste, and the habit of achieving and maintaining that state. Cleanliness is often achieved through cleaning. Culturally, cl ...

of the contents by shielding

dirt Dirt is any matter considered unclean, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include: * Debris: scattered pieces of waste or remains * Du ...

dust Dust is made of particle size, fine particles of solid matter. On Earth, it generally consists of particles in the atmosphere that come from various sources such as soil lifted by wind (an aeolian processes, aeolian process), Types of volcan ...

, fouling and other contaminations, or protect interior mechanisms (e.g. delicate integrated electrical fittings) from

structural A structure is an arrangement and organization of interrelated elements in a material object or system, or the object or system so organized. Material structures include man-made objects such as buildings and machines and natural objects such as ...

stress and/or potential physical, thermal, chemical, biological or

radiation In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or a material medium. This includes: * ''electromagnetic radiation'' consisting of photons, such as radio waves, microwaves, infr ...

al damages from the surrounding environment. Housing may also be the body of a device, vital to its function.

Description

Housing is an exterior case or enclosure used to protect an interior mechanism. The housing prevents the interior mechanism from being fouled by outside debris. It may also have integrated fittings or brackets to keep internal components in place; sometimes a housing is the body of the device, vital to its function.

Design

Housings are most commonly made of metal or plastic. The design of housing is specific to the item and its use. Housing may provide a number of functions.

Contamination control

Housing prevents the interior mechanism from being fouled by outside debris. Housings are sometimes made watertight, especially when the interior mechanisms contain

electronics Electronics is a scientific and engineering discipline that studies and applies the principles of physics to design, create, and operate devices that manipulate electrons and other Electric charge, electrically charged particles. It is a subfield ...

Containment

Housings are commonly used to protect gearboxes, where the housing also is responsible for containing the

lubricant A lubricant (sometimes shortened to lube) is a substance that helps to reduce friction between surfaces in mutual contact, which ultimately reduces the heat generated when the surfaces move. It may also have the function of transmitting forces, ...

. Housings can also play a safety role, by providing a barrier between people and dangerous or fast-moving mechanisms.

Interface

Housing may need to provide a

user interface In the industrial design field of human–computer interaction, a user interface (UI) is the space where interactions between humans and machines occur. The goal of this interaction is to allow effective operation and control of the machine fro ...

for the internal devices, such as for televisions and video game controllers.

Decoration

Housing may include decorative elements. When these elements are removable and replaceable panels, they may be known as faceplates. Interchangeable faceplates provide a method to update the cosmetics of the housing without replacing the entire enclosure.

References

Engineering concepts {{engineering-stub