Raspberry Pi Case

‘The Raspberry Pi is a credit card sized single-board computer developed in the UK by the Raspberry Pi Foundation with the intention of stimulating the teaching of basic computer science in schools.’ Wikipedia RS Components, one of the two electronics companies responsible for production and marketing of the Raspberry Pi in the UK, approached S.B.Weston Ltd, a UK based plastic injection moulding company, having seen their range of WestonBoxes at a packaging trade show. They asked Westons to produce a plastic box for the Pi, similar in design to their plastic business card wallet, but modified so that it would securely hold the Pi board with an SD card inserted. Westons worked with RS to design an injection moulded polypropylene case that would protect the Pi during shipping and provide the end user with a neat way of storing the otherwise unprotected board. The requirement was not for the case to be air tight, just for it to be as protective as possible from the effects of static electricity, moisture and dust. RS requested that the Pi should be fully located in the case, not clipped in, and should not need to be lifted out of the case in order to plug in any of the peripheral devices, or to operate. These requirements were satisfied with the inclusion of retaining hooks and an additional hinge, allowing the case to open flat, giving unrestricted access to the sockets on the board. Westons had several SLS prototype models produced, and from these were able to get an approval on the design from RS. A 2 impression mould was commissioned and produced, and 6 weeks later the first pre-production mouldings were run. Production is now well under way at the S.B.Weston Ltd. plant in Sunbury-on-Thames, West London, and the first batch of 200,000 Pi cases are to be distributed before Christmas with all Pi’s ordered from RS Components as of now. Reid Weston, company director at S.B.Weston Ltd. Said, “Its great to be involved in such a high profile project, especially one like this which is all about British technology and manufacturing.

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