Enclosure and Panel Modifications

Cut-outs, back plates and covers for empty or unwired electrical and control enclosures and supplied panels. Mechanical metalwork only, done in our North Vancouver shop.

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What we do

TrussMetal is a metal fabrication shop in North Vancouver that works across Metro Vancouver. This page is for electrical and controls contractors, panel shops, facility and maintenance managers, and equipment owners who need metalwork changed on an enclosure or panel.

We do mechanical metalwork only, in our shop, on enclosures that are empty or not yet wired and on panels supplied to us. We don’t do electrical work, we don’t disconnect or reconnect equipment, and we don’t work on energized or connected equipment. Wiring, connections, bonding and grounding, and testing stay with your electrical contractor.

What We Do

Cut-outs and openings

Openings in doors and side panels for displays, meters, switches, push buttons, fans, vents and cable entries, made to the component maker’s published cut-out size.

Back plates and sub-panels

Metal mounting plates made to fit an enclosure, with fixing holes to suit it. Rails and electrical parts are supplied and fitted by others.

Supplied panels

Doors, blank panels and gland plates you send us, drilled and cut to your layout.

Covers, hoods and stiffeners

Blank-off plates, drip hoods and door stiffeners where a cut-out or a heavy component needs it.

Wall brackets and floor stands that carry an enclosure are covered on custom brackets and equipment screens and stands.

Concept drawingEnclosure door with cut-outs (elevation)Elevation of an enclosure door with a cut-out for a display and holes for switches, sized to the component makers’ published dimensions, and an optional stiffener. Components and their fittings are supplied and installed by the electrical contractor. Concept only.Cut-out to themaker’s sizeHolesStiffener,if specifiedDoor, elevation
Concept drawingMounting back plate inside an enclosure (elevation)Elevation of a metal back plate made to fit inside an existing enclosure, with fixing holes to suit it; rails and electrical parts are supplied and fitted by others. Concept only.Rails and partsby othersFixing holesEnclosure by othersBack plateBack plate, elevation
Concept drawingSupplied gland plate with cable-entry holes (plan)Plan of a gland plate supplied with an enclosure, drilled with cable-entry holes to the fitting maker’s published sizes; the fittings are supplied and installed by the electrical contractor. Concept only.Supplied plateHoles to thefitting maker’s sizeFittings by theelectrical contractorGland plate, plan
Concept drawings, illustrative only: not a shop drawing or an installation detail, and not a photograph or record of completed TrussMetal work. Dashed parts are by others or bought in. Parts marked “if specified” are included only where the agreed design calls for them.

Ratings and Approval

The rating belongs to the enclosure as made
An enclosure’s type or IP rating and its certification apply to it as the manufacturer built and certified it. Cutting an opening, adding a window or a fan, or changing a door can affect both.
Assessed for the exact modification
The effect has to be assessed for the specific modification. We don’t promise that a modified enclosure keeps its rating or certification.
The route that applies
Where the enclosure manufacturer publishes modification instructions or approved accessories, the work follows them. Otherwise acceptance goes through the manufacturer or certification body, or a field evaluation where one is required, as arranged by the owner and the electrical contractor with the authority having jurisdiction.
Settled before we cut
The route is agreed before the order is placed. The components and fittings that go through an opening are chosen and installed by your electrical contractor.

How the Work Is Done

In our shop
Enclosures, doors and panels are brought to us empty or before they are wired. We don’t work on installed or energized equipment, and this service doesn’t include site work.
New parts
Plates and covers are made from steel, stainless steel or aluminum. Flat parts can be cut through laser cutting and formed by a bending subcontractor; powder coating is by a specialist applicator.
Cut edges
Edges of openings are deburred and the finish is touched up or protected as agreed for the enclosure and its location.

Who Does What

Responsibilities that affect the quote

TrussMetal: the mechanical work to the agreed drawing: openings, plates, covers and stiffeners, with the finish agreed. Supplied back to you; no installation.

Owner and electrical contractor: emptying the enclosure before it comes to us, components and fittings, wiring, bonding and grounding, testing, and arranging the approval route for the modified enclosure.

Owner or engineer: the layout and any requirements for the location, such as wash-down, outdoor exposure or a specified rating.

Related Work

Work for plants and warehouses is on industrial metal fabrication. Every service we offer is listed on metal fabrication services.

Questions

Do you do electrical work?

No. We do the metalwork; wiring, connections and testing are by your electrical contractor.

Will the enclosure keep its rating?

We don’t promise that. The effect is assessed for the exact modification through the manufacturer’s instructions, the certification body or a field evaluation, whichever applies.

Can you work on site?

Not in this service. Enclosures and panels come to our shop empty or before wiring.

Can you make a whole enclosure?

No. Electrical equipment should go in a certified enclosure; we modify enclosures as described here.

What do you need to quote?

The enclosure make and model, the component data sheets with their cut-out sizes, and a marked-up photo or drawing.

Request a Quote

Send the enclosure and what has to change.

What to include in your message

  • The enclosure make, model and material, with photos
  • Component data sheets with their published cut-out sizes
  • A marked-up photo or drawing of the layout
  • Confirmation that the enclosure or panel will come to us empty or before wiring
  • Quantity, finish and timing, and how the modification will be approved

The form starts blank: in “What do you need?”, select Other Custom Metalwork.

Request a Quote

Sending photos of your pet? After submitting, email 3–6 clear photos — front, side, three-quarter, full body and a close-up of the face — to sales@trussmetal.com with your name in the subject line. Photo tips

Have photos or drawings? Email them to sales@trussmetal.com after submitting this form. A photo of the site is the single most useful thing you can send.

Prefer to talk it through? Call (778) 805-5333, Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 5:00.