panel template guide

Need to Replicate the Shape of an Old Panel?

We can duplicate your old shape for a form-fit-function replacement switch panel, or make upgrades to your spec!

Here’s some tips and tricks to make sure your project is a successful one!

Make your own, or order our templating kit, along with a pre-paid return label to make your templating as easy as possible!

  • Add to cart

step 1: Three Template Options:

FEATURES

  • Match Mounting Holes
  • Match Gauge/Switch Holes
  • Precision Guarantee
  • Design Speed
  • Lead Time

PANEL

  • RECOMMENDED

TRACING

EMAIL/PHOTO

Step 2: Three levels of precision

We want your panel to fit… but we don’t want to inflate your costs with a bunch of unnecessary labor.  The difference between a 1/8″ and 3/16″ duplication accuracy can mean several hours of labor, and often recutting the panel a few times.

Let us know how accurate it needs to be from our levels of precision above prior to quoting.

1/16

1/8

3/16

step 3: TRACING TIPS FOR AN ACCURATE AND TIMELY DESIGN

Line quality is essential for our design team to design your panel as close to the traced template as possible.  We recommend using either a ballpoint pen (red is best, but any color works) or a FINE TIP Sharpie when tracing your panel.  Thick lines, like from a Sharpie Marker, prevents our design team from getting a suitable design as it is hard to tell where the true edge of the panel is.

We understand some situations make it hard to get a traced template without cutting the parameter and/or holes, but if you can avoid doing so we recommend not cutting the tracing as this can make it difficult for our design team to get a suitable design for you.  To ensure the panel shape and size matches the provided template we conduct a quality check during the fabrication process where we cut a cardboard template of the designed panel and compare it to the provided panel template.

To ensure an accurate design we will need the most accurate tracing possible (unless a physical panel is being sent in). We request that you not send in multiple pieces of tracing paper for a single panel. We can work with a multi-piece tracing if necessary but it reduces the accuracy of the design. In cases like this, we recommend printing the proof out (our proofs are designed to full scale) and checking it to your dash or panel to ensure the accuracy.

Examples of Tracings