A Lock-Agnostic Parcel Locker — Designed Around the Lock Module, Not Tied to One.

Multi-bay sheet metal locker enclosure engineered to accept UL 294-certified electronic lock modules from multiple manufacturers — without redesigning the locker to suit each one.

Client snapshot

• Industry: IoT / smart infrastructure (parcel delivery automation).
• Region: USA.
• Engagement: Mechanical design lead for the locker enclosure system, including electronics housing, lock-module integration interfaces, and the sheet metal manufacturing package.
• Confidentiality: Under NDA. Startup name and proprietary product branding omitted.

The problem

The client is a USA-based IoT startup building automated parcel lockers — multi-bay wall units that hold packages for secure pickup by end customers. The supply chain reality of IoT hardware is that electronic lock modules (the certified, regulated component that actually controls bay access) are sourced from third-party manufacturers, and lock-module sourcing decisions can change over the product lifecycle for cost, availability, or feature reasons.

The client needed a sheet metal locker enclosure that would not be locked into a single lock-module supplier. Every bay had to accommodate a UL 294-certified electronic lock module from any of several different manufacturers, without redesigning the locker each time a different lock was specified.

The enclosure also had to house the surrounding electronics — cameras, payment terminals, network gear, batteries — and meet IP54 ingress protection for indoor and semi-protected outdoor installations.

Constraints

• Lock-module flexibility: UL 294-certified electronic locks from multiple third-party manufacturers, each with different mounting footprints, depth requirements, and cabling
• Electronics integration: cameras, payment terminals, network/communication gear, electronic locks, and battery systems all housed within the locker
• IP54 ingress protection across the full enclosure for installations exposed to dust and incidental water
• Multi-bay configuration — wall unit format with multiple individual lockable compartments, each operating independently
• Sheet metal manufacturing realities — standard fabrication tooling, accessible service from the front, and no exotic processes that would price the locker out of the market
• Serviceability — the client’s field technicians had to be able to swap lock modules and access electronics without disassembling the entire locker
• UL 294 framing: the certified components are the lock modules themselves; the locker enclosure is designed to house and integrate those certified modules, not to carry an enclosure-level UL 294 certification

My approach

• Designed the bay-to-lock interface as a parametric mounting plate, not as fixed geometry baked into the door. Each lock manufacturer’s mounting pattern, depth, and cable cutouts maps to a different mounting plate variant, while the door, frame, and bay structure stay constant.
• Standardized the bay opening, hinge geometry, and frame structure across all lock-module variants — the locker itself does not change when the lock changes
• Sheet metal DFM focused on standard press-brake bend radii, common gauge thicknesses, and weld-free interfaces wherever possible to keep fabrication cost predictable
• Electronics integration zone designed as a dedicated service compartment with clear separation between camera, payment terminal, network, lock-controller, and battery routing — no cable spaghetti, accessible from the service door
• IP54 sealing strategy built around standard gasket profiles, drip-edge geometry on door frames, and gravity-drained cable entry points
• Front-serviceable layout — every replaceable subsystem (lock module, electronics, batteries) accessible without removing the locker from the wall
• Compliance-aware drawing package — manufacturing drawings tagged with the specific cutouts, tolerances, and mounting patterns each certified lock module requires, so the fabricator can produce any locker variant from one drawing set

What I delivered

• Native SolidWorks parametric locker assembly with configurable lock-module variants
• Lock-module mounting plate library, one variant per supported lock manufacturer
• DFM-ready sheet metal flat patterns and DXF laser-cut files
• Bend tables, weldment details (where used), and BOMs
• ASME Y14.5 GD&T manufacturing drawing package
• Electronics integration drawings showing camera, payment terminal, network, lock-controller, and battery routing zones
• IP54 sealing detail drawings — gasket profiles, drip-edge geometry, cable entry seals
• STEP / IGES exports for client and contract manufacturer handoff

Outcome

• The locker enclosure is no longer tied to a single lock-module supplier. Switching to a different UL 294-certified electronic lock from a different manufacturer is a mounting-plate change, not a locker redesign.
• One drawing package, multiple lock-module variants — the client’s contract manufacturer can produce any variant from the same parametric design system.
• Front-serviceable design lets field technicians swap lock modules and electronics without removing the locker from its wall mount.
• IP54 ingress protection achieved with standard gasket profiles and drip-edge geometry — no exotic sealing required, keeping fabrication cost predictable.
• Electronics integration zone keeps cameras, payment terminals, network gear, batteries, and lock controllers cleanly separated and accessible.

Visuals

Visualization is illustrative. Confidential client branding and proprietary lock-module geometry omitted under NDA.