Feature System design
Why understanding enclosure design is the key to a long product life
Specifying the right enclosure and ancillaries will help prolong the life of the installed equipment. Here, Philip Glenister, Rittal product manager, examines the factors that need to be considered
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ncreased productivity and profitability can result from specifying the right enclosure and its ancillaries for an application. Fundamental to the successful design, however, is not only understanding the environment in which the final system will be operating, but also the most suitable internal environment for the installed equipment, and the ability to control this throughout the system’s life cycle.
Such factors can have a huge impact on the overall performance, safety and efficiency of the system, and they can also significantly prolong the life of the installed equipment, save energy, utility costs and protect against unscheduled downtime.
Considering materials and surface finishes The enclosure material or surface finish can affect design life, maintenance and operational down time, with the wrong selection resulting in corrosion, material failure or difficulties in cleaning. To help, Rittal offers a wide variety of material finishes such as carbon steel, 304 and 316 stainless steel, cast aluminium, sheet aluminium, polycar- bonate plastics and GRP. Carbon steel is suitable for the majority of applications and, when finished in Rittal’s Nano three stage powder coating, shows long term durabil- ity for indoor applications.
In corrosive environments – outdoor, coastal, chemical
Philip Glenister, Rittal product manager
and heavy pollution, etc. – stainless steel should be used. It should also be used for clean environments, such as in the manufacture of food and beverages, hospitals or pharmaceuticals. This material can also be powder coated. While it exhibits exceptional corrosion resistance whether in its raw state or powder coated, users should be aware that if the surface is contaminated with carbon steel then the enclosure can show signs of surface corrosion. Lightweight sheet aluminium, meanwhile, can be used for more cost effective outdoor solutions. This also provides a high degree of corrosive pro- tection and is powder coated to provide a tough finish to the enclosure surface. Anti-graffiti finishes can also be added, making it easy to remove paint and adhe- sive residues from posters.
For smaller electrical enclosures, plastic or GRP impreg- nated plastics can be used. As well as providing a robust mechanical strength and electrical insulation properties, this type of enclosure provides an extremely high degree of corrosive protection. This can, however, discolour under certain light conditions, although this won’t harm the material properties of the enclosure.
Meeting industry standards
IP and National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) are the industry standards for the ingress protection
Climate control from the smallest to the largest.
ENCLOSURES POWER DISTRIBUTION CLIMATE CONTROL
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