Feature Enclosures
ROLEC’s founder Friedhelm Rose first started developing diecast enclosures back in the 1970s. OKW’s Robert Cox judges the impact of ROLEC’s designs on the aluminium enclosures market over the last 40 years
n the early 1970s the development of electrical and electronics equipment in many different fields naturally led to the need for standardised diecast
enclosures. Friedhelm Rose’s aluKOM enclosures range helped to satisfy this need and would become a blueprint as this was, after all, the first range of stan- dardised aluminium IP66 enclosures with internal mounting bosses in common formats. By the mid-1980s the electrical and
Right: since its first offering (the aluKOM in 1971), all ROLEC’s enclosure ranges have been driven by demand from the industry
Taking a trip back in time I
existing equipment passed the EC direc- tives. As a result, the first solution was to fit the enclosures with expensive and fragile EMC gaskets in order to ensure electrical contact between all mating faces and provide a higher level of atten- uation than existed before. This was an expensive solution
electronics industry was facing new challenges. Designers needed enclosures with greater internal space than their existing housings, but without an increase in the physical footprint. To meet this counter intuitive
requirement ROLEC launched the aluNORM range of standard diecast enclosures in 1987. Prior to that enclo-
which commonly added 30% to the unit cost of the enclosure. In order to provide a more cost effective solution, ROLEC introduced the conFORM range that separated the sealing and conductivity functions. A standard cost silicon gasket was used to achieve the IP66 protection class, and EMC contact was provided with a series of ridges cast into the base section and a continuous rail in the lid. On assem- bly, the rail clamped on to the ridges providing electrical contacts on a very short pitch (for high attenuation).
The millennium and beyond Throughout the 1990s and into the 21st Century electronics were being devel- oped for more types of applications. Electronics engineers were creating
sures had separate screws and chan- nels for mounting and fitting the lid. However, aluNORM combined both actions in a common channel with two part lid assembly screws, thus giving designers the extra space they needed for their assemblies. Another feature of the aluNORM
was that it could mix and match lids and bases in an array of options. This offered designers freedom when speci- fying the position and orientation of cable glands, switches and controls.
The next big step Ten years later the industry faced another major development with the implementation of the EC directives on EMC and the requirements for providing shielding within the enclosures. Put simply, equipment manufacturers faced the prospect of having to ensure
Electrical Engineering MAY 2011
Above: the latest aluDISC range was designed so that engineers working on electronic systems for cylindrical equipment or pipework do not have to compromise the aesthetics of their designs by adding square or rectangular control housings
ever more sophisticated and delicate systems for use in harsher environ- ments. They were demanding diecast enclosures that were not just tougher but also more versatile. And more than anything, they wanted electronic enclosures that could be mounted without the need to open the lid during installation. That way, they could ensure the absolute integrity of the equipment sealed safely inside. In response to this, ROLEC
launched the aluCASE in 2003 which included a recessed lid for membrane keypads or labels, clip-on trims to conceal the fixing screws, lid retain- ing straps and integrated hinges. It provided maximum product security thanks to the fact that the lids no longer had to be opened during the installation process. The mounting channels were outside the sealed area and hidden by the clip-on trims. Fast forward five years and the
new ‘must have’ for customers was equipment that could be replaced quickly as the trend was for whole systems to be replaced on-site, rather than serviced or repaired. This need was met by the introduction of the aluCLIC enclosures that can be clicked into place thanks to a snap-
on mounting device on the underside of the housing, thus increasing the speed of changing or replacing units.
The latest offerings Last year ROLEC launched two new ranges at the 2010 Electronica Fair, both in reply to new demands from electron- ics engineers. First came aluPLUS, a direct response to feedback from electri- cal and electronics engineers who wanted a new hybrid type of enclosure. The dilemma for engineers was that
they liked the 2003 aluCASE range with all its extra features and its ‘mount while closed’ functionality - but they also wanted the industry standard sizes and formats first defined by the aluKOM enclosures back in the 1970s. Therefore, with aluPLUS engineers could have aluCASE features in aluKOM standard sizes, thus cutting the cost of the enclo- sures and making them more accessible for a greater range of projects. The second new range launched in
2010 was aluDISC. For years, engineers working on electronic systems for cylin- drical equipment or pipework had been forced to compromise the aesthetics of their designs by adding square or rectan- gular control housings. Why? It makes sense to use a round housing that enhances the finished product, and that is why the aluDISC is a round diecast aluminium enclosure that also includes a keypad recess, hidden fixings and lid retainers. Its circular face is comple- mented by two squared off mounting faces that enable easier fitting of cable glands and other connections. In summary, the pace of demand led
innovation in industrial enclosures has accelerated dramatically in recent years. From aluKOM to aluNORM took 16 years but from aluCLIC to aluPLUS and aluDISC has taken just two years, thus highlighting the rate of change within the industry.
ROLEC
www.rolec-enclosures.co.uk T: 01489 583 858
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