Cases & enclosures
PROTECTING EQUIPMENT:
A CUSTOMER FOCUS FOR ENCLOSURE DESIGN
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For electrical installations, from integrating control devices through to wiring terminal connections, safety and performance depends on the quality of the protecting enclosure. Yet for each application, there’s more to enclosure selection than providing a rugged housing alone. Specifying the right enclosure demands a process centred on the needs of the customer for each project. This philosophy is key to ensuring seamless integration and achieving long-term protection of the equipment it houses. Chris Lloyd, Spelsberg UK’s managing director, explains the comprehensive process behind developing the right enclosure.
hen an OEM is designing a machine or system, making considerations about the housing of
electrical equipment is crucial to ensure adequate protection. Likewise for an end user or electrical installer, securing sensitive devices or electrical supplies from the elements, impacts, and intrusion, is fundamental. Yet to achieve this, the enclosure designer must think beyond just ensuring a durable, impermeable container.
Providing the right enclosure certainly demands the basis of a highly robust unit, engineered to high levels of resilience. However, the optimum
enclosure for the application requires the consideration of multiple factors, and these must always be centred around the needs of the customer and those using the equipment. This means that the first essential step is a thorough analysis of the challenge before an enclosure can be specified.
ENCLOSURE DESIGN
First, we investigate what the equipment to be protected aims to achieve, and who will be in contact or have interaction with it. This ascertains the balance between the safety and protection of users, alongside accessibility for those who need it. Then we move to the needs of the equipment to be housed, considering the level of protection and security it requires, and how long it needs
to last. The location of installation is crucial and informs decisions on IP and IK (impact) rating, and even fire protection. Again, protection must be balanced alongside points of access and potential vulnerabilities, such as cable entry points or keypads. Linked to this, we also need to understand implications surrounding installation, such as weight or fixing points.
Considering the array of applications that
March 2025 Instrumentation Monthly
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