ENCLOSURES
Advanced electronic enclosures for digitalisation
Robert Cox, marketing director of OKW Enclosures, says the future will see more industrial augmented reality, unmanned trucks, collaborative robots, and blockchain for ERP and supply chain management
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igitalisation is transforming manufacturing by enhancing product quality, cutting costs and improving health and safety. All this needs vast amounts of real-time data handled by intelligent, versatile and scalable systems – all of which must be housed in advanced electronic enclosures. There are four main applications: mobile tracking, digital control, intelligent gateways and data loggers.
Plastic enclosures for mobile tracking systems
Mobile tracking is now an everyday essential – enabling users to locate objects and optimise processes using GPS. Sensors must be housed in enclosures that suit a wide variety of locations. Versatility is key – there is little point specifying one enclosure for wearables and another for clip-on sensors when one well- designed housing will handle both tasks. This type of enclosure is exemplified by wristwatch-style BODY-CASE and award- winning MINITEC. Both can be worn on belts, suspended on lanyards, carried loose or attached to key rings. That handy ring option means the enclosures can be clipped instantly to anything mobile that needs tracking – not just human workers.
Enclosures for digital control technology
Enclosures destined for digital control must cover a broad spectrum of applications because this technology is everywhere. But whatever the task, there are some common requirements. Well-designed control enclosures should have large flat surfaces for displays, controls and interfaces. They should also be compact and ergonomic. Wide-format enclosures such as SOFT-CASE are ideal for handheld, desktop or wall-mounted touchscreen electronics. Alternatively, time- honoured DIN rail enclosures such as RAILTEC B and C offer a wealth of different connection, configuration and ventilation options.
Elegant enclosures for intelligent gateways
Seamlessly integrating applications into an IT infrastructure often requires gateways for
10 MAY 2023 | ELECTRONICS TODAY
the smooth transfer of data. Typically, larger wall-mountable enclosures are needed to accommodate the electronics.
NET-BOX (IP 65 optional) provides an elegant solution, concealing connectors under the easily removable front cover. None of the fixing screws is visible from the front (just two on the underside). There is a three-point wall mounting system with no need to open the main electronics section after installation; only the front lid has to be refitted.
SMART-TERMINAL is one of the new generation of enclosures that combine extruded aluminum and thermoplastic blends. Its extrusion-based construction means there are no visible fixing screws on the main aluminum case body (and the few on the sides are concealed deep within the recesses). All connectors are protected by the deeply recessed side covers which sit snugly in TPV seals, giving IP 54 ingress protection.
Plastic enclosures for universal data loggers
Data loggers measure parameters such as temperature, humidity, CO2 concentration, UV radiation and pressure. They store the information digitally for seamless monitoring and documentation. Data loggers need resilient, ‘go anywhere’ enclosures that offer good ingress protection. MINI-DATA-BOX (IP 65) is OKW’s newest
enclosure model. It’s a smart, robust and compact sensor housing that can be specified either with or without flanges. These flanges enable rapid installation with either cable ties or screws.
The small, smart housings can be fitted to walls, ceilings, rails, masts or tubes quickly and easily – anywhere that sensors are needed in a modern digitalised environment. The diamond- cut top adds elegance and reduces weight, while the all-round tongue and groove joint helps to ensure strength.
Specify customised enclosures for digitalisation applications
Virtually all standard enclosures will need to be modified in some way: machining, lacquering, printing or laser marking, EMC shielding, and installation/assembly of accessories. Partnering with an enclosures manufacturer that offers a full range of customisation services means the fully finished housings can go straight from your Goods In to your production line – ready for the installation of components.
New technology has made customisation viable for smaller batches. Choose an enclosures manufacturer that does all the work in-house.
OKW Enclosures
www.okw.co.uk
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