SUPPLEMENT COVER STORY
INDUSTRIAL ENCLOSURES against the elements
OKW enclosures marketing director, Robert Cox talks shop about the latest industrial enclosures and their all-round resilience and reliability when out in the field
M
other Nature has many weapons at her disposal but her greatest is
time. She will attack your electronics 24/7 with unrelenting power.
Water...dust...corrosion...extreme temperatures...UV rays: any one of those can spell disaster for your PCBs. But Nature doesn’t play fair – she seldom attacks on just one front. Water and dust are damaging enough on their own. But combine them with strong winds and the impact on your electronics can be devastating. That’s equally true for man-made environments such as heavy industry or food processing. Indoor environments might be sheltered but pressurised water can short out your PCBs as surely as any storm. So your enclosures must be capable of
withstanding any or all of the aforementioned threats – without forcing you into the expense of over- engineering your enclosures. Which is why analysing and identifying the exact threats posed by the operating environment is so important – be it natural or man-made. OKW Enclosures marketing director Robert Cox said: “It’s no good specifying IP 67 waterproof enclosures in the hope they’ll withstand high pressure washing... only to discover that water can be forced in under pressure.
“Ingress risks like that require IP 69K protection. It’s best for applications such as food processing where equipment must withstand sustained and repeated jetwashing,” Cox added. Selecting the right material for the
enclosures is crucial. Aluminium is the metal of choice for electronics that must survive the rigours of heavy industry. But it must be diecast. Folded sheet metal is simply not tough enough and the construction methods present too many fissures where panels meet (unless the whole assembly is welded). But simply considering IP ratings is not enough – not if that protection has to be compromised when installing the enclosure. Industrial enclosures manufacturer Rolec (which specialises in diecast aluminium housings) offers
S4 SEPTEMBER 2017 | ELECTRONICS Figure 1:
OKW Evotec cases sealed to IP 65 and moulded in UV-stable and flame-retardant ASA plastic for heavy duty electronics
Figure 2:
OKW Style-Case moulded in high gloss ASA ideal for medical and high end electronics
models which can be installed ‘lid closed’ to protect the seal and electronics. They include its premium aluCASE (IP 67, IP 69K) range and also aluPLUS (IP 66, IP 67) which is available in standard industry sizes. Another Rolec model, aluCLIC (IP 66,
IP 67, IP 69K), can be simply clicked into place – making servicing and maintenance in difficult locations even easier. But aluminium is not the only material for harsh environments... Rolec recommends stainless steel enclosures for the rigours of the marine
and offshore industry: A2 offers high protection; A4 provides very high protection. Electropolishing these cases to a gleaming finish adds further resistance against corrosion. Explosion proof enclosures – certified in accordance with ATEX and IECEx – can be manufactured from either diecast aluminium or GRP polyester. The latter also offers the added benefit of being highly resistant to chemical attack. It is a fallacy to assume that plastic
enclosures are not strong enough for outdoor use or some industrial environments. One simply has to specify the correct plastic for the application.
MATERIAL OF CHOICE OKW has traditionally relied on Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) as the go-to material for its wide range of housings. This opaque thermoplastic is strong and easy to mould. But increasingly, the company has
looked to other plastics for its new models – such as ASA+PC-FR for the outdoor version of its Carrtec instrument enclosures.
The ASA+PC-FR blend includes ultra- strong polycarbonate which is used for riot shields and CDs. ASA also offers the added benefit of being UV stable and is therefore resistant to the debilitating effects of the sun’s rays. Also, ASA can be moulded to a smart
modern high gloss finish. Not only does this enhance the aesthetics, it’s also very easy to keep clean – making it ideal for medical and social care electronics. OKW has made ASA its standard plastic for enclosures such as its new Style-Case – a handheld enclosure aimed specifically at the medical, wellness and industrial control markets. Features include tamperproof Torx stainless steel assembly screws. Never forget – Mother Nature takes no
prisoners and neither do most industrial environments.
OKW
www.okw.co.uk T: 01489 583858
/ ELECTRONICS
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