Enclosures


Developing standard enclosures for smart technology, IIoT and automation


Industry 4.0 automation and other smart technologies are inspiring a revolution in the design of electronic enclosures. New high-performance housings are now more specialised – but no less versatile, writes Robert Cox, marketing director of OKW Enclosures


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anufacturers of electronics products are benefiting from modern developments in enclosure design. IoT/ IIoT and other smart


technology applications have ushered in a wealth of new opportunities for OEMs. Enclosure designers at OKW are capitalising on surging demand for smart technology and advanced automation. This rapidly expanding market has prompted them to create advanced enclosures that are ideal for specialised roles but still suit a wide cross-section of applications.


enclosure you specify looks purpose- manufactured for your product – and no other. And these days it doesn’t take much to achieve that; a few machined cutouts, a touchscreen/keypad, some corporate branding and suddenly your enclosure is a one-off. Best of all, improvements in technology have made this customisation viable in much lower volumes, thanks to low set-up costs.


OKW’s range of IIoT Enclosures


Elegant wall-mount enclosures such as SMART-PANEL exemplify this new breed of housings for modern digital control electronics. Designed specifically for intelligent building control systems, SMART-PANEL addresses the needs of futuristic commercial, smart factory and home automation applications. That is because it adheres rigorously to the first rule of standard enclosures: it is incredibly discreet in design. That is to be expected – enclosures don’t come more understated than one which flush-fits into standard cavity wall boxes. But that hasn’t stopped SMART-PANEL from demonstrating its aesthetic credentials with modern curves and glass panels for premium- application touchscreens and displays. So why is discretion so crucial in enclosure design? It is essential that the


20 November 2021


Aesthetic curves and smart design You could be forgiven for thinking that modern aesthetic curves and smart design features are reserved only for the most expensive enclosures. You’d be wrong: they’re also available in some of the simplest (but no less vital) housings. EASYTEC is a flanged enclosure for IoT/IIoT sensors. Thanks to its cleverly designed lugs, it can be cable-tied or screwed in place quickly and easily – dramatically speeding up installation times, a real boon given the huge number of sensors that proliferate in today’s smart factories.


Add to that the fact that it speaks the same design language as OKW’s EVOTEC table-top plastic enclosures and suddenly you have sensor enclosures that perfectly match their desktop controllers. And nowhere are ergonomic curves and contours more important than in the world of wearable electronics. Any enclosure that sits close to the body for long periods must be so comfortable that it must be barely perceptible.


For that reason, OKW created BODY- CASE. It fits a standard 18 mm watchstrap but can also be worn on a lanyard or wrist strap, clipped to a pocket or carried loose. BODY-CASE meets growing demand for personal electronics; applications include GPS tracking of vulnerable workers, overcrowding prevention/safe distancing, safety alert systems and emergency call technology.


Components in Electronics


Pioneering an enclosures revolution


There’s so much more to today’s standard enclosures than ergonomic contours and discrete design (as important as they are). Anyone who has watched the enclosures market will have noticed a quiet revolution taking place. Key aspects include:


OKW SMART-CONTROL Corner-Mount Enclosures


n advanced materials – high- performance plastic blends, innovative combinations of plastic and aluminium n greater use of tamperproof and concealed fixings n higher levels of ingress protection (such as IP 65 as standard).


It started with materials. Until a few years ago, robust ABS was the plastic of choice for most plastic enclosures – but not anymore. It has been superseded by ASA and blends such as ASA+PC-FR which offer superior UV stability, greater strength and easy cleaning/sterilisation when offered with a high gloss finish.


ABS remains a good choice. You will still see it as standard in tried and trusted designs – but seldom in OKW’s newer models. So why would enclosures that never venture outdoors need enhanced UV stability? You would be surprised how much damage UV light can do to some plastics – even indoors.


The enclosures revolution has continued with the use of tamperproof Torx screws as standard on enclosures such as the wedge-shaped SMART-CONTROL for corner-based electronics.


Torx screws are a must for medical devices, a key market for OKW. But why would an enclosure like SMART-CONTROL – which is destined to sit high in hard-to- reach ceiling corners – need tamper-proof screws? The answer is that SMART- CONTROL also doubles as an ergonomically


inclined desktop enclosure. PROTEC is another wall-mounted enclosure that can also be specified for desktop electronics – thanks to a choice of three versions that offer either a recessed interface area, a covered recess or a deep extended cover that acts as a desk stand. Deep recesses with protective covers are a key design feature for enclosures that house wall-mounted controls or network nodes for building management, Industry 4.0, data systems engineering and access control. NET-BOX has a large recess for connectors and cable glands – but hides them beneath a clip-on trim that provides added protection.


Concealed fixings such as this have become an increasingly popular feature in modern enclosures. NETBOX has no visible screws at the front; just two below that are all but invisible.


And OKW has gone to even more ingenious lengths with other models. SYNERGY enclosures – which combine aluminium and plastic – feature column-based construction, enabling the fixing screws to be hidden away on the bottom section.


But the last word goes to SMART-PANEL. It has removed the need for fixing screws altogether. Instead, it snaps together, to be opened by a plastic tool or flat screwdriver.


www.okw.co.uk www.cieonline.co.uk


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