Feature: Enclosures
industrial environments and the great outdoors. It’s moulded from an ABS/ polycarbonate blend for added strength.
Will the electronics be used outdoors? Few people realise how much damage the sun’s rays can do to plastic until they see it for themselves, or feel a piece of UV-faded plastic split or break as they pick it up. This is the flip side to all those stories about plastics lasting thousands of years. Many handheld devices are destined
to be used outdoors – that’s the whole point of making them small and portable. And that rules out ABS for some applications. ABS is a good all-round plastic – hence its enduring popularity – but it struggles to cope with prolonged exposure to UV rays. Hence, specify an enclosure moulded from UV-stable ASA or a blend such as ASA+PC-FR which offers the added strength of polycarbonate and a superior flammability rating. And, don’t assume that UV stability is purely an ‘outdoor’ issue. Plenty of enclosures destined to spend their entire lives indoors need the added protection. Increasingly, OKW is specifying
ASA as the plastic of choice for newer models such as wearable BODY- CASE or ultra-ergonomic STYLE-CASE. That is particularly important for the healthcare sector because high-gloss ASA is easy to keep clean and looks great – an important consideration since no-one wants to be treated with medical equipment that looks old and tired.
Remote control – wired or wireless? Tis is one of the key applications for small handheld devices. Most will be wireless but some are wired. For wireless remotes you will need enclosures that offer infrared PMMA as a standard material. You could specify it as a custom option but going standard is quicker and easier. Wired enclosures for remote control
are less common so the choice is not as wide. But, it pays to use a dedicated
Scanning for sensors, opto-electronics, logging Tere can be few more specialised standard handheld enclosures than SENSO-CASE: it is designed specifically for scanning applications. However, don’t let its larger size fool you:
SENSO-CASE is well balanced and feels comfortable whether for leſt- or right-handed users. Te large front face offers plenty of space for mounting sensors – and it even comes with a trigger as a standard option. Te recessed top section can also be used for a membrane or a push-button keypad or display module. SENSO-CASE may be highly specialised
in its design but it’s widely used in a wide variety of electronics sectors, including an aircraſt-battery filler, a Geiger counter, a one-handed ground microphone for detecting leaks and a partial discharge scanner for high-voltage switchgear, among others.
OKW’s standard plastic enclosures for handheld electronic devices
wired enclosure because it will include important technical features. Look for benefits such as: • Pre-fitted cable glands – which save specification and assembly time;
• Cable glands with kink protection and integrated strain relief;
• Ergonomic curves for comfort, a recessed top for a keypad and a flat area for the cable gland(s). CONNECT is OKW’s leading
wired enclosure because its snap- together construction offers a choice of two fronts (one convex, the other flat/recessed) – and the capacity to accommodate cable glands at both ends. The enclosures have apertures at either end which can be fitted with any combination of accessory cable glands and end panels. Store it in a wall-mount holder
(accessory) or simply let it hang from its wire (the cable strain relief is strong). Accessories also include a holding clamp for rails – perfect for hospitals and wellness applications.
Handheld or wearable enclosures Some of the smallest handheld enclosures for personal electronics are so tiny that it’s more comfortable and convenient to wear them – leaving the user’s hands free for work. Again, ergonomics is a crucial consideration because a wearable enclosure may be in contact with a user’s body for hours at a time. Wearable housings such as BODY-CASE,
award-winning MINITEC and the smallest version of ERGO-CASE are useful for applications such as personal alarms/emergency call systems and geolocation/GPS tracking of lone workers and other vulnerable individuals.
Accessible and inclusive handheld enclosures OKW’s BLOB handheld enclosures are designed to be more intuitive to use. Te unusual shape of each housing guides the user’s hands to the controls: they teach by touch. Tis helps users with grip or learning disabilities. BLOB enclosures are far more distinctive
than other handheld enclosures in the OKW range. It’s important to note that they remain discreet in their design – it takes only a little customisation to make the BLOB enclosure you specify very much your own.
www.electronicsworld.co.uk March 2021 37
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