Despite the economic turmoil of the last six months, cabinet and enclosure manufacturers have continued to provide a steady stream of improved products. Here’s a sampling of some of the best.
Enclosures and cabinets
Metcase, the metal enclosures division of OKW Enclosures, has just launched the Retex Witrack series of 19-in. wall mount cabinets. The wall racks come in versions that allow total access to the equipment and cables during installation and servicing. Users have access from all sides even when the unit is fitted on the wall — thus making life easier for the engineer.
Metcase Retex Witrack
The cabinets conform to IEC 60 297-2, DIN 41 494 part 1 & 7, ANSI/EIA-310-D and UNE 20 539-2 international standards, are designed to provide many features to enable easier mounting of the equipment, and suit a such applications as data networks, computer servers, and electronic systems.
The cabinets are available in three formats: fixed rack with fixed side panels, fixed rack with removable side panels, and for total access, dual section hinged rack with removable side panels. Available panel sizes are 6U, 9U, 12U, and 15U in two depths: 21 and 23 in. The fixed racks have a flat rear panel and the dual section racks have a hinged rear panel. The side panels are either fixed or removable as ordered. Accessories include fan units, additional 19-in. panel mounts, DIN rails, and a large range of standard 19-in. components.
Assembly is simple. Once the rear panel is mounted to the wall, the top, bottom and side panels are attached by four assembly bars. All models are supplied with adjustable panel mounts to suit different equipment depths, and a lockable front door with smoked safety glass.
The dual-section models are hinged at the rear and at the front to allow access from all sides to the panel mounted equipment and cabling. All models are manufactured in 1-mm -thick steel and finished with graphite gray epoxy paint. Prices start at $430.
Teko Enclosures (www.tekoenclosures .com), recently introduced the sealed ‘SK’ models in its MiniTekal series of miniature, extruded-aluminum enclosures. Further, the sealed units feature molded ABS panels — with a recessed area for fitting connectors, controls, keypads, or labels — instead of pressed aluminum end panels.
Teko MiniTekal ‘SK’ models
An integrated TPU seal provides the enclosures with a protection classification of IP 65 (NEMA 4). The cases are available in six compact sizes from 2.95 x 1.73 x 0.94 in. to 4.72 x 2.63 x 0.75 in. and two standard color combinations: silver or black anodized case extrusions with gray or black molded end panels. Priced from $28 the enclosures are available now.
Teko has also introduced smaller versions of its MiniTekMag series, for more compact handheld electronic devices. The latest enclosures are available in a 4.92 x 3.42 x 0.90-in. size and, like the earlier 6.18 x 3.89 x 1.22-in. TekMag series, are made of a magnesium alloy that is said to be easily machined and to provide superior strength, weight, and shielding characteristics.
The enclosure has soft-touch edge grips and comes in three versions; with no battery compartment, a 2 AAA compartment, and a 4 AAA compartment. Each enclosure has a die-cast top, base, and, if needed, battery compartment lid. The top section has a 4.13 x 2.55-in. recessed areas for a membrane keypad, product label, and such. Units come with an IP 67-rated sealing gasket and internal screw pillars for fitting PCBs and other components. Currently available, the enclosures are priced starting from $80.
With prices starting under $10, the Tribox series of nonmetallic enclosures from Automation Systems Interconnect (www.asi-ez.com), come in 10 sizes ranging from 130 x 80 x 60 mm (approximately 5 x 3 x 2 ¼ in.) to 380 x 280 x 180 mm (15 x 11 x 7 in.). The enclosures have silicon gaskets and are rated for NEMA 4, 4X, 6, and IP66/67 applications.
Automation Systems Interconnect Tribox series
The indoor/outdoor, halogen-free enclosures are available in gray ABS or polycarbonate with a transparent or opaque gray cover. ABS units have a UL94-B flammability rating and –20°C to 60°C operating range; for polycarbonate, it’s UL94-V2 and –40° to 80°C. Numerous accessories are optional, and completely configured junctions boxes with terminal blocks, relays, circuit breakers, surge protection, and more are available on request. The units are currently available, and prices start at $8.18.
Mounting hardware
Elma Electronic (elma.com) is now offering tapped strips for Eurocard extrusions and other electronics enclosures. The tapped strips allow front panels and other hardware to be screwed securely into the enclosure , and multiple attachment points are provided to enable application of even pressure for EMI-critical applications The strips, which have drilled and tapped holes at 0.2-in. intervals, are available in two cross sectional sizes, 2 x 6 and 1.8 x 5mm, and with either M2.5 or M3 threads.
Elma Eurocard extrusions
Elma, which offers many types of Eurocard enclosures, front panels, and components, also offers hardware in the precise metric sizes for Eurocard applications. The hardware includes earthing terminals, front-panel screws, bushings, retainers, bolts, nuts, washers, tapped strips, and more. Such specialized hardware in various metric sizes and geared for Eurocard applications can be challenging to locate.
Popular hardware includes M2.5 – M5 front panel screws, M2.5-M4 earthing screws (Philips and countersunk), M4 threaded bolts, and M2.5 – M3 tapped strips for card mounting. Other hardware products offered by Elma include locking washers, mounting brackets, connector cover caps, insulators, self-tapping screws, and more.
Created for the Art-Case series of plastic electronic enclosures, the fast-action mounting kit from OKW Enclosures (www.okwenclosures.com) lets the enclosure be mounted on a wall, ceiling, partition, vehicle, machine housing, or other equipment. The special mounting device clips into the cut-outs on the base or bottom lid of all Art-Case models.
OKW Art-Case series mounting kit
The molded, off-white, or black (to match the enclosure) ABS (UL 94 HB) mounting device is simply mounted to the surface, and the enclosure is then snapped into place, thereby producing a secure assembly with fixings screws not visible, which prevents tampering. The Art-Case series comes in four shapes — round, oval, square, and rectangular — with external dimensions from 4.33 to 6.29 x 4.33 x 1.49 in., and is configurable with flat or inclined (30° or 55°) bases. Cases with the new mounting kit are available from $14 each per 100.
Richard Comerford
Advertisement
Learn more about Electronic Products Magazine
