ELECTRIC.IE • The Magazine & Website for the Irish Electrical Industry • 55 www.rittal.ie For further information on the entire Rittal range visit www.rittal.ie or check out our linkedin page @rittal-ireland Rittal where metal enclosures may not be appropriate. Plastic is nonconductive and resists corrosion from many chemicals, which may be necessary in the chemical industry. Stainless steel may be required for hygienic locations, while aluminium is lightweight for applications where quick installation may be necessary, such as railway trackside positioning, as is also naturally resistant to corrosion and rust making it suitable for many outdoor applications. Metal enclosures often block EMF and RFI waves, which may be a requirement to protect your technology, or this feature may be unsuitable. • Single or double-skinned: As you might expect, singleskinned enclosures have a simpler construction (typically just a single sheet of folded steel) and so are usually cheaper to buy. However, Double-skinned enclosures may be better suited to housing your electrical equipment if: the equipment needs to be kept at an optimum temperature, the systems are sited in a public space and the nature of the systems that the enclosure houses is such that higher security levels are required, or there is a need for quick and easy repairs/ maintenance. • IP, IK and RC rating: Certain applications require a speci c IP and IK rating or Resistance Class (RC) for your enclosure. RC is the enclosure’s ability to withstand forces that could damage (or enable someone to remove) the equipment inside. Rittal’s engineers test their double-skinned outdoor enclosures to understand the amount of time needed to breach them. Their resistance levels are such that they have been awarded RC 2 ratings. You may choose an enclosure with this higher Resistance Class if it’s in an area with a signi cant risk of vandalism and theft. Typical outdoor enclosures have an appropriate protection class IP, taking into account the environmental conditions, of course. In an environment with a lot of ne sand and extremely strong winds, different requirements are placed on the tightness of the outdoor enclosure than in a setup in the middle of a residential area. Empty enclosures are regulated in terms of many aspects, such as the impact class; the degree of resistance to mechanical impact on the enclosure. This value is expressed in the IK value. The IK class has a 1 to 1 relationship with the protection class IP and describes at what energy level a certain level of protection is maintained against the penetration of foreign objects/dust and water. • Temperature regulation: More often than not, climate control is hugely overlooked. Sitting equipment in an enclosure works much like a ask, some heat transfer will be lost but how much heat is being generated in the rst place? Has a thermal calculation been carried out? If the enclosure is subjected to higher ambient temperature or more equipment is installed at a later date, considerations need to be made about whether cooling can be added as an option later on. These are important points that if considered early on can save huge amounts of time and cost, further down the line. • Security: It’s important to consider the level of security required. This may mean choosing a duel locking system for added protection. It may mean that fencing is required around the enclosure. It may mean EMC shielding is required, or a higher RC is essential. Each situation will be different, and so it’s imperative to understand the requirements needed. Rittal specialise in providing multiple types of enclosures for usage in a wide variety of instances. Their wealth of expertise will help guide you towards the perfect enclosure for your needs.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Mzk5MjA=