Enclosures Design Basics

© Mahindra Satyam 2012

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 What is an Enclosure?

An Enclosure is a cabinet that encloses electrical/electronic equipments such as Breakers,

switches, knobs and displays for a wide range industrial and commercial applications.

It is intended to provide protection and safety in all types of environmental conditions.

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 Points to be considered for Enclosure Design and
Development:

Markets covered
Thermal management

Types of standard

Material

Size of enclosure

Types of enclosure

Assembly methods for enclosures

Current rating

Short circuit current rating

Vibration test

IK rating

IP rating

Types of gaskets used in enclosures

Painting/Powder coating

Industrial design

Standardization of enclosures

Energy management

Sales and Service

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 Standards & Markets Covered

IEC- International Electrotechnical Commission

IEC is non-governmental international standards organization that prepares
and publishes International Standards for electrical, electronic and related
technologies- collectively known as “electrotechnology”.

Ex: IEC 61439 for Low-Voltage switchgear and control gear assemblies.

UL- Underwriter Laboratories

UL is an independent product safety certification organization that has been testing
products and writing safety standards for more than a century. UL evaluates more
than 19000 types of products, components, materials and systems annually.

Ex: UL 50 for Enclosures for Electrical Equipment,

UL 857 for Busways, UL 891 for Switchboards

NEMA-National Electrical Manufacturers Association

NEMA is the association of electrical equipment and medical imaging
manufacturers In the US. It was founded in 1962 and its headquarters is located in
Virginia.

Ex: NEMA BU 1 for Busways

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 Enclosure Design Requirements
•Strength- Ensures consistent strength for safety and performance

•Sealing- Ensured sealing method will perform in various environments for the life of the
enclosure

•Material/Finish- Ensures high level of aesthetics, corrosion resistance & UV protection for end
use application

•Latching- Ensures door and/or cover is properly sealed and limits access to qualified
personnel

•Flammability-Ensures equipment and operator safety

•Ventilation-Helps increase the life of the equipment inside the enclosure

•Mounting- Ensures ease of installation while maintaining enclosure performance rating

•Thermal- Ensures the enclosure will perform at a high level in extreme environments

•Bonding/Grounding- Ensures equipment and operator safety

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 Materials

Points to be considered for selection of materials

Cost Effective

Readily Available

Process Friendly – Established/Easy Manufacturing Process

Easy Post-Processing – Plating/Painting, Welding, Assembly.

Mechanical Properties Consideration of Materials

Strength of Material

Hardness of Materials

Toughness of Materials

Thermal Properties

Electrical Properties

Endurance and Fatigue

Wear

Corrosion resistance

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 Materials

Hot Rolled Steel

The picture shows a coil of steel rolled on a hot-strip mill (hot-rolled steel).
It can be sold in this form to customers or further processed into other finished products.
Applications:
•Generally the term Hot Work Steel includes tool steels which adopt a constant temperature
about 200°C during application.
• Consequently, hot work applications involve the usual stresses which tool steels are
subjected to, plus thermal stresses due to the contact between tools and hot materials during
forming.

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 Materials
CRCA: (Cold Rolled Close annealed)
• Cold-rolled sheet is considerably thinner and stronger than hot-rolled
sheet.
Application:
CRCA Steels are used for cutting , pressing tools, dies , knives,
stamping, drawing tools, hobs, thread rolling tools and in many other
applications.
Their typical properties – high hardness, good toughness and
compressive strength and high wear resistance.

Automobile
Components
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 Materials
Stainless steel
•For durability, corrosion resistance, tensile and shear strength, stainless steel enclosures
are a good choice.
•Stainless steel retains its strength at high temperatures, which can be crucial in extreme
environments.
•Long lasting attractive appearance, which can be great for
enclosures in highly visible areas.

Insulating polyester and plastic materials (ABS, polycarbonate)

ABS: Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene PC: Polycarbonate

• Good Impact Strength • Excellent Impact Strength

• Good Dimensional Stability • Superior Dielectric strength
• Surface finish is Superior • Highly Transparent
• Easy to Mold. • High Mechanical Property

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 Sizes of enclosures

Boxes Wall-mounting enclosures

74 x 74 mm – 500 x 300 mm 300 x 200 mm – 1200 x 1000 mm

S44 Industrial boxes IP 66 CRN Wall-mounting steel

S57 Screw fixed cover boxes IP 66 S3DB Terminal enclosures
S24 Safety boxes IP 55 S3DBFL Terminal enclosures with FL21 cut out
SDB Derivation boxes S3DM Distribution modular enclosures
VDM 19” enclosures

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 Sizes of enclosures

Floor-standing enclosures Control desks

500 x 500 mm - 2200 x 1600 mm 1000 x 600 mm - 1400 x 1600 mm

SM Floor-standing compact
SF Floor-standing suitable
• Compartmentalised application SD Control desk
• PC rack SDF With console and desk
• Electronic application
• Power distribution
• Prisma Plus application
• Automobile application

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 Enclosure Types
Spacial SF - Floor standing enclosures

Maximum load: 1000kg

Galvanised steel with 18 folds for durability
Double perforation on a 25mm pitch
•Features a main fixing point with a discrete 5.2mm hole for trilobular screws
•Secondary point is a cut out for cage nuts
•Available in RAL colour 7035
•IP55 rated in accordance with IEC 60529
•IK10 rated in accordance with IEC 62262
•Suitable for outdoor applications in accordance with
IEC 62208
Panels can readily be fitted together to create
enclosures of a multitude of dimensions and shapes.
Industry
•Control and automation
•Protects users against overvoltage
•Manage and communicate data
Building
•Control and manage the building
•Energy and infrastructure

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 Enclosure Types
Ceiling & Wall mounting enclosures
Typical applications:
heating, ventilation, air conditioning , small control systems, distribution solutions.
• One-piece body for optimum rigidity and maximum IP.
• Multi-purpose:
mounting plate, 19 inch profiles, swing frame, modular system.
• Easy-to-work-with.
• Large useful mounting space.
• Easy equipment positioning.
• Factory customisation.
• Approvals and certifications.

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 Current Rating & SCCR
Current rating

Current rating of any electrical component is the maximum current the component
is designed to carry, it is dependent on voltage rating. Any current higher than the
current rating may cause the contacts of the component to melt and weld together.

Voltage rating is the maximum voltage a component is designed to control.

With increase in current, The wire gauge/Size increases leading to increase in the Wire
bending Space which in turn is directly related to size of Enclosure.

Short-circuit current rating (SCCR)

Short-circuit current rating (SCCR) is the maximum short circuit current a component
or assembly can safely withstand when protected by a specific overcurrent protective
device(s) or for a specified time.

Unit of Measure: kA

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 Seismic Certification (Vibration Test)
It is Testing process in which equipment and non-structural components are evaluated for
their ability to withstand the effects of earthquakes and meet functional requirements.

Testing is conducted in accordance with:

International Building Code (IBC), California Building Code (CBC), and
ASCE/SEI 7 based on triaxial shake table testing following the code recognized test
protocol ICC ES AC156.

Level 1 Test: SDS 1.25 g (Horizontal)

SDS 1.78 g (Vertical)
Level 2 Test: SDS 1.78 g (Horizontal)
SDS 2.46 g (Vertical)

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 Seismic Certification (Vibration Test)
Acceptance criteria:

The seismic verification of the test specimens was based on the following acceptance criteria:

1. The test specimens’ structure shall maintain structural integrity with no major structural
failure that may impact the electrical performance of the test specimens or impact adjacent
equipment..
2. The test specimens shall perform their electrical function immediately after seismic testing.

3. The test specimens shall pass one minute dielectric withstand testing per the associated
industry standards after seismic testing.

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 IK rating (Impact Protection)
IK rating is used to specify the resistance of equipment to mechanical impact. This
mechanical impact is identified by the energy needed to qualify a specified resistance
level, which is measured in joules (J).
It defines the degrees of protection provided by enclosures for electrical equipment
against external mechanical impact in accordance with IEC 62262:2002 and
IEC 60068-2-75:1997.

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 Thermal-Management System
Thermal management is the monitoring and control of temperature produced by
devices in electrical enclosures.

An efficient thermal-management system for all enclosures extends the service

life of the components and reduces their breakdown rate.

What are active solutions?

• Thermal control device
• Forced convection with fans
• Ventilators and air-conditioners
• Air-water and air-air exchangers
• Resistance heaters.

What are the benefits of sound thermal management?

First and foremost, safety. They also include:
•Prevention of overheating and malfunctions
•Reduced downtime
•Longer device service lives
•Improved energy efficiency
•Lower manufacturing costs
•Lower maintenance cycles and costs.

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 IP rating (Ingress Protection)
The IP codes are used to define
protection against the ingress of solid
foreign objects and water with harmful
effects.
The protection against the ingress of
solid foreign objects is also as a means
of specifying protection against
accidental contact with live parts.

The IP code consists of 2 numerals.

EX: IP23
2- defines the protection against ingress
of solid foreign objects and against
access
to hazardous parts.
3- defines the protection against the
ingress of water.

The higher the number the more

stringent the protection requirement.

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 Gaskets
Gaskets are mechanical devices used to provide a leak-tight seal between two slightly
irregular mating surfaces, such as an enclosure and its doors and accessories.

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 Gaskets
There are three main types of gaskets:

Strip-gasket:
•Materials can be used are neoprene, nitrile, Viton® and silicone.
•the method creates a seam in each corner which may make the
gasket more vulnerable to wear and damage.

Foam-in-place (FIP) gasket: (Polyurethane)

•FIP gaskets offer a good compression set resistance.
•Typically less expensive than other types of gaskets.

Die-cut gasket:
•one-piece die-cut gaskets do not have seams.
•However, they are typically more expensive.

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 Common Gasket Materials

Polyurethane:
• Service temperature range of -40 to 158˚F (-40 to 70˚C)
• Good compression set resistance
• Easy to create irregularly shaped gaskets

Neoprene:
• Most common material used for gaskets
• Used to form die-cut and strip gaskets
• Service temperature range of -67 to 250˚F (55 to 120˚C )
• Offers excellent chemical, abrasion and tear resistance
• Waterproof

Silicone:
• Service temperature range of -40 to 450˚F (-40 to 232˚C)
• Excellent compression set resistance
• Good resistance to ozone, UV and other weather-related elements
• Good high temperature resistance
• Manufactured by molding or die-cutting sheet stock
• More expensive than many other materials.

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 Painting/Powder coating
•Powder Coating is a free-flowing, dry powder that is applied to metal to provide a high-
quality and chemical-resistant finish.

•When the coating is exposed to heat, the plastic particles melt to form a high-durability
film. Nema Enclosures offers in-house powder coating in a wide range of colors, with an
excellent color match system, to meet all of your customization needs.

•A powder coating is a paint made from finely ground solid resins. Its advantages include
its fast curing, flexibility, and resistance to cracking, peeling or chipping.

•Powder coated enclosures have excellent corrosion resistance. Another advantage of

powder coatings is their availability in a variety of colors, giving the enclosures an attractive
finish of the customer’s choosing.

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 Painting/Powder coating

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 Thank You

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