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Electrical Enclosure, Electronics Enclosure, Electrical Boxes,

Major Differences of Stainless Steel and Carbon for Electrical Boxes

Even if the benefits of stainless steel and carbon steel are almost the same, they have specific characteristics or differences that makes them very ideal for certain engineering applications. To make sure that you are getting the proper material for the application that you desire, it is very important to have a firm understanding of the similarities and key differences of carbon and stainless steel.

Before we dive in to this article, remember that when carbon steel and stainless steel are mentioned, we are pertaining to several kinds of materials. In this article, we will only talk about the most widely-used types for each one.

Composition of each metal

The majority of the steels are primarily composed of carbon and iron. In some steels being used to manufacture electronics enclosure, the additional elements create a unique and very useful properties. By being able to have a control and change the elemental composition of each steel, the steelmakers can have a huge and wide variety of stainless steel that is suitable for several purposes.

Difference in composition

The key metal requirements/ingredients for stainless steel are chromium, nickel and molybdenum. Ideally, stainless steel should be able to contain at least 10.5 chromium my its composition. However, in majority of applications, the chromium content is very much higher. Several varieties of stainless steel also have steel properties of nickel and molybdenum to be able to give the additional, desirable properties.

Carbon steel means it has any steel composition whose primary ingredients are iron and carbon. The carbon content in carbon steel can have a varying range. It can go from 0.05 percent to three percent. The 0.05 is considered to be mild or low-carbon steel. And the highest is ultra high-carbon steels.

Cost of metals

The cost in creating stainless steel can greatly vary according to what you are buying. The composition of steel being used in electrical enclosure has several factors. In general sense, the stainless steel tends to cost more than the mild or medium carbon steel.

For very high-carbon steel, however this can be comparable or even greater in cost when it comes to stainless steel. Since there are several factors that can play in determining how much the company will pay for the steel, the best way to determine and identify the specific performance factors is to determine and investigate your options and the cost that they come with.

Electrical Enclosure, Electronics Enclosure, Electrical Boxes, Fireproof Electrical Enclosure,

What are the Right Standards for Fireproof Enclosures?

There are several types of different variations of the fireproof enclosure design. It all depends on what the application requirements are and what are the dimensional and operational parameters of the device that is being used. In addition to this, there are standards in the basic design principles that are being practiced by the community when it comes to the fireproof industrial enclosure systems. These include:

  • Cables and connectors that does not have a direct entry into the enclosure.
  • The external flange displays the strong metal-to-metal bonding or have a vented joint that should not exceed the allowance for the maximum gap.
  • The rubber and other materials has the possibility of deterioration should not be utilized in sealing the joints.
  • All the externals needed in facing the joints and the flanges are installed and machined within the limits of preset minimum distance that exists between the inner and outer sides of the enclosures.
  • Any fasteners should be utilized to properly secure all the covers that are being hooded.
  • The shaft and the spindle bearings should be able to maintain a specific minimum length and maximum radical clearance in accordance to the application requirements.

The specific standards for these fireproof electrical enclosures should greatly vary depending on the type of the fireproofing project that is going at hand, but the meticulous and careful testing should be always implemented to carefully determine the electrical enclosures’ effectiveness. Once the required tests for these involves the identification the maximum pressure that could result to gas explosion internal of the electrical enclosure, and then exposing the electrical box to a higher temperature in tis environment is necessary to measure and evaluate its protection levels.

This type of test is also being utilized to effectively verify whether the explosion inside the enclosure will ignite in the presence of combustible atmosphere and spread fire to the external systems.

The integrity of the structure is one of the most crucial and critical characteristics the fireproof enclosures has and makes it important for the electrical enclosure to be tamper-proof and highly efficient. By installing and repairing the electrical box requires specific training and certification and the process should be able to follow all the standard in safety protocols and manufacturer recommendations for all of its components.

The cables and the conduits utilized for the connection of the fireproof electrical box should also be able to play a very important role in the reduction of the ignition risk. Even if the fireproof standards might vary in different manufacturing companies.


Electrical Enclosure, Electronics Enclosure, Electrical Boxes, Server Rack Cabinets,

What are the Sound Using Server Rack Cabinets?

Nothing can become worse than hearing the whirring of the equipment you are using while you are trying your very best to give your focus on something that is very important. The constant buzz that you can hear in the machines is just enough just to make sure that you can drive someone nuts. This problem can be solved by the soundproof server racks, and you do not have to worry about this problem.

With this in mind, you can use a Sound Using Server Rack Cabinet to solve the noise problems. These cabinets are originally designed to be installed on practically anywhere and everywhere. If a company has a problem with an equipment that produces very crazy sounds and it hampers work processes in your work environment, reception area, school, or network closet – then these type of cabinets are very good investments.

There are a lot of times when the students are always complaining about the unnecessary noise coming from the equipment installed in their school premises. It primarily distracts them making them unable to fully concentrate on a given test or just even learning at school. These server rack cabinets has already solved this problem. Not only for school premises but also in other environments where the noise coming from this equipment can be a distraction. Just by effectively reducing the noise of the equipment to 26 dBa, the noise seems to be converted from very loud distraction to a whisper.

These server rack enclosures have been proven to create a very huge difference and advantage to those environments that are being affected by the noisy equipment. Together with many different size options widely available from 9u to 44u, as well as several server rack styles such as wall mounts and other standing server cabinets, these Sound Using Server Rack Cabinets Cabinets are very ideal to almost every application.

These server racks do not only have sound reduction as their primary priority, the most common concern for them when they consider the enclosed server rack cabinets is the heat that the rack generates. Together in an enclosed space, this can be very easy for the equipment to generate much heat and become overheated, that will further harm the equipment and can cause equipment failures. However, the Sound Using Server Rack Cabinets already have this problem covered. These server racks can also dissipate heat up to 12kW.

What is the most unique about these server rack cabinets is that they can top of some of the wardrobe doors that lets the cool air to come in, then eventually the hot air is now pushed out from the server rack to the top of the rear wardrobe doors. This also allows the cool air to properly circulate within the rack area to keep the cabinet in a very stable temperature.

Enclosure Materials, Engineering Blog, Paperless Operation, Save Trees,

How Can You Save the Environment by Converting to Paperless Operation?

With today’s development in our technology, companies are going into going green to save the environment. And this movement has been rampant even across the consumer sector. In line with this, there are hybrid vehicles, recycling bins on almost every corner of every where, and the solar technology has started to rise up. There are several steps that we can do as a society to make sure that we will be able to preserve our planet for ourselves and the future generations to come.

In line with this, we have already talked about certain ways on how companies can move towards the green movement or agenda in their offices. Businesses have been slowly but carefully converting their office procedures into much environmental friendly processes. Not only that this can help them in saving up environment resources but this can also save companies a lot of time.

One of these steps in converting to a green movement in businesses is to totally eliminate using paper in their processes or workload. There are several opportunities that comes with this and companies can save a lot of potential costs too. For example, companies can no longer print the orders that are already being emailed. From the order entry system, this system allows businesses to have a copy of the entered order right in front of their screens. By implementing this strategy, this can save us from printing and verifying the orders by hand.

The other paperless choice is to change the route of the fax machine and printed pages, and directly print things to a PDF document. While the majority of the consumers are able to send their orders to businesses, there are few customers who still prefer to send files via fax machine. But they can now do so without using the paper or toner. The PDFs can be automatically emailed directly to the business email addresses and order entry department can be automatically be inputted. In line with this, the office employees are now required to check the fax machine orders every now and then. But they don’t have to maintain and think about paper and toner cartridges.

In addition to this, the custom job filing system has also been in the green makeover. The complete information is now stored in an online storage program, which in return it contributes to the CSRs review of the product specifications, pricing, and previous orders. Even the drawings that are coming right from the computer stations.

Which can only mean that the customer does not have to sit and hold or wait while we get a printed version of the information that they need from a filing cabinet. They do not have to wait for the company’s callback whenever they ask for a certain file. With the recent development in technologies, company can now call the information needed.

Strength, Engineering Blog, Enclosure Materials

What is the Type of Strength in Maintaining Solidarity?

Last year, we just went to several weddings and most of them are located in out-of-towns. That will also mean that travel is included when we attend our friends’ weddings. However, the packing for an out-of-town wedding is very hard. Being more than just a regular vacation, you have to bring your wedding clothes in addition to your vacation clothes. And in most of the girls, that packing means there will be several or many pairs of stockings.

Invariably, any girl has the possibility to rip one pair of stockings when they get it out from its packaging. If one is very coordinated and graceful (not to mention careful) like me, you will eventually bump into something and you can get a run of your stockings even before the first dance happen. And do not get me started on the inconvenience of the wooden chairs or benches with their hole-inducing splinters.

For people who does not know, once you get a run for your stocking it cannot be used again and it is totally over. Somehow once the stockings are in its complete form when it is in its tightly knit piece, and they can support each other. However, wen there is a breach, the entire stockings cannot be used.

When it comes to the silicone rubber, there has the same propensity that can hold the bond together. The strength of the majority of the VM boot material can help us keep the VM series of the plastic electronics enclosure. It can also help the companies to be safe from scratches, dents, or other nicks that are being caused by dropping and other mishaps. Even if the material is very strong to withstand this kind of enclosure damage, it should retain the flexibility and soft silky exterior.

In addition to this however, we have had several people who are asking about the machining process of the silicone rubber boots. This also comes back around the to the principle in stockings. While the material is durable, strong, and very supportive while it is intact, once a hole or cut is already seen on the entire structure of the stockings can become more susceptible to shredding, tearing, or even mutilation.

The silicone material in boots can help them in maintaining their shape but the integrity can become totally compromised and it can have a risk of damage that can be further increase.

If you want to discuss any options for customization or if you have any questions in mind, the companies are free to explore with you what are the several options that are available for them. With all other products, the customization can create any undesired consequences and companies are more than willing to advise you of other options.

Enclosure Materials, Controller

What is the 512 Channel Dimmer: Wonderful Product Highlights!

One of my most favorite high school memory was performing in a school musical. All the dancing, singing, and being able to establish the friendship with my classmates brought me very good memories. I believe all of us had some pretty flamboyant personalities that clamors to be heard.

These among many other things that contributes to the good memories of a student. What any other way to feed a teenager’s ego right? I am very proud to say that now I am still friends with my previous classmates I met in the drama club during my high school days. And in that light, this is where the customer product really hit home in my heart.

The Durand Interstellar was able to create a 512 channel controller for the lights of all shapes, types, and sizes. These are now being used in such locations such as the theaters and museums and they are up to 127 presets that can be finally stored and called up through a command of the computer or the MIDI host. The controller presets can now be activated by time or external event. For some, it even can be also called up automatically when it is powered on.

In addition to this, the 4201-B stellarDMX DMX512-A Controller was initially designed to be easily modified for other custom uses and it is also widely available as a bare or assembled/tested board for other customization use. The Durand Interstellar is now even happy to be able to provide for a quote that is being used for the custom firmware and/ or hardware.

For the product knowledge, you can visit the instellar.com anytime for a more specific product literature or information or even product support. You can also order items directly from their online store. You can order a hard copy of their product manual along with the CD copy.

If you want your product to be featured on our website you can send us a direct message!

Electronics Enclosure, engineering blog, Non-conventional enclosure parts

How to add A Unusual or Non-Conventional Parts or Accessories to Your Electronics Enclosure?

We discovered that our TV stand would not work in the living room. Yesterday, we had spent the day scrubbing his apartment so the car was full of cleaning supplies such as vacuum, mop, and garbage cans. Since we passed a furniture store we decided to stop and just check out what was available.

Finding the perfect stand at a great price, we knew we had to make the purchase immediately. However, there would not be room in the vehicle. Our sales assistant helped us come up with a non-conventional method to pack all of the items in the car and we made it home in record time.

Another area non-conventional items or methods are common is in electronics. There are many standard components such as printed circuit boards, wires and connectors, and plastic enclosures to hold it all together. Once a customer asked how to attach a swivel to his enclosure.

He was inventing a product that could be worn on a cord around a person’s neck. In order for the product to work correctly, it had to be able to rotate on a specific axis, which is where the swivel came in.

This is not a very common issues that is usually being encountered. Even though, there are wide variety of electronics enclosure product line. This line is versatile enough to be able to accommodate even the most non-conventional items under electronics equipment.

The companies would only need to machine or put a round hole on the enclosure. At the location where the two pieces should come together. Especially when the product is being finally screwed together. This will now allow some of the parts to slide better unto the grooves on the swivel. And it can also secure the swivel properly while maintaining the maneuverability around the axis.

What are the Other Available Product Lines for NEMA-Rated Electronic Enclosures Manufactured from Plastics?

Being a Cleveland sports fan is very very hard. Because of the team’s last year performance, their most notable low game point happened in July. It was also nationally reported that LeBron James have finally decided to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers. These infamous words by James “I have chosen to take my talents to South Beach” I think will haunt Cleveland fan’s memories forever.

Just this morning before the broadcast of James’ decision, the Cleveland’s owner – Dan Gilbert – promised to make sure that his team will bring the championship to Cleveland. Even before Lebron can win one for Miami. After the game of not so famous ‘10-‘11 season, I was really excited to see the draft of 2011 NBA as Cleveland has already accepted its 1st overall pick. Of course, with the excellent opportunity for them to increase their talent on the bench.

Just like the Cleveland team, who just recently got a new talent in the draft, there are enclosure manufacturing companies who are getting ready to launch their new product lines. These companies will be on the run for the expansion of their top line NEMA-rated electronic enclosures. And this line also has the additional sizes and version available for their respective series.

With these new developments, there will be no longer a need for the acquisition of a different flange kit available to the NEMA boxes. As these newly updated enclosures will constitute a surface-mounting flanges that are molded directly on the box. This is a new and convenient features of the flanged NEMA boxes that comes with their accessibility.

The customers will also be able to remove the cover of the enclosure without removing the electronics enclosure from its surface it is currently mounted on. In addition to this, the brass inserts also allow for the re-entry into the enclosure box. Given that you can do this for unlimited number of times. And also, always remember that the enclosure series NEMA rated enclosures are generally design to fit to IP65 of IEC 529 and adopt the NEMA 1, 2, 4, 4x, 12 and 13 specifications.

Plastic Enclosures that are Made with Belt Clip

While watching UP one afternoon, I was amazed by the innocence and ingenuity young Ellie showed at the beginning of the movie. Even if she is not totally involved in driving and steering the ship, she made a positive impact on her husband that she left him with wonderful mark. Including this is the fact that she taught her husband how to do the nifty and tricky system of ropes and pulleys which was used later on in the movie.

This scene has made me think a lot about how my grandparents were about during their generation, and how they have made up for the lack of technology before? Were they able to figure out how things can work without the help of today’s innovations?

With this in mind, I am amazed by how everything was offered in a silver platter because today’s innovations has enabled us to at least figure out how things should work out and we don’t have to invest time and energy in discovering things.

This is the reason why there are people who takes pleasure in working in a manufacturing field. A group of people can be composed of designers and engineers that makes things possible and brings difference to the lives of other people. Their ideas are being utilized for the betterment of the society. They are the group of people with new ideas and options for improvements. Engineers can take ideas together with available materials to make things and engineering projects happen. Whether it is theft retrieval systems, cars running on bio-fuel and cancer research, they can just follow their ideas and they will be able to create products that can bring positive changes on the world.

Even if the project fails, they will still add ideas to the things that does not work and it opens up to new options available.

This is the same case with other enclosure manufacturing companies. Their design engineers are continuously working on the products that will be released. Even with a wide variety of over 1400 styles and options, they are always open to expanding their current product line.

One of the options of the end users is to make a request about the way their enclosures should be worn – for instance, attached to a belt. There are enclosure series that are made handheld and they have optional rubber silicon boot for easier attachment. These molds are directly attached to the belt loop. This gives provisions for the enclosure to be worn on any kind of way that belts attach together – tool belt, clothing, shoulder strap, etc. The belt loop is being improved and reinforced to give protection to the boot from further damage and tearing that can be caused by continued use. Companies continue to come up with different use and innovations to make enclosures improved and better than before.

Creating Custom Knockout Holes in the Electronic Enclosures

There are ladies that are not ready to be called and perceived as a “girlie” girl. They have the tendency to exemplify the disgracing attitude of a drunk three legged bull making them not ready for sports. Boys can have the tendency to teach women about the rules, stats, and terminology of nearly every sport imaginable on the planet. Just by watching the episode of a sports commentary show – the commentators will discuss about the recent boxing match that just happened. The new terms that one can get are TKO (technical knock out.) It is easy to figure this out but it is not common to know the T in TKO. Because it is more common to hear KO in these scenarios.

So imagine if someone who are well versed in technology heard about the knockouts in enclosures. Obviously, it is not the same TKO or knock out in boxing however, the concept is quite similar when it comes to enclosures. A customer was looking for two different versions of a same case. The other versions should have one hole on the left while the other should have one on the right. In effort to be cost-efficient, the customer is looking for a way to produce one version in larger batches rather than just producing enclosures in two small batches. In order for them to do this, they should look for a way on how to only have one hole showing at a time.

To be able to do this, there is an option to make a machine knockout on the enclosure to make a thru-hole. The knockout should be essentially look like a round hole except that there are 2 small webs of plastic material that can hold the plastic slug in the hole. If the end users want to use the hole, they should simply break the webs of material to be able to remove the slug. This is what they call knocking out the material.

In other terms, companies can use machines that makes both holes as thru-holes and they can just simply cover the un-needed hole. There are enclosure manufacturing companies that does not carry products that cover or plug holes. There are different companies offering that type of products. Just by searching on Google, one can easily find a cover or plug holes for the enclosures.

How to Capture a PCB Using Two Screw Towers?

Just recently, I instantly decided to get rid of my unneeded furniture placed in the basement. It was already old, out of style and it so happens that my cats are living down in the basement. The furniture was completely covered in my cat’s fur because my two white cats loves to sit on the (then blue) white couch. Anyone who will see my furniture will tell me that it looks completely gross. And it is.

And because of presence of fleas, I decided to move the chairs by myself. I cannot wait for my boyfriend to arrive even if he is just 20 minutes away from my house. I almost got near the carpet but for once I decided to drag it upstairs. I just don’t have the energy to turn it to then haul it out open to the door.

When I carefully looked at the chair, I hefted the back of the chair onto the stair to make it leveled up to the front end whilst stepping up to the next level of the stairs. I said to myself, “one step at time.” I just patiently keeps on repeating this mantra as I slowly inch my way up to the stairs just balancing the two legs of the chair. When I finally got to the landing of the chair, I had to make the turn. I just hefted the back left leg of the chair onto the landing platform just in front of the right leg on the front end. While the chair is recently balanced like this on opposing legs, I just have to push it all the way to make a safe landing.

With this in mind, why should my impatience about furniture hauling matter? This is because without the ability to balance the chair on two opposing legs, I should have not succeeded. I recently got this idea from an enclosure making company that just launched their hand-held plastic enclosures. The unique enclosure design shows how it sandwiches a PCB between two screw towers.

There are customers who have asked how this works and they show a doubtful face that says “How does this keep the board from flexing?” The place of the board on the enclosure, then insert (and tighten) the screws into the screw holes on the enclosure. Which is now threaded unto the screw towers. This is primarily because the enclosure is so slim, that it leaves no room for the board to easily flex or twist like that inside the enclosure.

The screws can easily hold down the opposing corners of the PCB board. Thus making it just level and stable once the enclosure is successfully screwed together. This also allows the end user to use the space that surrounds the PCB without the need for the mounting attachments of bosses made in most sizes. However, because of the extra length of the KT-70, the mounting bosses are finally included for the additional stability.

Guidelines in Choosing the Best Industrial Automation Controller

There are several most important items that engineers should consider when they are in the process of choosing a controller for machines and automation processes. The break down of the equipment’s needs for operations requires a starting point that helps the equipment to have an analysis of the different ranges of controllers being specified by OEMs or machine makers. This depends on the way the equipment is being operated to fit in the larger manufacturing environment, the system can be automated to give and provide concrete & complete solution to have control on the individual parts.

The controller specified for this is the programmable logic controller (PLC) or the programmable automation controller (PAC.) These control systems can have control over a single station, machine, process unit, assembly line or even the entire plant which it was installed. Once the integrated manufacturing system is being automated, the single control systems controller can use multiple expansion and remote input/output (I/O) bases. This now having communications that use Ethernet that can give end-to-end control. On the other hand, this application may require the compartmentalization of different automation systems that can be broken in the system. This can lead to multiple, logical sections. However, in this case, the automation should be spread among much smaller PLCs or micro ones but this depends on the demand and the functionality.

Most of the automation engineers will see this as the irreversible decision they can make between two choices. This can also have vastly different platforms but this not have to be the only case. Some of the controller systems offer different platforms, size options that use or utilizes the same programming software. However, the single programming environment can offer larger application flexibility that can help companies save time and money. These programs can be easily converted or located from one PLC to another PLC to adapt to the compatibility of the projects.

These are such critical and expensive equipment which would need some protection in case of several incidents such as, water from pipe leaking, water fire extinguisher in case of fire and many more. Therefore we need some cabinets, enclosures or boxes to protect this equipment. There are a lot of enclosures and cabinets, provide a different protection level in each different type categorized by an organization called NEMA enclosures, or standard such is IP ratings various used in Europe.

One of the hardest parts of deciding is if a single program should be operated on a large PLC or to have the same project operate on smaller PLCs. Each of this should only have the parts executed that are needed to run by the specific subsystem.

With this in mind, this is much complex compared to picking PLC, PAC, or PC-based controller-size that depends on its characteristics, capabilities, and other functions. In order to help engineers in deciding which is the best controller to be used for this kind of application, they should consider the following factors:

Automation needed for a new system

Existing environmental issues (depending on the application)

Communication and Programming

Location of I/Os

Analog and Discrete Devices

Loop Controls

However, regardless of whether the system is new or not, it can dictate several critical factors for selection. Once these products are already installed, it is a recommended practice to come up with a new system that is compatible with the existing one. A small number of controller products can possibly come from the same manufacturing plant, and they may not be compatible with other controllers.