Beyond the Box: Choosing the Right Enclosure for Harsh Industrial Environments

Industrial environments can be tough on equipment such as electronic devices. If you’re thinking about how to protect electronics from humidity and other environmental undesirables, you’ll probably be considering the benefits of electronic equipment enclosures. These electronic enclosures help protect sensitive instrumentation from heat, humidity, dust, and moisture. This guide explains what different types of enclosures do, helping you select the best solution for your application. Read on for more.

Harsh industrial environments often expose electronic equipment to extremes that can affect performance or pose risks to safety. These extremes may be of temperature, humidity, vibration and shock, or the presence of high levels of dust and particulate matter.

For example, forges and furnaces may feature very high temperatures, while some manufacturing facilities may employ cold storage with extremely low temperatures that can affect equipment. High humidity and condensation are common in food and beverage manufacturing, while dust and particulates are often found where metal or wood is being processed. Sectors that use heavy machinery, such as mining and heavy industry, may expose equipment to extremes of vibration and shock.

Manufacturing industries also commonly use harsh chemicals and corrosive materials that can impact sensitive electronic devices. Corrosive agents such as cleaning chemicals are widely used in food manufacturing, while solvents and oil are common in car manufacturing and petrochemicals. Electronic equipment may also need to be protected from electrical surges or electromagnetic interference. Additionally, if it’s located outside, it may need shielding from the elements.

Electronic enclosures can help manufacturers overcome these problems by protecting equipment. Enclosures are protective housings or casings that guard against hazards in the environment, keeping out dust and dirt, water, oil, or other chemicals. Insulated and ventilated enclosure designs protect against extremes of temperature. Enclosures may also be specially designed to prevent corrosion.

Enclosures are sometimes designed to protect against mechanical factors such as vibration or impact, or they may be configured to protect delicate electronics from electromagnetic disruption. In the latter case, the enclosure shields components from electromagnetic fields, protecting systems from interference.

Enclosures can be graded by ingress protection (IP) ratings. These determine how effectively an enclosure blocks the ingress of liquids or solids.

When it comes to protecting electronics and other devices from humidity, dust, water, and other hazards, it helps to understand ingress protection (IP) ratings.

Ingress protection (also known as IEC Standard 60529) ratings are international standards. The ratings demonstrate how effectively an enclosure prevents ingress by liquids and solids such as dust. 

Ratings are on a scale. Numbers higher on the scales indicate higher levels of protection, with separate digits indicating the protection level for solid and liquid, respectively. For example, an IP rating of 0 for solids means there is no protection against their ingress, while a rating of 6 for solids indicates an enclosure is completely sealed against dust.

On the liquids scale, ingress protection of 1 indicates protection against vertical drops of water; protection of 9K, by contrast, indicates protection against high-pressure, high-temperature jets. Combining the digits from each scale gives rise to the overall IP rating. For example, an enclosure with an IP rating IP67 is tight against ingress of dust and protected against immersion in water up to one metre.

The choice of material is important when it comes to creating an effective enclosure. Different materials offer different protective qualities. Stainless steel provides excellent corrosion resistance and is hygienic, which is important in industries such as pharmaceutical and food and beverage manufacturing. Polycarbonate enclosures are lightweight, non-corrosive, and non-conductive, which makes them a suitable choice for electronic equipment enclosures. Typical enclosures using polycarbonate might include junction boxes, control panels, outdoor lighting, or telecommunications equipment.

Aluminium enclosures boast both corrosion resistance and a high strength-to-weight ratio. They are also good at dissipating heat, which makes aluminium a good choice for power electronic enclosures, and they offer electromagnetic shielding. All these materials can be IP-rated. For example, polycarbonate enclosures may be rated at IP65-IP67 for outdoor use.

It’s sometimes necessary to control the temperature inside an enclosure, which is where thermal management comes into play. Excessive heat can cause components to fail or reduce their life, or otherwise compromise safety or performance. Potential sources of heat include power supplies and programmable logic controllers, inverters, lighting, or relays. Alternatively, heat may come from outside sources, such as direct sunlight falling on outdoor enclosures.

Enclosures can be cooled by passive cooling such as radiation (heat radiates from the enclosure surface), conduction (heat spreads through the material) or convection (natural airflow in the enclosure keeps things cool). By contrast, active cooling systems use fans, blowers, air conditioning units, or heat exchangers to keep temperatures within an acceptable range. Thermal management can also include systems that warm up the enclosure, which may be necessary in outdoor installations in colder climates where excessive cold could affect the system.

Given that there is a huge variety of industrial settings and sectors, customisation is an important element in enclosure design. Customisation should consider factors such as environmental conditions and layouts of equipment.

Enclosures can be customised in numerous ways, including the addition of viewing windows, hinges and locks, mounting options, DIN rails, brackets, holes, seals, branding or corporate identity, lighting and heating, or cooling systems.

Enclosure accessories include wall brackets, pole mounts, IP-rated cable glands, heat exchangers, fans and exhaust grilles, pressure relief vents, and LED lighting. Engineers must ensure that accessories do not compromise the IP rating of an enclosure.

Enclosures are used in an enormous range of applications and sectors. They are widely used in factory automation and process sectors such as oil and gas, the chemicals industry, food and beverage manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and textile and paper mills. They are also employed in power generation, renewable energy, water and wastewater, and gas networks, as well as telecommunications, transport, the built environment, and in areas where there is an explosion risk or other hazard (such as extreme temperatures or risk of corrosion).

Materials used vary depending on the setting and application. For example, stainless steel enclosures are often used in environments where hygiene and corrosion resistance are of prime importance, such as for human-machine interfaces used in workstations in pharmaceutical or food manufacturing. By contrast, general electronic enclosures such as small electronics enclosures for printed circuit boards may be constructed from polycarbonate, which offers good electrical insulation, impact resistance, and is non-conductive. An outdoor telecoms cabinet could be constructed from galvanised or stainless steel and powder-coated to resist corrosion. Such an installation may be rated at IP55 for outdoor use and feature customised cooling systems.

In general, engineers must match the capabilities of the enclosure to the task at hand. But with the variety of enclosure materials and designs on the market, they are well-served with options. 

Explore our wide range of enclosure designs to find the best product for your needs.