Features of Electric Cabinets and Enclosures

Electric cabinets and enclosures refer to cabinets to mount switches, knobs and displays of electrical and electronic equipment. It mainly prevents electric shock to equipment users and protects content from environmental factors.

Very often, the cabinet may be the only visible part of electrical or electronic equipment. So, the aesthetics of the cabinet design may be as important as its utility. Cabinets may also be subject to legal regulations, particularly in a hazardous ambience like petrochemical industries.

However, many a time design of internal and outdoor enclosures may be ignored by design engineers. The reason is that their function is only to shelter the controls. In contrast to this perception, enclosures should be designed with care to enhance the structure of the total system.

Whatever is the environment or application, the system may be enhanced with cutting edge technology of manufacturing for saving space, protecting equipment and reducing cost.

A cabinet has two major functions: Protection and Housing sensitive electrical and electronic equipment from contaminants and the weather. Electrical cabinets and enclosures should be designed with care.

Following are the main features of properly functioning indoor and outdoor electric enclosures:

Material

Cabinets are mostly made from metals like aluminium, stainless steel or steel and rigid plastics. Steel cabinets may be galvanized or painted. Equipment that is mass-produced will typically have a tailor-made enclosure but for small, custom made standardized equipment cabinets may be used.

Fibreglass, glass-reinforced and Polycarbonate cabins are used when stronger cabinets are needed. These may have extra fittings like gaskets for excluding moisture and dust. Metal enclosures may adhere to conductivity needs for bonding of electrical safety and protect enclosed equipment from electromagnetic interference. Cabinets made of non-metallic material may need additional steps of installation for ensuring proper bonding of metallic conduit systems.

Protection

The stipulations in various countries differ with regard to the criterion of protection for cabinets. An example is the NEMA regulation in the US. This specifies standards for the functioning of various classes of cabinets. These standards overlook criteria like protecting equipment from corrosion, rain and submersion.

Security

Many a time, this factor of physical security is ignored. But the highly vital design element of most cabinets be it outdoors or indoors is this security. In ideal situations, a cabinet must be highly tough to access. For this sake, cabinets must include remote monitoring, key or lockable pad handles, remote access as well as other security attributes.

Safety

An important concern is the safety of personnel and equipment. A cabinet is mainly meant for protection and safety. Equipment may be protected from dangers like arc flashes through use of disconnect enclosures for that are designed for shutting off power before touching enclosure to open it. Certain other techniques for safety design can include viewing windows and access ports that permit collecting and monitoring of data, avoiding the opening of the enclosure.

Bearing of loads

Is it compulsory that the cabinet should be constructed of heavy steel? With reference to the latest enclosures, the crucial factor of strength is with regard to the frame. As such, users can avoid the cost of heavy construction. Majority of current frames support over 3000 lb. This is sans accounting for exterior panels, walls or roofs.

Size

As opposed to depictions in 2 dimensions, cabinets are not just mounting panels or doors; they feature volume and occupy much space on the factory floors. By designing cabinets in the right size, they will be ease of installation and operation. Reducing the cabinet footprint will reduce the cost of freight and transport and save space.

Future planning

One must take note of potential hidden costs related to cabinets and outdoor enclosures such as additional labour or materials that contribute to the rise in total costs. Therefore, it must be ensured that the design is scalable by accounting for such factors before any issues arise.

In sum, by taking note of protection, easy utility and ownership costs, engineers can design cabinets which are both good looking and practical.