2012 - PageSuite

MAINTENANCESOLUTIONS
Courtesy: Hoffman
Smaller, more flexible enclosures
still need to be rugged
Cabinets allow for safe and accessible storage, but can generate dangerous heat.
By Brian Mordick
Hoffman
Technology advancements are resulting
in electronics playing a greater
role in the daily activities of business
and manufacturing plants than
ever before. A direct effect of the additional
network and electronics is the growing
demand for connectivity and network
equipment to be relocated from centralized
data centers—where conditions can be carefully
monitored and controlled—to localized
network and wireless applications, placing
them at the point of control or activity.
This increases the potential for exposure to
the often harsh manufacturing conditions
or environmental elements. To accommodate
these changing needs, enclosure solutions
have had to adapt to provide more
flexible and controlled access, enhanced
protection, durability, and performance versatility.
As component size decreases, PCB density
increases, allowing more electronics
and networking equipment to fit into smaller
spaces. Now, control, networking, and
security monitoring equipment that once
filled full-size electronic enclosures easily
fit into a smaller enclosure that can be
affixed to a wall or mounted directly
onto a machine—freeing up valuable
floor space.
Wall-mount cabinets allow manufacturers to
safely store electronics where they are needed
most, without exposing them to industrial conditions.
However, these small, highly dense
electronics generate a significant amount of
heat. Therefore, the ideal wall-mount enclosure
will offer thermal management capabilities,
adapt to changing networking requirements,
and accommodate a wide variety of
applications.
www.plantengineering.com PLANT ENGINEERING November 2012 • 81