Today’s manufacturing world is a complex, global landscape. Manufacturers are turning to industrial automation solutions to help cut the complexity of global production programs and deliver a wider variety of products to market with increased speed, efficiency, and precision. The backbone of these industrial automation frameworks is the modern industrial enclosure, designed with Industry 4.0 and IIoT principles in mind.
The path toward optimized production sequences in the automotive, food and beverage, and retail and logistics industries begins with identifying the right industrial enclosure solution to adequately protect mission-critical electronics, scale production infrastructure based on market demands, and operate production programs with enough flexibility to pivot based on variables like supply chain instability, material shortages, and labor shortages. Similarly, automation architects need enhanced, end-to-end visibility into the panel and enclosure design and manufacturing process to create a connected, unified value chain.
Rittal and EPLAN help manufacturers simplify the design and engineering process with powerful CAE software that unifies the control panel production sequence. With each phase of the panel design and production process clearly visible, manufacturers can create a connected value chain to help companies better anticipate and plan for shifts in production. Additionally, the digitalization of design and engineering allows for easier enclosure customization to help manufacturers create an enclosure solution to suit a variety of applications.
Combined with a wide range of industrial panel and enclosure accessories like our IP and NEMA rated junction boxes, terminal boxes, push button enclosures, Human Machine Interface (HMI) integrations, and more, our suite of industrial enclosures provides manufacturers with a simplified solution to help you get the job done.
Complexity of Industrial Enclosure Selection Webinar
Protection, ease of assembly and installation, ability to scale based on demand, and flexibility with cable management are just a few of the considerations for manufacturers in a variety of industries in selecting the right industrial control panel enclosure for your application. This webinar will demystify the process of selecting the right enclosure and help you choose the right solution for optimized efficiency and productivity
View the on-demand webinar
Top Challenges in Selecting the Right Industrial Enclosure for Your Application
> Understanding the Right Application for Unibody and Modular Enclosures
> How Wallmount Enclosures Help Solve for Unique Challenges
> Finding Enclosures that Can Withstand the Harsh Outdoor Elements and Also Allow for Easy Access for Maintenance
> Identifying the Right Industrial Enclosures for Versatility and Durability
> The Importance of Automated Enclosure Modification in Optimizing Efficiency
> How to Choose the Right Industrial Enclosure
> How to Prevent Arc Flash
Understanding the Right Application for Unibody and Modular Enclosures
In today’s manufacturing environment, the modular enclosure is commonly associated with a modern or state-of-the-art approach to industrial enclosure design and engineering, while on the other hand the classification of unibody enclosure conjures up ideas of legacy industrial enclosure technologies that lack the agility and flexibility to keep pace with the variant-rich nature of today’s production cycles. In reality, the right enclosure depends on your application.
Modular enclosures are cabinets designed to protect sensitive electronic components where panels, doors, or other mission-critical component parts can be altered or swapped without time-intensive tasks such as cutting or welding. This functionality of modular enclosures makes them ideally suited for use in industries like retail and logistics, where the need to scale is a primary concern. Rittal’s TS 8 stainless steel modular enclosure is designed with superior protection and durability with IP 66 and NEMA 4 ratings.
Unibody enclosures are designed and engineered as stand-alone industrial cabinets that are ideal for elevated levels of protection and security in harsh manufacturing environments. While alterations on unibody enclosures are not as simple as with modular enclosures, the unibody construction allows for greater panel or wire volume and configuration within the enclosure which makes them well-suited for use in the food and beverage and automotive industries. Our VX SE unibody enclosure offers maximum space-saving capabilities through a wide range of dimensions with widths up to 1800 mm to replace up to three baying enclosures, and depths down to 300 mm for confined production applications. In addition, the VX is constructed for maximum stability and torsional rigidity and provides IP 66 and NEMA 4/4X protection.
Today’s manufacturers need unibody and modular industrial enclosures to create the most effective automation infrastructure. The trouble lies in understanding which industrial enclosure is best for your specific application or task. This guide will help you determine the right enclosure for the right time and place.
Assemblers and installers need industrial enclosures that are easy to assemble, simple to install, and readily customizable without the need for specialized tools. Whether it’s through condensed BOMs with fewer SKUs, interchangeable panels and parts, or compatibility with standardized tools, modular enclosures streamline so many common processes or tasks.
How Wallmount Enclosures Help Solve for Unique Challenges
Manufacturing looks quite a bit different today than it did just 15 years ago. Whether it’s distribution centers like airport hubs or ports that require outdoor industrial enclosures, or automotive plants where space is at a premium and unique mounting capabilities are key, manufacturers need flexibility in how industrial enclosure systems can be deployed without sacrificing protection, durability, and reliability.
In addition, rapid, error-free design, engineering, and modification are also critical considerations for manufacturers in need of these kinds of custom industrial enclosure solutions for specific or unique applications.
Rittal’s line of wallmount enclosures can be used in virtually any industrial application and are specifically designed for use in harsh environments to help ensure a long service life of the electronics enclosed within and bring superior durability to an existing automation infrastructure. NEMA 4 protection, single-door construction, and steel body construction offer unparalleled protection while the compact design and variable mounting capabilities make our wallmount enclosures a versatile industrial cabinet solution.
Don’t let unique or custom enclosure deployments slow you down. Whether your concern is space constraints or custom deployments, wallmount enclosures provide superior protection and durability. Our Wallmount Technical Guide provides the information and specs you need to choose the right wallmount enclosure for your unique application.
Finding Enclosures that Can Withstand the Harsh Outdoor Elements and Also Allow for Easy Access for Maintenance
Outdoor environments can have severe effects on the electrical controls inside of enclosures. Those sensitive electronics are extremely susceptible to overheating, moisture, dust, and debris. So, without the proper protection and access for maintenance - their operating life can be shortened. This can result in degraded equipment performance or downtime.
To help optimize electronic component efficiency and reduce failures, outdoor applications need a durable enclosure for protection from the harsh outdoor elements, as well as easy fan and filter access to enable quick routine maintenance. Rittal’s new outdoor vented UL 3R Type Rated enclosure, WMV, has a durable design and integrated cooling that also accommodates for easy in-field maintenance.
The WMV is an off-the-shelf solution with integrated cooling with fans and filters to meet the thermal outdoor environmental needs. The WMV provides optimum corrosion protection due to the 3-phase surface finish and silicone gasket. Housing and door are dipcoat primed, powder-coated RAL 9003 white as standard and the mounting panel, that is included, is zinc-plated. The WMV comes with fans and filters included and is designed for easy fan access in the roof and the ability to do filter removal or replacement without opening the door for routine maintenance.
Identifying the Right Industrial Enclosures for Versatility and Durability
Whether you’re in the automotive, food and beverage, or retail and logistics industry, manufacturers need industrial enclosures of all sizes and materials that help promote versatility in configuration and assembly as well as durability in protecting sensitive electronics within the enclosure. With 30% less assembly time and IP 66 and NEMA 4 rated protection, Rittal’s line of AX and KX wallmount enclosures are available in carbon steel, and fiberglass to provide manufacturers with maximum flexibility and versatility without sacrificing protection or reliability.
Additionally, the AX and KX line of wallmount enclosures provides simplified, fast installation, flexible cable management, and a variety of mounting options to help machine builders, panel builders, and systems integrators create an optimized industrial automation infrastructure with top-tier speed and precision.
The AX and KX line of wallmount enclosures builds on the Industry 4.0 and IIoT principles that have revolutionized the industrial enclosure by providing manufacturers with an enclosure solution that reduces downtime and cuts the complexity of the industrial control panel design and engineering process.
Download the AX/KX Benefit Guide to learn more
The Importance of Automated Enclosure Modification in Optimizing Efficiency
For manufacturers, relying on a complex, global supply chain for industrial control panel and enclosure modification is not only expensive, but labor shortages, material shortages, and shipping delays add unnecessary complexity to the modification process. Additionally, the high degree of customization and repeatability manufacturers require with their industrial enclosure modifications leaves the door open for prolonged lead times.
Automated modification solutions reduce the potential for errors while also allowing for more precise and complex modification work without the need for a large labor force. Faster, more efficient modification services result in reduced turnaround time and cost reduction, which further simplifies your value chain and helps ensure production programs are not tethered to the fluctuations of a large, global supply chain.
Rittal Automation Systems (RAS) is a suite of solutions from fully-automated machines to tools that eliminate the manual interventions of industrial control panel modification and control assembly. These machines are engineered for the precise cutting, tapping, milling, and wire processing that manufacturers in any industry encounter as today’s enclosure applications become more varied and unique. In combination with EPLAN’s powerful CAE design suite, manufacturers can source precise, rapid modifications with superior visibility into the entire process.
Increase your control panel building efficiency by up to 85%. Rittal Automation Systems state-of-the-art machinery enables you to complete modifications in a fraction of the time. By automating every step of machining, assembly, wire processing, and wiring, RAS will optimize your entire panel building and control manufacturing process. The precision is unparalleled, and waste is virtually eliminated.
Rittal’s network of U.S.-based modification and distribution centers provides coast-to-coast coverage to help ensure your panels and industrial enclosures go from the modification center floor to your door with speed and accuracy. Our modification centers in Sparks, Nevada; Houston, Texas; and Urbana, Ohio house machines from our Rittal Automation Systems (RAS) line of modification tools designed for panel customization with superior precision and quality. Our regional distribution centers provide a robust network of component parts to help ensure you have the right part at the right place at the right time.
How to Prevent Arc Flash
Arc flash risk is a concern where energized equipment over 50V is involved. Not following proper safety protocols or having the right equipment for the job can lead to potentially fatal injuries, which is why it's important that engineers and panel builders design the enclosure system with arc flash prevention and risk mitigation in mind.