Components and Software Enclosures: more than just a housing Michael Schell, Christan Moritz Enclosure housings protect the electrical equipment housed inside them, as well as the people who operate a switchgear or controlgear systems. Protection requirements and safety procedures are defined by various guidelines depending on the operating site, sector or application. In order to comply with these guidelines, various tests are required. Author: Engineer (UAS), MBA Michael Schell, Head of Product Management Power Distribution at Rittal Christan Moritz, state certified technician, Product Manager Power Distribution at Rittal The most well-known requirement of an enclosure housing is the IP protection class IEC 60529. The directive specifies the protection measures against the penetration of solid objects, dust and water. In addition, there are many other requirements for enclosure housings, such as resistance to corrosion or the protection of individuals during electrical faults. These requirements, as well as their testing and verification, are specified in several standards. It should be noted that, depending on each market segment (e.g. North America, Europe or Asia), additional approvals are needed. In many regions worldwide, the IEC standard or a translated standard thereof in a national version is directly recognised. In North America, Nema standards or UL approvals are required to verify protective functions instead of the IEC standards. The field of application can also entail additional requirements - for example, additional provisions apply for ships or railways. 112 AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGIES 4/2014
Components and Software next page Accredited test laboratory In order to receive approval from some organizations, such as UL, Lloyds or DNV, in addition to the initial testing, manufacturing sites are also regularly checked. If auditing is successful, these classification societies grant the right to provide enclosures with their approval mark until the next inspection. Therefore, we can expect constant quality of enclosure housings from manufacturers who have their manufacturing processes regularly checked by such organizations. As one of the world‘s leading system providers for housings and enclosure technology, Rittal has an accredited laboratory for various tests at its company headquarters in Herborn, Germany. In addition to the necessary initial testings of new products, the 01 A standardised manufacturing process ensures an identical structure for enclosure housing, even for a wide variety of sizes AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGIES 4/2014
