Enclosures: The First and Often Only Line of Defense

摘要

Protecting delicate controls, electronics, and wiring from acrid industrial environments and the occasional out-of-control forklift is no easy task. However, it is easier in some places than in others. Not all enclosures specified by control engineers end up enduring industrial hazards. Of the 211 respondents to Control Engineering's recently e-mailed research questionnaire, many had less demanding duty in mind. The survey by Control Engineering and Reed Research (Newton, MA) looked at a wide variety of topics of interest to enclosure specifiers. Questionnaire topics included: 1. Primary applications for enclosure use; 2. Types of protection specified; 3. Types of cooling specified; 4. Principal areas of application; 5. Levels of protection specified; 6. Types of materials specified, and 7. Current and future purchasing plans. Results of the online survey showed that the majority (79%) of those responding were directly involved in specifying, recommending, and/or buying enclosures. Of these respondents, 48% were involved in specifying enclosures for in-plant requirements, 21% for OEM (resale) requirements, with the remainder making buying decisions for both in-plant and OEM requirements.