Industrial Technology

Living in a materials world

The next quarter century will undoubtedly see an acceleration of the existing trend towards the use of advanced composite materials in junction and control boxes, thinks Graham Fox of electrical engineers CEE Norm. Stronger and lighter than steel enclosures, plastics are cheaper to manufacture, cheaper to install, and in the case of the second- and third-generation materials now being used, at least equal in safety.

1st March 2012

New modular control cabinet from ETA

ENUX Modular Cabinets from ETA Enclosures signal the dawn of a new era in modular cabinet design. Fulfilling a wide variety of uses for industrial control applications and built on a rugged frame structure ENUX modular cabinets are available fully assembled or supplied as flat-pack for ease of handling.

1st March 2012

It all hinges on EMKA

Design engineers employed in electrical/electronic cabinet design will understand that these are common but specialist applications - just "any old hinge" from a hardware supplier is unlikely to do the job adequately or look right, or both. Consequently a continuing problem for specialist enclosure designers is the correct specification and cost effective installation of suitable hinges. EMKA - market leaders in "everything but the enclosure" have taken this entirely to heart and have produced probably the largest offering of enclosure/cabinet hinges available, specifically to suit the electrical and electronic industries requirements for protective housings.

1st March 2012

Interior installation made easy

Mounting equipment to the inside of an enclosure, without using the mounting plate or drilling holes into the wall of the enclosure, is not an easy task.

1st March 2012

Build and refurbish enclosures, boxes, guards and cabinets

As a leading manufacturer of standard parts, WDS has a complete range of hinges, handles, catches, locks, latches, gas struts and anti-vibration mounts that are ideal for the design, manufacture and maintenance of enclosures of almost any size. The range includes various material options such as stainless steel and strengthened Polyamide to make sure that there is a component suitable for most applications.

1st March 2012

FDB stainless steel IP67 lock for food and clean room areas

The 7-081 IP67 stainless steel quarter-turn lock announced by FDB Panel Fittings has a wealth of features that ensure its suitability for food processing and electronic clean room assembly areas.

1st March 2012

Widespread adoption of EtherNet/IP drives its growth

EtherNet/IP, the number one industrial Ethernet protocol in the world in terms of nodes shipped, will exceed 4.5 million shipped nodes by the end of the year according to ODVA estimates. EtherNet/IP had its market position confirmed by ARC Advisory Group's latest Industry Ethernet-based Devices Worldwide Outlook report. The study indicated that the highest percentage of all industry Ethernet nodes shipped worldwide is for EtherNet/IP devices.

28th February 2012

ABB acquisition boosts LV business

ABB is buying the North American low-voltage products manufacturer Thomas & Betts for around $3.9bn. ABB says that combining Thomas & Betts' electrical components business with its own LV protection, control and measurement products will create a broader LV portfolio that can be distributed through T&B's network of more than 6,000 distributor locations and wholesalers in North America, and through ABB's distribution channels in Europe and Asia.

28th February 2012

Top Boxes for Scotland's premier water project

Engineers working on a flagship project for Scottish Water have installed over 400 top of the range electrical enclosures and junction boxes from Hensel.

28th February 2012

Eaton stops a nuisance and saves money for HG Timber

Nuisance tripping of its main incoming circuit breaker, a major problem for HG Timber, one of the UK's leading manufacturers of timber pallets and warehouse decking, has been completely eliminated following a free on-site power factor correction survey carried out by Eaton's Electrical Sector. The actions taken as a result of the survey have also made it possible for HG Timber to cut its energy bills by 20%, with a corresponding reduction in its carbon footprint of 62 tons of CO2.

28th February 2012