Industrial wall cabinets are there to protect electrical components. The cabinets are used for the most diverse and challenging applications. The right housing is crucial. With a strong wall housing, the contents are protected. Are you looking for a strong housing that protects your equipment against weather, wind and lightning? The FIBOX ARCA wall cabinet gives the certainty you are looking for. In this article you will read among other things:
- What are the advantages of plastic compared to sheet steel and stainless steel;
- What are the general advantages of a plastic wall cabinet?
- What other benefits does a FIBOX wall cabinet have to offer;
- What (custom) options are available for the housing.
The resilience of plastic: the best of both worlds
Wall cabinets used outdoors have to endure a lot: from daily influences such as wind, rain and sun to more extreme weather influences such as hail, frost or sometimes even a lightning strike. If a wall cabinet has to meet these influences, choose a plastic wall housing.
Wall cabinets are available in three main types of material: plastic, Stainless steel or sheet steel. But when do you choose plastic instead of stainless steel or sheet steel?
Industrial wall cabinets made of sheet steel
Sheet steel is a strong and affordable material that is perfectly suited for less challenging applications. Sheet steel cabinets are provided with a powder coating that prevents the worst corrosion. However, the material has one major disadvantage for outdoor applications. The powder coating can be damaged, which can cause corrosion. When machining sheet steel cabinets, for example for a push button or HMI panel, you lose the coating and with it the protection against corrosion. Machining a sheet steel cabinet is possible, but this requires special tools, such as a punch.
Industrial wall cabinets made of stainless steel
Stainless steel is a popular outdoor alternative to sheet steel due to its corrosion resistance. Stainless steel provides robust protection against the elements and can withstand a knock or two. In short: a fantastic material for wall housing. The disadvantage? Stainless steel is seen as a more expensive material, which of course affects the price of the wall housing. Although it is possible to weld stainless steel parts to a stainless steel wall cabinet, machining stainless steel is less easy due to the tools required.
Industrial wall cabinets made of plastic
A plastic wall enclosure combines the two biggest advantages of sheet steel and stainless steel. On the one hand, plastic can withstand challenging conditions. On the other hand, the price tag is more attractive in comparison with the alternative stainless steel material. In addition, plastic has a number of other general advantages.
The general advantages of plastic
In addition to the cost and resilience, there are a number of general advantages of a plastic wall cabinet.
Plastic is easy to work with
For many wall cabinets, processing or adjustment is important. Plastic lends itself perfectly to custom processing, because it is easy to drill into. This is less easy with stainless steel or sheet steel. The soft material is easier to process and deburr.
Plastic is light
In mobile applications, the weight of the housing plays an important role. Heavier housings are therefore less mobile. Plastic is a light material and therefore easy to move.
Plastic does not require separate grounding
Due to the risk of short circuit, all conductive materials must be grounded. In the case of a sheet steel or stainless steel housing, the door or lid must be grounded separately. This is unnecessary in the case of a plastic housing, because plastic is not conductive.
Why FIBOX?
CC Nederland only works with leading suppliers who guarantee quality and go beyond the basics. FIBOX-wall cabinets have the following properties:
Highest possible impact resistance value (IK value)
The impact resistance value simply indicates whether a cabinet can withstand a knock. This is determined by means of an impact test that determines the IK value. That knock is no problem for the FIBOX cabinet. All cabinets without a viewing window have the highest achievable IK value (IK10). Even the housing with a viewing window has an IK value of 08 (IK08).
High dust and water resistance (IP value)
FIBOX cabinets also have a reputation for being water and dust tight. Handy if your cabinet is going to be in a humid environment. This tightness is determined by the IP value. The IP value has two digits. The first digit indicates the protection against dust and the second digit against water. The FIBOX housings in our range have IP values IP65 and IP66. This means that the housing is always resistant to dust (IP6X). In addition, it varies per cabinet whether the cabinet is splash-proof (IPX5) or waterproof (IPX6).
Fire and UV resistance
Heat, heat and sun are also mastered by the FIBOX housing with a high standard of fire resistance and UV resistance. For the wall cabinets without viewing window, the classification for fire resistance is: UL94-5VA. For UV resistance, a classification of UL 746C applies.
What types of ARCA plastic wall cabinets are there?
Are you interested in the plastic FIBOX ARCA wall cabinets after reading this article? Then it is time to choose which size and design you need. On our website you can choose from three different types in various sizes:
In addition to these options, there are various accessories available in our webshop.
Customised solutions
Do you have special wishes for your wall housing? This is no problem for CC Nederland. We help with, among other things:
- Supply of alternative plastic materials than standard polycarbonate (choice of: EPDM, neoprene or silicone);
- Creating recesses in the housing using advanced CNC milling equipment;
- Enclosures for the American market (JIC instead of IEC standard).
More information about ARCA plastic FIBOX wall cabinets?
Would you like more information about the FIBOX wall cabinets? Or are you interested in a custom solution? Then contact us Contact with one of the experts at CC Nederland. They will be happy to help you on your way!
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