SPECIFY THE RIGHT PLASTIC ENCLOSURE FOR YOUR HVAC, CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL ELECTRONICS

PROTECT YOUR ELECTRONICS IN HARSH ENVIRONMENTS

HVAC, climate and environmental technology can face a hard life because the environments it operates in are inherently challenging. The extreme temperatures and windblown moisture of the great outdoors are seldom merciful.

Even supposedly comfortable indoor settings can take their toll. Devices often reside in the ‘backstage’ areas of buildings: plant rooms, rooftops, duct spaces, basements and external walls – far from controlled environments like an office or laboratory.

Temperatures can fluctuate significantly. Even ambient indoor spaces may create microclimates inside enclosures, due to heat generated by relays, power supplies or processors. Temperature swings can cause condensation inside enclosures. If the housing is fully sealed but not pressure equalised, internal condensation can form and drip on to the electronics.

Air carries particles – dust, fibres and spores. Electronics in or near ductwork, filters, fans and blowers get exposed to this build-up over time. Filtration systems and air quality control units can be especially vulnerable. If the enclosure isn’t well sealed or properly vented, fine particles can penetrate and build up conductive paths across PCB traces.

That’s not all: in commercial or industrial settings, equipment may be cleaned aggressively with solvents, detergents or disinfectants. Airborne chemical vapours can attack plastics, seals and coatings. Some air filtration or pollution-control systems also deliberately introduce reactive chemicals (such as ozone) into the air. This can degrade plastics and seals over time. Furthermore, outdoor or near-window installations expose electronics to ultraviolet radiation. Many common plastics such as ABS degrade under UV rays: they discolour and crack.

Plant rooms and rooftop installations can be subject to constant low-level vibration from compressors, pumps, fans and external wind forces. Mobile units face even harsher mechanical stress. PCB solder joints, connectors and internal mounting points suffer fatigue if enclosures are not designed properly.

Incoming or outgoing EMI/RFI can also be an issue, especially if the device is housed in a non-conductive plastic enclosure. HVAC systems in particular are full of high-current motors, compressors and switching relays. These generate electromagnetic interference. Wireless IIoT devices, controllers and sensitive data-acquisition electronics can suffer communications dropouts, data corruption or even full hardware failure if not shielded properly.

DIVERSE APPLICATIONS CALL FOR VERSATILE ENCLOSURES

Climate and environmental technology covers a broad spectrum of applications. Heating, ventilation and air conditioning are obvious requirements for most end users. But the need for environmental monitoring and control is growing as climate change makes the planet an increasingly unpredictable place.

This in turn is creating ever more applications, each of which places unique demands on the plastic enclosures needed to safeguard the electronics. Applications can include wind turbine controllers, air quality meters, Geiger counters, agricultural climate control systems, inspection cameras and leak detection.

Meeting these requirements calls for a very wide range of versatile standard plastic enclosures that can be supplied fully customised – even in low volumes to suit niche applications.

For indoor systems, an ingress protection rating of IP 54 to IP 65 is often sufficient to protect against dust and splashes. For outdoor systems, much greater protection is needed – typically IP 66.

A common pitfall is that designers assume that indoor environments are benign – forgetting that condensation, cleaning fluids and accidental splashes are frequent. It is better to prepare for the worst possible conditions and specify the enclosure accordingly. ABS has long been a popular plastic for enclosures but HVAC, climate and environmental applications often call for something tougher such as UV-stable ASA+PC or robust PC+ABS.

Given the increasing use of wireless communications in these smart devices, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) shielding is critical. Standard plastic provides no inherent shielding against electromagnetic interference. To mitigate this, enclosures can be designed with internal metallic coatings. An all-too-easy mistake is believing that – because a device performs well in a laboratory environment – it will do so in situ. But this ignores the large electromagnetic fields generated by HVAC motors, compressors or rooftop communications arrays.

For IIoT integration, enclosures must accommodate external antenna mounts, sealed cable glands and interfaces such as LEDs or touchscreens without compromising environmental protection. Failing to plan properly for external connectivity can result in water ingress around poorly fitted connectors. Established best practices include using IP 68 cable glands and gasketed viewing windows for displays.

View examples of customised enclosures for HVAC, climate and environmental electronics here...

OKW’S ENCLOSURES AND TUNING KNOBS FOR THESE APPLICATIONS:

Outdoor Wall-Mount Enclosures

Wall-mount and pole-mount enclosures for outdoor environmental electronics must be extremely tough and weatherproof. Rugged SOLID-BOX (IP 66, IP 67) is rated IK 08 for impact protection. It can be installed ‘lid closed’ to protect the electronics and seal. All the fixings are concealed beneath snap-on trims. These trims also enable concealed wall mounting. Deep recesses on the long sides help to protect connectors.

Alternatives to SOLID-BOX include ROBUST-BOX (IP 66). Its smart design means that different tops and bases can be combined to create a wide choice of sizes. Like SOLID-BOX, it too has trims to conceal the fixings – but this time they’re offered in a range of colours as standard for identification and branding purposes.

IN-BOX (IP 66, IP 67) is a simple and cost-effective housing for terminal installations. It is available in ABS (IK 07) and PC (IK 08). Variants include a transparent lid. Accessories include pressure equalisation elements, security kits, internal hinges, mounting plates and DIN rails.

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Indoor Wall-Mount Enclosures

Slim, stylish NET-BOX (IP 65) has a curved top and a front lid that conceals connectors and interfaces. Optional infill covers close the underside, creating more space for additional PCBs. Installation is easy thanks to a simple three-part assembly. There are no visible fixing screws on the front, just two on the underside of the lid.

Low-profile DIATEC has a central control panel for mounting a touch screen, display or keypad. A recessed area protects interfaces, cable glands and plug-in connectors. Wall mounting is easy and invisible with knockouts in the base. Accessories include wall suspension elements and a slot-in panel (to separate electronics and terminals areas).

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Fast-Fit Sensor Enclosures

MINI-DATA-BOX (IP 65) and EASYTEC (IP 65) both feature flanges for quick and easy mounting with screws or cable ties. MINI-DATA-BOX can also be specified without these flanges. Both ranges are moulded from strong UV-stable ASA+PC (UL 94 V-0).

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Potentiometer Tuning Knobs

Award-winning CONTROL-KNOBS and ergonomic STAR-KNOBS are ideal for menu-driven interfaces. CONTROL-KNOBS have a soft-touch surface for comfort and anti-slip operation. STAR-KNOBS can be either surface mounted or flush fitting. Both ranges offer energy-saving SMD LED illumination as standard.

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SPECIFYING CUSTOMISED ENCLOSURES

We can supply our enclosures fully customised, ready for the installation of components. Our in-house services include machining, lacquering, decor foils, printing of legends, logos and graphics, and installation/assembly of accessories.

We can also laser mark your rail enclosures. This is ideal for individual labelling with very small machine-readable markings – such as QR codes, barcodes and DataMatrix codes – and consecutive numbering.

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GET EXPERT ADVICE ON ENCLOSURES FOR HVAC AND ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY

Contact OKW for expert technical advice on which enclosure would be best for your electronic devices. Discover how easy it is to specify the ideal standard or customised housing for your device.

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Download a 3D model (X_T, STP, SAT) of your preferred model – see how your PCBs will look in your finished enclosure.

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