
Enclosure Mounting, Hardware & Fasteners

Modular enclosure systems can provide many benefits over traditional unibody enclosures. Both modular and unibody enclosures are designed to house industrial components and to protect them from the surrounding environment. They are also designed to protect operators from electric shock. A traditional unibody enclosure is formed from a single, molded unit while a modular enclosure is a combination of a frame, rails, panels, doors and accessories. Interior components are easily added at any time to a modular enclosure. These include: shelves and sliding shelves, mounting panels and subpanels and drawers. The flexibility provided by a modular enclosure allows for easier installation and removal of internal components as needed.
Enclosure mounting and fasteners, such as din rails, mounting brackets and terminal block brackets, are used for attaching internal components to enclosures.
Enclosure lifting hardware attaches to the top of modular enclosures to facilitate overhead lifting and for fastening a variety of accessories to the top of modular frames.
Wall mount enclosures are designed to house industrial components and to protect them from the surrounding environment. They are also designed to protect operators from electric shock. They attach to a wall when space is limited and a full size enclosure would not be practical. Some wall mount enclosures are designed specifically for areas that regularly perform wash downs.
Enclosure stand-off kits are designed to be installed on the back of wall mount enclosures to provide space between the enclosure and the wall for better wash down accessibility.
Cutouts are very common when modifying enclosures for push buttons, indication lights, conduit entries or mounting hardware. Cutting into an enclosure runs the risk of eliminating the protective nature of the NEMA rated attributes. Proper steps must be followed in order to preserve the NEMA rating of an enclosure.
Devices mounted to the enclosure must have the same NEMA rating as the enclosure. This means that if the devices are installed to the manufacturer's specifications, they will be able to maintain the NEMA rating of the enclosure.
Water tight conduit hubs must be used when running wire through a cutout in an enclosure. There are many different types of conduit hubs that are used to secure conduit to an enclosure. However, only certain conduit hubs are rated for a watertight seal. By using water tight hubs, the NEMA rating of the enclosure is maintained.
Bonded washers are necessary when mounting hardware to an enclosure. If standard mounting hardware is used, the NEMA rating of the enclosure will no longer be maintained. Bonded washers have rubber gaskets that make a watertight seal around the drilled hole. It is also important to make sure the material used for the bonded washer matches the material of the enclosure. Stainless steel enclosures require stainless steel bonded washers.