Enclosure Bases & Base Accessories
Electrical 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 come in many different shapes, sizes and materials. Some things to consider when selecting the proper enclosure would be the number of components housed inside and what material and rating will provide the appropriate protection. Enclosures come in wall-mount, floor-mount (with legs) and freestanding (enclosure extends to the floor). When selecting freestanding enclosures, there are several enclosure bases to consider: solid bases, plinth bases and swivel bases.
Solid bases are installed at the bottom of an enclosure and usually have side gland plates and drill points for optional casters. Casters are small swiveling wheels that can be attached to allow heavy enclosures to be easily moved or relocated.
More Information about Enclosure Bases & Base Accessories
Transportation bases are used to provide enhanced stability for modular enclosures.
Plinth bases consist of eight corner supports connected to four access panels and are installed under an enclosure to provide space for cables to enter from below.
Swivel bases are designed for use between the bottom of an operator interface enclosure and a pedestal. They are used to provide a machine operator a way to easily rotate an operator interface enclosure to a maximum of 550 degrees, resulting in a convenient operating position. Swivel bases can be locked in any position.
Combination swivel and tilt bases are designed for use between an HMI enclosure and a pedestal. They are used to provide a machine operator a way to rotate and tilt an HMI enclosure for safe operation and optimal viewing. The swivel feature allows a maximum rotation of 350 degrees and the tilt feature allows forward and backward movement up to 30 degrees from horizontal. Swivel can be locked in any position and tilt lock allows incremental adjustments.
NEMA 3R, 4, & 4X
Electrical enclosures are cabinets that are designed to house electrical components. Their main function is to protect the components, as well as to protect the operators from electrical hazards. Enclosures are typically made of solid plastics, fiberglass and metal materials, such as carbon steel, stainless steel and aluminum.
One of the most important things to consider when selecting an electrical enclosure is the NEMA rating. NEMA stands for National Electrical Manufacturer Association. They have developed a rating system which determines the types of environments an electrical enclosure can be used in.
NEMA 3R Enclosures
The NEMA definition of a 3R enclosure is as follows: ‘Enclosures constructed for either indoor or outdoor use to provide a degree of protection to personnel against access to hazardous parts, to provide a degree of protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against Ingress of solid foreign objects such as falling dirt, to provide a degree of protection with respect to harmful effects on the equipment due to the Ingress of water, rain, sleet or snow, and that will be undamaged by the external formation of ice on the enclosure.’ NEMA 3R enclosures provide adequate outdoor protection while providing significant cost savings over NEMA 4 and NEMA 4X enclosures.
NEMA 4 Enclosures
They provide all of the same protections found in the NEMA 3R enclosures with two additional protection elements, protection against wind-blown dust particles and protection against hose directed water. NEMA 4 enclosures provide this additional protection using a gasket material to prevent water or dust from entering the enclosure,
while the NEMA 3R enclosures rely on enclosure design and gravity to assist in diverting water and dust.
NEMA 4X Enclosures
They provide all of the same protections found in the NEMA 4 enclosures with one added protection element, corrosion resistance. NEMA 4X enclosures are typically made of either stainless steel or fiberglass.