New HD enclosure from Rittal
12 February 2009
Rittal's Hygienic Design enclosure has been designed to prevent deposits accumulating on enclosure surfaces, crevices and recesses to help eliminate potential contaminants
The design has now incorporated a 30° angled, sloped overhanging roof to prevent any liquids or solids from collecting on the roof area. A larger-than-average gap to the top of the door allows for easy cleaning and prevents any unwanted deposits from reaching the doorseal.
The door has outward pointed edges (approximately 135° compared with 90° folded standard enclosure doors) and a larger flat surface on the inside of the edge. With a protection category of IP66, which includes the internal door hinges to create an all round gap free door, together with the flat silicone base seal, the door builds a perfect corner finish, free of gaps and contact areas preventing any unwanted deposits.
The seal is coloured blue, which is still the industry standard for non-consumable products and offers a high resistance to all process and cleaning fluids. The enclosure can be mounted with either tubular mounting brackets with a smooth finish or using open frame plinths with a clearance height of 300mm, designed from tubular stainless steel.
Both options allow easy cleaning access and minimise entrapment areas. Adjustable leveling feet, with internal seal threads, make entrapment areas completely obsolete and new stainless steel cable glands stop any particles from attaching themselves within the glands or connections.
Equipment within the food processing environment is often subjected to daily rigorous washdowns. While in the future it is anticipated that enclosures may one day be self-cleaning, modern innovation has introduced the IP69K enclosure which has been designed to protect the internal components from any form of water ingress during high pressure washes.
IP69K enclosures are subjected to a rigorous test before they receive their certified rating and is different to a UL Type 4 certification. IP69K and UL Type 4 standards both require the enclosure to protect against the entry of water, but Type 4 test is mainly concerned with hose down conditions involving lower pressure water at a greater distance (10-12ft) and with a greater volume of water (65gallons/minute).
IP69K certification requires close range, low volume with very high pressure, which is similar to the type of washdowns found in the food and beverage industry. IP69K is therefore an important innovation for enclosure systems used within any environment where the equipment is subjected to high pressure cleaning.
Rittal have recently innovated two new IP69K cable glands to complement their range of wash down enclosures. Available in either nickel-plated brass or polyamide plastic, the glands are fully tested and certified to offer the highest protection against any form of water ingress and when combined with accessories such as grommets, offer the highest of secure cable entry.
Every industry faces its own challenges and the food processing industry is no exception. However, the latest innovations and hygienic thinking has now been applied to the electrical enclosure packaging field, which can significantly reduce the contamination risk. These new developments allow greater system availability, more efficient cleaning and lower energy requirements, due to the reduced use of chemicals. With careful consideration when choosing an enclosure, a lot of the common problems can be easily overcome.
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