Cabinets offer EMI/RFI protection

So many customers were asking for an EMI/RFI shielded cabinet that General Devices recently added the Vent Rak Series 7500 cabinet to its product line. The cabinets protect internal components from conduction, coupling, and radiation from external emitters by both reflecting and absorbing disruptive energy. In addition to welded seams, a special gasket that ensures electrical continuity helps to accomplish this, says Engineering Manager Phil Fosterman. "The gasket we use consists of wire mesh, bonded along a non-conductive elastomer gasket, which provides both EMI/RFI protection and environmental protection at the same time." The enclosure has been particularly popular among customers in the telecommunications and computer industry, including Intel and AT&T. General Devices: Product code 4729

BIG news on polycarbonate enclosures

"The unique thing about this particular line of polycarbonate enclosures is their overall size," says Fibox's David Cooks. He's not kidding. The company's CAB PC family of wall-mounting plastic cabinets--built from corrosion-resistant polycarbonate material--are now in the size range of the largest-selling IEC cabinet (180 X 600 X 500 mm high). Up until now, the molds associated with this size enclosure would have been cost prohibitive, but Cooks says that this product line was specifically designed to be cost competitive. "It beats the cost of fiberglass, which is the major competitor in this type of box," explains Cooks. A full line of accessories includes front plates, DIN rails, rail supports, mounting and fastening lugs, and internal mounting spacers. Fibox: Product code 4726

Novel handle for CompactPCI

"Frankly, CompactPCI is the hottest product we're selling right now," says George Ross, strategic marketing manager for Hoffman Schroff (Providence, RI). For engineers not in the know, CompactPCI is a building block system of subracks, power supplies, rails, backplanes, and enclosures for the telecommunications industry. What makes Schroff's offering unique, says Ross, is the patented, card inserter/extractor handle. "What's happening right now is that the standard is migrating toward a 'hot swap,' which means an operator needs to be able to replace a card while the system is live," says Ross. "The problem is that you can actually lean against these handles and accidentally disengage the card before you deactivate the electronics." To prevent this situation, Schroff engineers designed a handle with a two-stage locking mechanism that involves not only applying a downward force on the handle, but also pulling out a lever. "It seems so obvious, we can't believe no one ever thought of it before," says Ross. Hoffman Schroff: Product code 4743

Out-of-the-box thinking

Although the IS60 ICE/STATION standup PC enclosure has been out on the market for over a year, the novelty apparently hasn't worn off. The enclosure's striking rounded form makes it among Integration Technology System's best-selling products, and unique in the industry, claims Director of Engineering Ed Calhoun. "I'm not aware of any other company that has a similar design as a standard product," he says. Aesthetics aside, Calhoun says that because the cylindrical profile has greater strength in a vertical direction, engineers were able to reduce the gauge size of the enclosure's walls, making for a lighter enclosure available at a lower cost. Integration Technology Systems: Product code 4728

Flat panel interface built-to-order

The VIP 6000, Rittal's flat panel operator interface enclosure line, has undergone a major change since its introduction 18 months ago. "We're basically offering the VIP Series in a built-to-order format with only a four-week lead time," says Rittal's Mike Murphy. Customers can specify width, height, and depth, as well as the specific operator interface, mounting panels, support device, even type of trim. "The fact is that there are very few enclosures that are exactly alike," says Murphy, "and we wanted to be able to provide our customer with a quick turnaround on an enclosure that exactly meets their needs." Also, read about Rittal's newest enclosure, the TS 8, in an upcoming issue of Design News. Based on a new, symmetrical profile, the frame provides 30% more stability, a boon for applications involving heavy loading of the enclosure. Rittal: Product code 4725

Simplifying enclosure selection, design

"The Hoffman catalog is considered by many engineers to be the bible of the industry," says Bill Rubrecht, Hoffman's director of marketing, "but what our customers were telling us is that they needed an easier way to select, design, and specify systems." That customer input was the impetus for the company's development of a new software tool, called HELPS^TM (Hoffman Electronic Product Selection). The CD-ROM-based software is an interactive tool that aids engineers in not only searching and ordering specific enclosure products, but also in evaluating product options, downloading CD drawings, designing modular enclosures, and even estimating the costs. The CD-ROM has been so popular, says Rubrecht, that the company has sent more than 200,000 copies free-of-charge to customers since launching the program last September. This same degree of interactivity will soon be available on Hoffman's website at www.hoffmanonline.com. Hoffman: Product code 4727