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Generally, enclosures are intended to protect their contents from outside risks. These risks can be varied in
nature and are of extreme importance when choosing an enclosure. In judging whether a particular housing
meets the protection requirements of your application, a clear analysis of the environment where the enclosure
is to be used should be made.
The following conditions need to be taken into account:
1. Protection against contact with and penetration by foreign bodies;
2. Protection against water ingress;
3. Protection against external or internal radiated noise (RFI Shielding);
4. Chemical resistance;
5. Temperature resistance;
6. Impact resistance;
7. Corrosion resistance.
In electronics/electrical engineering, the functions of enclosures are two-fold:
1. To protect the contents from mechanical risks and radiated noise from the outside.
2. To protect the environment from mechanical and electrical risks, as well as from radiated noise
caused by installed components.
With the ever-increasing development of electronic components, the increased packing densities on printed
circuit boards, and the increased "contamination" of the environment by electromagnetic interference, electro-
magnetic compatibility is becoming an issue of growing importance in the choice of an enclosure.
In most applications, material is a major factor in your choice of an enclosure. In general, aluminum is
ideal for EMI/RFI applications; fiberglass is ideal for caustic environments and salt-water applications; polycar-
bonate is good for all indoor and light outdoor applications; and ABS is well suited for indoor
instrumentation designs.
Rose
+
Bopla enclosures are classified under the generally applicable European protection guidelines of
EN 60529 and IEC 144. These protection classifications are indicated by a designation consisting of two
unchanging letters, IP, plus two digits for the protection grade. Many of the enclosures in this catalog bear the
IP 66 or IP 65 protection classification.
IP 65: Protection against ingress by dust and water jets
IP 66: Protection against ingress by dust and powerful water jets
Specific product lines are classified according to UL 50 and UL 508. These include aluminum, fiberglass, and
plastic. Also noted in this catalog are recommended classification types like NEMA and UL, which are com-
monly used in the USA. Please contact the appropriate association or agency for complete infor-mation
regarding test requirements and qualifications. Refer to the Technical Information Chapter in this catalog for
more information on Protection Classifications.
The temperature resistance of enclosures is defined as the maximum permanent temperature at which
the stability of the shape and the protection classification are maintained. Permissible short-term peak temper-
atures are often considerably higher.
Aluminum enclosures are resistant to corrosion even without a special surface treatment. The use of
aluminum alloys with a low copper content increases corrosion resistance. Additional treatments such as irridit-
ing, painting, powder-coating, or a combination of irriditing and painting provide increased corrosion resis-
tance.
Impact resistance is a measurement of the maximum impact that will not affect the protection classifi-
cation. The breaking strength is often far greater. Impact resistance for Rose
+
Bopla enclosures is
determined in an impact test to EN 50014.
Choosing an Enclosure
GENERAL
CONSIDERATIONS
MATERIAL
CONSIDERATIONS
PROTECTION
CLASSIFICATIONS
TEMPERATURE
RESISTANCE
CORROSION
RESISTANCE OF
ALUMINUM
ENCLOSURES
IMPACT
RESISTANCE
