New range of fibreglass composite enclosures

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jul 28, 2006

Spelsberg has launched the Stahlin DiamondShield range of fibreglass composite enclosures in the UK.

Spelsberg has launched the Stahlin DiamondShield range of fibreglass composite enclosures in the UK.

Designed to house instruments, switchgear and cable junctions, DiamondShield out-performs equivalent plastic designs in terms of strength and corrosion resistance, while improving on metal alternatives in terms of weight, ease of modification, flexibility of mounting and durability.

The DiamondShield range is now fully stocked by Spelsberg in the UK and is available in 10 sizes up to 508mm x 406mm x 254mm with more than 150 possible installation configurations.

DiamondShield offers a neat and aesthetic enclosure design, a high resistance to physical impacts and near total protection from UV, salt, moisture and corrosion from chemical atmospheres, making the units ideal for use in general process industries, marine, mobile plant machinery and other applications in harsh outdoor environments.

A higher level of corrosion resistance than plastics, means the range is particularly well suited to use in hazardous areas, chemical processing, oil and gas industries.

The DiamondShield fibreglass material specifically offers an improvement over polycarbonate when exposed to acidic or alkaline based liquids and atmospheres, and a significant improvement over ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) enclosures when exposed to solvents.

General chemical resistance exceeds all other major non-metallic alternatives including PVC.

Ideal applications also include the food processing industry where frequent wash downs occur and corrosive chemicals maybe in use.

The clean design with an absence of flanges prevents the build up of dirt whilst facilitating assembly and fitting operations by minimising the number of obstructions.

High integrity seals add to the corrosion resistance capability employing a two part tongue and groove urethane sealing system that applies minimal compression and includes a high memory factor resulting in a retained ingress protection up to IP68 even after repeated opening and closing.

All DiamondShield enclosures are moulded from the company's patent pending SolarGuard formulation.

The SolarGuard system fights polymer degradation and a special UV absorber acts to contain UV energy, then release it without damaging the polymer chain, providing extremely high protection from UV light and long-term outdoor durability.

The neo-pentyl glycol (NPG) isopthalic based resin system of SolarGuard also ensures UL 94 5V fire resistance and provides a much stronger bond of the polymer chain, resulting in significantly improved weathering resistance.

The toughened fibreglass walls and lids of DiamondShield enclosures aid sealing and protection whilst allowing for a broad range of non-penetrating fixtures and fittings including hinges, latches and covers.

The physical strength of the enclosures and impact resistance exceed that of equivalent enclosures made from PVC or ABS and are available with a variety of lids in opaque, clear or fitted window options.

Lid options can be secured via screws or hinged using link-lock latches as well as pull or stainless steel wire latching systems.

Stahlin's innovative panel management system also maximises internal space available and allows users to easily remove complete panels and drop in already assembled DIN rails, whilst leaving plenty of room for touch pads and other instrumentation components.

The DiamondShield series also offers a broad range of internal and external mounting options.

All enclosures are available through Spelsberg's customisation and assembly service.

Spelsberg's in-house customisation service offers enclosures ready fitted with din-rails and bus bars, circuit breakers, colour coded clip-on terminals for rail mounting and a wide selection of cable entry devices up to fully clamping IP68 cable glands.

Modifications include anything from milling, drilling and engraving to custom cable entries, brand logos or simple instructions.

The service provides customers with the benefits of reduced overall costs, faster production time, reduced stock, and minimised administration.