Latching onto the next generation

When Lucent Technologies designed a new generation electronics enclosure, the company needed a new generation latching system that would complement it in terms of both function and design.

When Lucent Technologies designed a new generation electronics enclosure, the company needed a new generation latching system that would complement it in terms of both function and design.

To find a solution, it turned to Southco, one of its preferred suppliers of latches and access hardware.

Working closely with authorised Southco distributor Onkenhout and Onkenhout in the Netherlands, Southco was able to provide Lucent with an innovative new multiple-point latching system that fully meets Lucent's requirements for its new enclosure.

The enclosure was designed to house Lucent Technologies' next-generation bridge system, carrying 40Gbit/s traffic across metro and core environments.

The latching systems used on previous Lucent enclosures did not meet the specific industrial design requirements of the new cabinet design.

Lucent wanted a new system that offered total functionality combined with a flexible design that can be customised.

The company also wanted to work with a preferred supplier who could offer them worldwide availability.

Lucent turned to Southco to find the right solution since Southco, through Onkenhout and Onkenhout, had already been providing Lucent Netherlands with custom latching solutions for several years.

Southco and Onkenhout introduced Lucentto Southco's new Door Edge multiple-point latching system.

The unique design and function of the new Door Edge system made it ideal for the new Lucent enclosure.

"The compact envelope of the basic product fit within Lucent's depth requirements of 25mm, and the single lift operation was similar to the older custom latch", explains Rick Schlack from Southco.

Lucent was enthusiastic about the new latching system, but had some additional requirements.

Lucent engineers and Richard Schlack worked together to determine the details.

First, the new latching system had to be configured similarly to a system Lucent is using on another enclosure line.

Lucent wanted to be able to exchange the doors of the new cabinet with the doors of the current design.

This means that the new latching system had to offer latch-points at the top and bottom of each door, and if possible, use the same rod mechanism.

This was critical because Lucent wanted to offer their customers the option to upgrade their existing enclosures and achieve a uniform, modern appearance by simply exchanging old doors for new ones.

Finally, Lucent also required that the latching system not rattle during operation or if the enclosure is moved.

Southco's standard Door Edge system easily accommodated the latching requirement and rod mechanism, while providing the interchangeability Lucent required.

Southco engineers then worked on customising the handle and bezel design to match and enhance the styling of the new enclosure.

Since the Door Edge system is designed around a standard mechanism, Southco was able to quickly modify the handle cover and bezel to match Lucent's custom design.

The handle and bezel mechanisms are made of durable plastics, with a textured grey finish.

Additional colours could be easily accommodated if required.

"Lucent supplied an initial sketch of their preferred styling for the latch, from which we created CAD models.

From that point we were able to exchange CAD data to refine the styling - this exercise was completed in just a couple iterations.

SLS rapid prototypes were used to confirm the design", explains Schlack.

"This is the kind of challenge that we thrive on", explains Southco Product Manager Steve Spatig.

"Enhancing a design like this is where our ability to innovate really comes out, because we can build on our experience not only with our product, but also with the knowledge and understanding we have of Lucent and their needs".

The operation of the latching system also had to be modernised.

Lucent required that the handle be flush with the surface of the door to meet the specifications of both ETSI (European Telecommunication Standardisation Institute) and NEBS (Network Equipment Building Specifications).

Lucent needed to ensure that there are no protruding parts that take up room or get bumped when the cabinet door is opened.

The custom flush handle and bezel design, with its single lift-motion of the handle, perfectly meets this requirement.

As this enclosure will primarily be used indoors, Lucent did not require that the latching system incorporate a lock.

However, it wanted the option of adding a lock to the system should a customer require it.

Southco was able to modify the latching system to easily accommodate a cylindrical lock and offer a separate locking module.

Custom lock options are also available on request.

"Lucent wanted the locking module to be a field installable option for their customers.

We were able to use lock components from the standard product and package them into a snap-in accessory that can be installed without dis-assembling the door itself", explains Schlack.

Once the design changes were made, Southco produced an initial production run of 110 latches that were sent to various Lucent facilities for testing and evaluation, including two "earthquake" tests.

The seismic testing is per Telecordia GR-63-CORE, Network Equipment Building Specifications.

Since the original latch system opened during the three-axis portion of the test, a detent was added to provide positive retention of the handle in the closed position.

Once all testing was complete, Lucent gave the Southco Door Edge latching system the final approval, and assemblies were ordered.

Lucent is now considering using the new latch as standard on several other cabinet designs.

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