Ticking all the boxes for control systems
CONTROL & AUTOMATION CONTROL SOLUTIONS
SPELSBERG
Ticking all the boxes for control systems
While the enclosure might seem a humble component of a control system , for designers correct selection is vital to ensure suitability for the intended application . Nobody knows this more than Lawtronic , a renowned electrical control solutions provider for the past 36 years . It has a long-term relationship with Spelsberg , a market leader in enclosure technology that has supplied a wide range of boxes for Lawtronic projects .
Chris Lloyd at Spelsberg spoke with Dave Tester , Managing Director at Lawtronic Ltd ., to discover how it has collaborated with Spelsberg to help overcome modern challenges in control system design and supply .
VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE
“ We offer a complete service for control systems in applications across many industries , encompassing design , manufacture , testing and installation . Typically , we use Spelsberg enclosures for our marine , refrigeration , and baggage handling systems amongst others . There are obviously big application differences , so having a wide variety of boxes to choose from is important to us ,” says Dave .
As control systems have diversified , a one-size-fits-all enclosure solution simply doesn ’ t exist anymore . Consequently , designers need a wide range of sizes , models , materials and characteristics to choose from to ensure suitability . While a high ingress protection rating might be an important feature for a marine application , for a baggage handling machine it ’ s less so . If a Lawtronic customer requires a compact enclosure that can fit within a small footprint , having a multitude of sizes to choose from is beneficial . Having quick access to all the options simplifies procurement and expedites a control system design project .
Dave expands on the importance of options : “ We had one customer who required an enclosure with a transparent lid so that engineers could easily view the electronics within . In the end , Spelsberg recommended an IP66 AKL 4-t , as it features a clear lid . This meant we could easily meet the customer request with an off-the-shelf item .”
HANDLING CUSTOMISATIONS
Even with varied options , an off-the-shelf solution can ’ t always solve everything for a control system designer , and one Lawtronic project illustrates this .
“ We developed a custom control system concept for a tray return conveyor installed on X-ray security machines destined for an airport in Dubai . A standard enclosure solution wouldn ’ t fit within the constrained footprint of the machine , so we worked with Spelsberg during the design phase to produce one that would , and at the same time would dramatically reduce our labour during build ,” Dave explains .
Having an in-house engineering capability ensures that enclosure manufacturers can support control system designers early in development with bespoke solutions .
CNC machining allows new enclosures to be prototyped quickly , so that the design team can carry out testing and meet a specific brief . Ultimately , an enclosure that exactly matches the unique requirements of the control system is achieved .
“ Repeatability is a big thing for us too ,” Dave expands . “ We typically design control systems for volume production machine builders . For example , the system for the airport was required for over 100 individual machines . Not only do we need custom enclosures , but we sometimes need lots of them .”
Therefore , it ’ s important that enclosure manufacturers can not only produce custom items on reduced lead times for the development process , but also offer the manufacturing capacity and flexibility required to deliver short production runs of unique designs .
CONTROLLING SUPPLY CHAINS
Modern trends don ’ t just apply to the engineering of control systems , but to supply as well . Across industry , suppliers and manufacturers are looking to localise their logistics operations to improve availability and minimise the effects of delays and increased costs .
“ Everyone is working to make supply chains more robust through reshoring , and Spelsberg offering us local availability in the UK is beneficial . Our approach , like many , has been to hold more stock , and Spelsberg has supported this by providing us with increased enclosure inventory capacity . This gives us a more responsive and resilient supply chain .”
66 PECM Issue 64