Enclosures move into custom PCBs

Paul Boughton

Pentair has launched the Schroff Interscale M case platform in metal for applications ranging from fanless fieldbus enclosures, single-board computers or ARM modules, to mobile diagnosis or therapeutic equipment for medical systems, PC-based point-of-sale (POS) systems, video monitoring for building services or peripheral control units for industrial applications.

The 'Interscale' case platform now offers enclosures for custom, smaller form factors, responding to trends such as miniaturisation and individualisation with a flexible platform solution.

As with all platform concepts from Pentair, the Schroff Interscale M is the first product of this family and is available with three options: an off-the-shelf case, a modified case or a customised case. All three are based on the same core component to keep costs under control, even for the customized version.

Available in 1, 2 or 3 U heights and various widths and depths, it consists of four elements: a robust U-shaped body, front and rear panels and a cover.

It offers 21 different case sizes with solid side panels and 19 sizes with perforated side panels for forced air cooling off-the-shelf. The versions with solid side panels offer ingress protection to IP30. Removable front and rear panels allow easy access to the electronics within the case, which can be assembled or dismantled with just two screws, greatly reducing integration time.

Integral protection from electromagnetic interference (EMI) is achieved by means of interlocking case walls, and is assured even with perforated side panels at roughly 20dB up to 2GHz.

In addition, a broad range of standard accessories, including flexible PCB fixing, different plug-in feet, various fans and fixing elements, is available.

Further modifications such as the case colour, cut-outs and printing on front and rear panels enable the Interscale M case to be further individualised. These modifications are available from single quantity and within five working days, providing support and fast service from the prototype phase onwards. The accessories can also be modified and fitted. Additional services such as thermal simulation with Flowtherm and wind-tunnel testing are available on request.

If the requirements of a particular application are specialised, a customised enclosure can also be created. Here a wide range of special sizes and an extended colour palette are available. Wherever possible, standard components or modified standard components are used, in conjunction with custom elements in order to minimize development costs. Special printing or cut-outs can be provided in the customized version. In addition to the wide range of standard accessories, further special accessories can also be supplied on request.

The enclosure platform allows customers to implement individual ideas. From 25 or more units they also benefit from further cost-optimized solutions. All cases are provided with the relevant 3D STEP data (as a CAD download) and a user manual free of charge.

For more information, visit www.schroff.co.uk/InterscaleM