Engineering Blog

What are the Real Purpose of Battery Clips?

Frances Bennett Engineering Blog, Materials of Enclosures, Steel enclosures ,

Just recently, there was a mishap happened in my kitchen: the garbage disposal bin suddenly backed-up leading my sink to slowly drain itself into the dishwasher. Then afterwards, it leaked on almost everywhere. This hilarious but stressing situation happened during night time and I only discovered the disaster happened until the next morning when I am about to grab my cup of coffee.

This is not the only disaster that has happened, when I got home from work the water from the accident caused my wood flooring to buckle. When I try to flatten down my floor, the wood flooring cracked. This is because the people who fixed my kitchen just glued the wood tiles on the linoleum flooring. Causing the pieces that were soaked in the water came up so easily. However, the rest won’t budge. I guess I need to replace half of my flooring.

With this in mind, when we have something to be permanently placed on a certain area, we should secure it permanently. Like my floor, I do not expect anything like that would happen. Another example of almost the same kind of scenario are the keyfob remote controls.

Even if the the keyfob controls are very small  – and even if they are – the batter holders can still bring a lot of damage if they go around and sliding inside the case. In order to prevent this from happening while keeping the integrity of the PCB board (and eventually avoid long lasting damage) the battery holder should be put permanently on the board through soldering.

This will make sure that the battery holder will stay very secured even if the keyfob just hangs from the keychain and is being swung around using a finger, or even thrown or juggled through the air with a mobile phone to save a falling cup of coffee.

Do you know how to properly solder things? Below are some very useful tips on doing this. While it takes some valuable amount of time and practice to use these methods and tools properly, soldering in basic terms is putting things together using a molten metal instead of glue sticks.

How to prepare the soldering iron:

•    Plug in the soldering iron and place it properly on its stand.

•    Soak the sponge on the water and dampen it and place it in the stand.

•    After dampening the sponge, wait for just a few minutes for the iron to warm up.

•    Once the iron warmed up, wipe the tip of the iron with a damp sponge.

•   Melt some metal on the tip of the soldering iron.

To start soldering, do the following:

•    By holding the soldering iron like a pen, hold it near the base of the handle.

•    Touch the soldering iron to the end pieces of the things that you will put together.

•    Feed the soldering metal unto the solder of the joint.

•    Gently remove the solder and eventually the iron unto the solder of the joint.

•    Inspect the joining ends closely.

How Important is Waterproof Rating on Electronic Plastic Enclosures?

Frances Bennett Engineering Blog, Steel enclosures , ,

If I loved something, I will always go back to where it was. For years now, I have been going to the same Chinese restaurant near my neighborhood. Just recently, there have been series of experiences – really bad ones – and there’s a possibility I might decide to find a new Chinese restaurant. Until the bad taste is already gone. I did a little Google research for new Chinese restaurants and I have stumbled upon a website where people are encouraged to review local establishments.

When I checked on the different, divided categories and this will enable me to find the best Chinese restaurant replacement. There’s no need for me to sift through every restaurant listing in my area. I can be confident that basing on my general testimony, it is reasonable that this might be possible. The individual tastes might vary, and I just found out that there is a possibility I might not like the new place but at least I am not going and finding new restaurant in a blind spot.

With this in mind, per testimony can work in various of ways. The additional benefit to this is in the industry of electrical design. More often than not, the customers always ask the specifications about the electronics enclosure. They always start with: “Do you know if anyone else has done …?”

Well, if a customer will ask if the HD-45 can be considered IP66K compliant, there’s only one sure answer to this. It certainly is. Just last year, there was a customer who had complete the IP66K testing on the HD-45. It was certain that the cases will not leak. The customer is more than happy to announce that the case just passed with flying colors and passing rate.

With this, what does IP66K Mean? To explain this clearly, the first 6 in the IP rating indicates that the electronics enclosure is entirely protected against dust ingress. The second 6 in the rating means that the enclosure can also protect the equipment against strong water ingress coming from jets/streams of water. The limited ingress of water is now permitted provided that it should not bring damage to the PC board.

The machining holes and other customizations for electronics enclosure should have an effect on the IP rating of the electronics enclosure. There should be careful consideration that should be made to make sure that all the cutouts of the materials are now correctly sealed in order to maintain the waterproof rating to make submersible and waterproof enclosure.

In conclusion, I strongly suggest that you conduct your own testing for your own product prototypes. This is to make sure that individually, in your end the prototype meets the same rating. Basing on the findings from one of the customers of this enclosure, it is more likely that the electronics enclosure should be able to meet the IP66K rating. However, with this in mind, engineering projects always vary. There’s a possibility that you might cause the enclosure to be less-water tight.

What is the Relationship of Relative Thermal Index to Electronics Enclosure?

Frances Bennett Engineering Blog, Steel enclosures , ,

I am not a very good driver when it comes to freeway. I usually drive a certain patch of freeway on my way to work. Majority of the time I believe there is a cop waiting for me holding a radar gun that points to the traffic. I guess most of us know that there is a high chance that the cop is there on his post every time we drive past. Still my fellow drivers just keep on slamming on their breaks when they spot the cops. But in line with this, we all push the different limits of what we know what’s right or what should we do or what we should not. But still we get away with the things that we should not be doing. When something like this happens, we quickly learn not to repeat the same mistakes again right?

With this in mind, I would like to prevent you from learning this lesson in the hard way. Plastic boxes also have limitations too – in terms of temperature. Some of the enclosure plastic materials tends to have a higher temperature rating compared to others. Regardless of what the rating is. Once the temperature already reached the required temperature, the engineer is already risking deformation and loss of shape.

What is RTI or Relative Thermal Index?

Let us define what RTI is. It is formerly known as CUTR – or Continuous Use Temperature Rating. This is the highest limit of service temperature, where the critical properties of the material should remain inside the acceptable limits. There are about 50% after 10 cycles, and this is according to the UL testing.

With this in mind, RTI is the external indicator of the material’s innate properties. However, there is a limitation to this. RTI does not consider some of the specific application factors such as the stresses that are inherently molded and mixed into a part before the external load is going to be applied. Including in this is chemical exposure, part thickness, etc. The only most reliable method in predicting part performance is to have the prototype part be subjected into a test under some actual conditions.

There are three independent RTI ratings that can help us with this:

  1. The electrical measures effectively measure dielectric strength
  2. The mechanical part has an impact with measurement of tensile impact strength
  3. The mechanical part that exists without impact measures the tensile strength

For other enclosure manufacturing companies, the standard flame-retardant ABS or the RTI temperature is up to 80 degrees. However, just like my fellow drivers on the freeway, they can only drive up to 10 miles over the limit. It is then most possibly safer in driving at a slower rate than that.

The Latest Innovation Electronic Enclosures: A Pocket-Sized Enclosures for USB Applications

Frances Bennett Engineering Blog, Steel enclosures , ,

While a lady walks her dog one day, she came across her nearby neighbor with her new puppy. Knowing that the puppy is only 4 months old, one cannot deny her flufyness. You can see the super cuteness in its big face: big eyes, feathery fur, and stunted snout. However, its cute legs were probably short about 4 inches long. The lady came up to her neighbor and said “wow! I was amazed on how impact and adorable your puppy is!” However, to her surprise the dog has already achieved its optimum size.

The lady’s jaw was about to drop, good thing her 50 pound behemoth stopped her on what she was about to do but her dog keeps on dragging her to the small and adorable cute dog in front of her. Her dog thinks it’s a chew to by the way. This lady kept her thinking, “what should be my next dog will be?” Also, it made her wonder what is with the small dogs that people are stopped on their tracks when they see one? What is in the tiny that makes them cute and adorable?

What item is better than being tiny? In the electronics world, most of the sales person will gladly tell you that tiny is small but very useful. As we all know the majority of the electronic devices that were being released today (phones, gaming consoles, music players, televisions) are getting more and more compact than its previous models and counterparts. However, the capabilities are not toned down because even if the devices are getting more compact, the capability of these products increases. Even the computers are starting to get hip in having their models in compact sizes. One of the smallest craze going around the electronics world today are USB ports because they become the amazing standard for any peripheral computer equipment and devices.

For the design engineers out there, where do you usually get the case to install your USB case product in? Of course in the enclosure manufacturing companies.

Some of the companies’ pocket-sized enclosures are specifically designed for some USB applications. They are initially molded in some of the most durable and flame self-exitinguishing plastic material. The features of the enclosure include some of the smooth and textured surface with some of the recesses. These can be seen in both halves and there was one time that there is space saved because there is a 3 piece snap together design. There are USB enclosures that are available in gray and clear, the USB plastic enclosure series is a very effective way in creating a number of useful electronic uses. Since we most of the engineers know that the flammability ratings are crucial to our end use, we made sure that the new line for the enclosures has higher ratings. The Gray enclosures are widely available in ABS material that comes with the rating of UL94-HB. While the other clear enclosures are being made and molded in polycarbonate with the rating of UL94-V0.

The Different NEMA Plastic Enclosure Product Line Extensions

Frances Bennett Engineering Blog, Materials of Enclosures, Steel enclosures , ,
NEMA Plastic Enclosure, Product Line Extensions, The Different NEMA Plastic Enclosure Product Line Extensions

A couple of weeks earlier, I have noticed that I have shed body weight. I was really hoping to lose a lot of this ever since I was a kid. Unfortunately, I was not able to purchase clothes that will look good on my new size. Therefore, while trying good clothes one morning, I had a bit of utter frustration because apparently, my fashion sucked and I looked like an old maid.

Right then and there, I totally decided that it was about right time to go on a shopping and buy the clothes that will really fit me. Now, we’re talking about the whole shebang of shopping for clothes: skirts, dresses, dress pants, jeans, capris, tops, and even shoes. I also decided to add some new clothes sizes that I was not able to wear since high school. Because of this, I love the idea of having expanded wardrobe in my closet.

With this in mind, the NEMA plastic enclosures available in some of the enclosure manufacturing companies will make you feel that you are going to totally love their expanded product line. Like my new wardrobe, there are NEMA enclosures that were just recently added on some of the companies’ product portfolios and these are now available in smaller sizes. It is now being pared down in sizes and there was a trim of 2.52” x 2.28” x 1.38”. They are widely available across all three NEMA product lines.

Several customers have lead to believe that they have already requested a smaller NEMA enclosure and they are totally excited when enclosure manufacturing companies tells them that there are new models available for electronic enclosures and they are available to be shipped now.

Because of these wonderful features, the older ones are retained and are still widely available. The gasket for dust and water-proofing enclosures, the stainless steel crews and the sturdy enclosure construction. The available optional cable glands and the mounted flange kits are also widely available for the new enclosure sizes. We are pleased to know that the expanded product lines are deeply going to help you out the rightful NEMA rated case enclosure that is the perfect fit for you company.

In conclusion, if you would like to have your enclosure customized, you can politely ask the enclosure manufacturing company to fix the problem for you. Most of the companies allows businesses to have a customized enclosure for them. Just make sure that the details are clearly communicated so that they will deliver you the best product as possible.

What is the Right Electronics Enclosure for Your Company Processes?

Frances Bennett Engineering Blog, Steel enclosures , ,
Company Processes, electronics enclosure, What is the Right Electronics Enclosure for Your Company Processes?

Aside from the need in determining the right size of the enclosure for the equipment or component, it will house, the style and type should be greatly considered. As a shoe rack, it is not enough that the user knows how many shoes it can fit, but what style the user is looking for. The style can also be dependent on where the shoe rack will be placed. This is also the same in selecting an enclosure. The environment can also determine which style the company should go for.

In this article, we will discuss the numerous possibilities a plastic enclosure can have in terms of customizing its style. Enclosure customization really brings a lot of benefits because it can be tailor-fitted to the need of the company.

There are a handful of possible ways companies can customize their enclosure.

If a company need mounting flanges or creating a hand-held device, they should contact directly the manufacturer to determine the possible ways to easily customize a plastic enclosure for them. This solution also applies if the company needs a gasket type of NEMA enclosure to provide protection equivalent to a certain level of NEMA standard such as; NEMA 4X, NEMA 6P to specify the category of the particular enclosure; rainproof, weatherproof or waterproof. The simplest way to do this is to look up if the company provides an available product brochure online.

If the company is already familiar with the product line the manufacturer is offering, it is easier to tell what the need. Usually, companies display their product line on their website so that the customers can easily tell which products they possibly need and if there are customization needs that should be done.

Also, some enclosure manufacturing companies offer to search by the size of the enclosure. This can be shown most of the time at the top-middle page of the website. This is helpful because the searches can be narrowed down by length and width. If a website is efficiently designed and have this feature, the buying company can save a great amount of time because they will be presented a list of the products based on their custom search.

Even if the information is readily available online, the buying company should always ask the customer support for the information on their enclosure. Keep in mind that no matter how informative a website can be, it pays to directly ask the company about the products and customization services that they offer. Not all companies are the same. Usually, you can tell if a company is easy to transact with if they have good customer support.

Just make sure that before selecting or inquiring the enclosure that you need, on your end you should have the valuable details already laid out. Including the customization needs, the size of your equipment or component, and what type of enclosure your company is looking for. Work directly with a design engineer so that the company can choose wisely which enclosure to buy for their company project. In taking the time to consider which enclosure do they need will help them save a lot of money and effort in investing in the wrong enclosure.

Different Alternative Ways to Improve Enclosure’s Internal Ribbing to Achieving Identical Strength and Increased Space Inside the Enclosure

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Several enclosure manufacturing companies utilizes the internal ribbing in making their electronic enclosures to make it extra rigidity and to also make it more durable. Design engineer might take this approach as a logical strategy but the addition of internal ribbing might bring some complications on the electronic enclosure. Given its ability to give strength, it can hinder the flexibility of the design and it can take up internal space in the enclosure. Sure, this strategy also gives some cons and disadvantages.

For this very reason, some of the electronic enclosure manufacturers chose to have their standard moles to not allow provisions for any types of internal ribbing. If industrial companies needing electronic enclosure has a need for high-strength requirements for their process applications that posses high-impact use, some of the manufacturers that does not want internal ribbing offers wide range of design features that can satisfy this need. This includes options for wall thickness that plastic materials, ABS NORYL, nylon and polycarbonate materials for enclosure provides. These companies can give the advantage of an internal ribbing without the additional bulk inside the internal enclosure space.

Aside from the bulky feature and possibility of less space, there is also one major disadvantage to internal ribbing. Some of the plastic enclosure are required to have custom holes and cutouts for cable glands. When an internal ribbing is installed inside the enclosure, it might prevent the cable glands to go inside the enclosure and it might obstruct the holes. Milling cutouts or holes on the internal ribbing is complicated to do and it is not cost efficient, to be honest. In addition to this, the internal ribs can greatly reduce the amount of space that is available inside the enclosures and it can limit the space provision of the components that can be placed inside the electronic enclosure.

With this in mind, enclosure manufacturing companies offers some best design alternatives. The design engineers can add exceptional strength to the enclosure by redesigning the overall shape of the structure of the enclosure. Given the careful calculation of the design, given with proper analysis and testing, some of the manufacturers of enclosure can give the same strength an internal ribbing can give inside the enclosure.

For some of the outdoor applications that require high strength and impact resistance for electronic enclosures, manufacturers can also offer industrial or production companies an increased wall thickness for electronic enclosures. The enclosure boxes that are specifically designed to have this type of strength and impact resistance can have walls up to 25% thicker. Majority of the NEMA rated enclosures are designed with increased wall thickness.

The Several On-Shore and On-Hand supplies of Different Transmission Equipment

Frances Bennett Engineering Blog, Materials of Enclosures , , ,

To ensure the electrical grid is totally secured is not new in the entire process, however with the potential alarming threats existing today together with the risks in forms of physical assaults, possible calamities, and cyber attacks how sure are we that our community is ready to face threats in their quality of life, economic-well being as well as their overall safety?

Together with these potential threats just roaming around the corner, comes with more and increased potential questions. How are the companies prepared to face possible threats and how to effectively respond to them in terms of recovering from high impacted low-frequency HILF events? These events can bring large-scale, multi-site impacts on other companies. How well are companies’ plants in terms of assessing the recovery time whether the affected assets of several transformers requires longer lead time for transportation? How certain are they to measure and assess if the spare assets are readily available to technicians’ reach when there is a restoration needed? What will happen if the customers are not well prepared to face these adversaries?

Together as an industry, companies should be eager to seek new ways in improving their resilience and recovery time when facing these problems ahead of them. The companies should take the leadership in stewarding the development of a holistic plan that comes with cost-effective solutions in improving the resilience of the electric grid. Once the concerns regarding the resilience will remain unsatisfied by the actions in the industry, the concerned regulators and some government officials will opt to formulate their own solutions. This will eventually result in new laws, legislation, mandates, and standards.

However, it is not practical to just protect or harden the grid that covers hundreds of thousands of miles’ worth of transmission lines and tens of thousands of substations that comes with them. There is one option viable, that is already considered by companies as one new way in improving the resilience. This is to eventually increase the energy supply of the nation through large power transformers or what we call as LPTs.

Some of the utilities decided to maintain some of the operational spares in the order to form them to replace the large power equipment that will eventually fail because of the normal wear and tear because of frequent use. However, it still remains to be economically reasonable to restrict the stockpiling of expensive pieces of equipment in line with the preparation of the companies’ own worst-case scenario. Unless including in each utility is the storage of their backups in some of the secured and off-site locations. However, it is also likely that the backup transformers in this process will eventually be damaged because of the same HILF event that brought damage in their in-use equipment.

Last 2006, the nation’s power sector took a very important step in addressing the replacement of these transformers that were damaged because of some terrorist acts. In line with this, the Edison Electric Institute and some of the utility companies eventually formed a Spare Transformer Equipment Program (STEP). This program gives the participating utilities the permission to buy huge power transformers bought from other utilities in the industry but this happened only after a presidentially declared terrorist emergency happened.

The Numerous Human Factors that Affect IoT Safety

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Affect IoT Safety, Numerous Human Factors, The Numerous Human Factors that Affect IoT Safety

The Internet of Things is not all about making the production more efficient on the factor floor; it is meant to help in the aid of creating a much safer working environment for the workers. 

In the manufacturing industry, the applications on how the internet of things can help in improving processes has been well covered. But for the safety of using IoT, the benefits that the personnel will get is less discussed. Once the application that shows how Iot solutions can help in preventing risks and accidents by promoting the support of safety, it can predict pattern in the workers efficiency on the factory floor. With this in mind, this can reduce risk of injury. 

One of the benefits of this safety solutions – with the emphasis on the safety solutions – have been greatly emphasized in the recent years as IoT continues to drive the industrial automation carrying through the digital age. The major benefit is the increased profits for the companies, basing on the more efficient technology and productivity. With this in mind, the IoT that contributes to the safety of the workers can also reduce costs because there will be no fatal injuries that personnels can incur. 

Some companies that doesn’t have proper safety measures can eventually result to compensation to employees, fines, pays for sick leave, and the recovery time of the employees among other additional costs that can incur. In the global market, from 2015 and 2016 the were occurrence of ongoing improvement that is calculated more than 50% of changes to safety directives and standards. The changes in the initial stages of its development is costy to implement. But it will have long lasting changes and developments because it can bring safety to lives and save companies costs in the long run. 

The companies can put safety measures in the production plants for machineries that are being used to prevent unauthorized access and prevent unsafe practices. However, they can be totally ignored by the personnel using it because of the company culture that are being developed towards the production plants about safety regulations. In line with this, poor practice will eventually result to reckless decisions. 

Some employment contracts are being paid dependent on the process output rather than by the hour. Eventually this will result to a sense of urgency because employees should meet their quota. Safety measures that are established can increase the time that needs to be spent on doing a certain task and it some ways it can distract the workers’ work because they work around the safety procedures to save working time. 

In conclusion, the internet of things (IoT) can have a positive, increasing impact on influencing the companies to conduct safety products and solutions. They can do this by having an improved connectivity of safety intelligent devices.  These devices can give companies insight about the customer data that can give improvements on how they do and process things, in addition to the core safety features that are being implemented in the companies. 

The Numerous Human Factors that Affect IoT Safety

Frances Bennett Engineering Blog , ,
Affect IoT Safety, Numerous Human Factors, The Numerous Human Factors that Affect IoT Safety

The Internet of Things is not all about making the production more efficient on the factor floor; it is meant to help in the aid of creating a much safer working environment for the workers. 

In the manufacturing industry, the applications on how the internet of things can help in improving processes has been well covered. But for the safety of using IoT, the benefits that the personnel will get is less discussed. Once the application that shows how Iot solutions can help in preventing risks and accidents by promoting the support of safety, it can predict pattern in the workers efficiency on the factory floor. With this in mind, this can reduce risk of injury. 

One of the benefits of this safety solutions – with the emphasis on the safety solutions – have been greatly emphasized in the recent years as IoT continues to drive the industrial automation carrying through the digital age. The major benefit is the increased profits for the companies, basing on the more efficient technology and productivity. With this in mind, the IoT that contributes to the safety of the workers can also reduce costs because there will be no fatal injuries that personnels can incur. 

Some companies that doesn’t have proper safety measures can eventually result to compensation to employees, fines, pays for sick leave, and the recovery time of the employees among other additional costs that can incur. In the global market, from 2015 and 2016 the were occurrence of ongoing improvement that is calculated more than 50% of changes to safety directives and standards. The changes in the initial stages of its development is costy to implement. But it will have long lasting changes and developments because it can bring safety to lives and save companies costs in the long run. 

The companies can put safety measures in the production plants for machineries that are being used to prevent unauthorized access and prevent unsafe practices. However, they can be totally ignored by the personnel using it because of the company culture that are being developed towards the production plants about safety regulations. In line with this, poor practice will eventually result to reckless decisions. 

Some employment contracts are being paid dependent on the process output rather than by the hour. Eventually this will result to a sense of urgency because employees should meet their quota. Safety measures that are established can increase the time that needs to be spent on doing a certain task and it some ways it can distract the workers’ work because they work around the safety procedures to save working time. 

In conclusion, the internet of things (IoT) can have a positive, increasing impact on influencing the companies to conduct safety products and solutions. They can do this by having an improved connectivity of safety intelligent devices.  These devices can give companies insight about the customer data that can give improvements on how they do and process things, in addition to the core safety features that are being implemented in the companies.