SIMCO Disclosures

We discuss all things to do with plastic enclsoures and thier applications in the electronics industry.

Tag Archives: enclosures

Enclosures closeout

October 7th, 2013

Q: I know that SIMCO‘s prices are without a doubt the lowest for a high quality off the-shelf enclosure, but I have a project where there is little allowance for the housing cost, and aesthetics or color is not a priority. Does SIMCO have any rejects, over-runs, or discontinued models at a closeout price?

A: SIMCO parts that do not meet our specs are usually not offered for resale. But, we do have some discontinued colors, such as TAN and MEDIUM GREY. We have limited quantities of custom colors, such as BLUE, WHITE, and YELLOW. Some sizes are even available in BLACK. These models are perfect for prototyping, low volume runs, or private label projects. Pricing is unbelievably low. Call us today and we will mail or FAX you our inventory and CLOSE-OUT price sheet. HURRY! Quantities are limited.

Another closeout that we are offering is on a larger custom enclosure. We have several thousand of these left in stock. These larger enclosures measure 1.65 x 8.36 x 9.12. They are molded of high quality ABS in a nice GREY color. The design features include molded-in mounting bosses, vertical card guides, and panel grooves. Assembly screws and rubber feet are included.

What these companies have in common?

October 7th, 2013

AT&T
General Electric
Florida State University
lvac Corporation
Martin Marietta
Nielsen Media Research
Scientific Atlanta
Texas Instruments
Wang Laboratories

All companies have all specified SIMCO enclosures for prototyping and/or production. More and more companies are doing the same. Find out for yourself why. Send for your full-line catalog today, and next time
“dress it with a SIMCO housing.”

Enclosures cut-outs

October 7th, 2013

Q: I know that SIMCO front and rear panels machine well; but, I need some cut-outs in the top of the enclosure itself. Can this be done and if so, how?

A: Yes, it can be done. The enclosures can be drilled or cut-outs can be made with a milling machine or pantograph. Why not let SIMCO quote the job for you? Work is done from your prints to your specifications. Some examples of our work (both panels and enclosures) are shown below. Don’t forget, some of the SIMCO enclosures can be custom molded with openings and cut-outs using our insert technique.

IP Ratings and Plastic Enclosures

October 1st, 2012

IP stands for Ingress Protection, and IP ratings specify the degree of protection of enclosures against ingress of objects, dirt or water. The same protection against objects getting into an enclosure also implies a degree of protection against potential hazards within that enclosure; at the lower levels, the ratings indicate whether fingers or tools can enter.

What kind of an IP rating should you look for?  That depends on the environment your enclosure will be used in.  An enclosure with low IP rating might work fine in an office, but in a dusty factory the electronics could quickly fail.  More rugged enclosures are usually more expensive, though, so it makes sense to get enclosures that fit the environment. If a device is not going to be submerged in water, 100% waterproofing is an unnecessary expense.

IP Ratings are written with the letters “IP” followed by two numbers, e.g. IP65, where the numbers define the degree of protection. The first number refers to the amount of protection against solids, and the second number refers to the amount of protection against water.

The first digit in the rating is the protection against contact and foreign bodies. The second digit in the rating is the water protection factor. Sometimes a third number is added, which refers to protection against impact.

SIMCO’s enclosures have an IP rating of IP65.  This means that they have complete protection against dust and protection against low-pressure water jets.

For your reference, the full ratings are below:

Solid particle protection

The first digit indicates the level of protection that the enclosure provides against access to hazardous parts (e.g., electrical conductors, moving parts) and the ingress of solid foreign objects.

Level Object size protected against Effective against
0 — No protection against contact and ingress of objects
1 >50 mm Any large surface of the body, such as the back of a hand, but no protection against deliberate contact with a body part
2 >12.5 mm Fingers or similar objects
3 >2.5 mm Tools, thick wires, etc.
4 >1 mm Most wires, screws, etc.
5 Dust protected Ingress of dust is not entirely prevented, but it must not enter in sufficient quantity to interfere with the satisfactory operation of the equipment; complete protection against contact
6 Dust tight No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact

Liquid ingress protection

Protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against harmful ingress of water.

Level Protected against Testing for Details
0 Not protected — —
1 Dripping water Dripping water (vertically falling drops) shall have no harmful effect. Test duration: 10 minutesWater equivalent to 1mm rainfall per minute
2 Dripping water when tilted up to 15° Vertically dripping water shall have no harmful effect when the enclosure is tilted at an angle up to 15° from its normal position. Test duration: 10 minutesWater equivalent to 3mm rainfall per minute
3 Spraying water Water falling as a spray at any angle up to 60° from the vertical shall have no harmful effect. Test duration: 5 minutesWater volume: 0.7 litres per minutePressure: 80–100 kPa
4 Splashing water Water splashing against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effect. Test duration: 5 minutesWater volume: 10 litres per minutePressure: 80–100 kPa
5 Water jets Water projected by a nozzle (6.3mm) against enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects. Test duration: at least 3 minutesWater volume: 12.5 litres per minutePressure: 30 kPa at distance of 3m
6 Powerful water jets Water projected in powerful jets (12.5mm nozzle) against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects. Test duration: at least 3 minutesWater volume: 100 litres per minutePressure: 100 kPa at distance of 3m
7 Immersion up to 1 m Ingress of water in harmful quantity shall not be possible when the enclosure is immersed in water under defined conditions of pressure and time (up to 1 m of submersion). Test duration: 30 minutesImmersion at depth of 1m
8 Immersion beyond 1 m The equipment is suitable for continuous immersion in water under conditions which shall be specified by the manufacturer. Normally, this will mean that the equipment is hermetically sealed. However, with certain types of equipment, it can mean that water can enter but only in such a manner that it produces no harmful effects. Test duration: continuous immersion in waterDepth specified by manufacturer

The UL standards and SIMCO enclosures

March 30th, 2012

When you order enclosures from simcobox.com, you are given a choice of UL or non-UL materials.  What does that mean?  In fact, all SIMCO enclosures are made of materials that meet flammability standards released by Underwriters Laboratories of the USA, but the ones that are labeled UL and have a prefix of UL before the part number are tested to a stricter standard.

UL 94 is the Standard for Safety of Flammability of Plastic Materials for Parts in Devices and Appliances.  In the test, a sample is held in either a vertical or horizontal position depending on which specification must be met.  A flame is applied for a specific amount of time, and the time that it takes for the flame to extinguish itself is measured.

SIMCO’s UL rated materials are tested to the 94V0 specification for flame resistance.  This means that after a flame is applied, burning stops within 10 seconds on a vertical specimen.  The specification also requires that no flaming drips be produced that ignite a cotton indicator placed below the test sample.  In the test, the flame is applied twice.

Standard enclosure materials are tested to 94HB. HB stands for Horizontal Burn.  To meet this standard, a sample less than 3mm thick must burn at a rate less than 76 mm per minute.

SIMCO uses POLYLAC® PA-765
CHI MEI CORPORATION – Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS plastic) for UL rated boxes. A data sheet can be downloaded at http://simcobox.com/Spec-Sheets.html

Using UL94V0 rated material ensures greater resistance to flame when exposed to high temperatures and sparks that can be produced in some electrical and electronics applications.

For more information, contact Mike Early at 1-863-452-9090 or visit the SIMCO website at http://www.simcobox.com

SIMCO Disclosures

We discuss all things to do with plastic enclsoures and thier applications in the electronics industry.