Modular Enclosures: Convenient & Simple Long-term Solution

Modular enclosures are flexible, easy-to-install, simple-to-maintain, space-saving safety protection devices for electrical or electronic equipment, and are an alternative to monolithic enclosures for equipment protection.

What is a Modular Enclosure?

A modular enclosure is a type of enclosure that can be flexibly assembled, moved, and connected to internal and external modules. Unlike monolithic enclosures, which focus on safety and ruggedness, modular enclosures offer great flexibility and space utilization for applications that require frequent replacement, maintenance, and expansion.

Structure of the Modular Enclosure

The structure of a modular enclosure consists of a frame, a panel, a base, an internal mounting structure, locks and hinges, a connection system, a cooling and ventilation system in combination with different levels of protection, each of which can be freely customized and extended. Understanding the structure of modular enclosure makes it more intuitive to discover their high degree of flexibility and expandability, the following is a detailed explanation of the components of a modular enclosure.

Frame: The frame is usually made of stainless steel, aluminum alloy, and is designed for light weight and high strength. The dimensions and interfaces between the frames usually follow a standardized design, and can be disassembled, expanded and adjusted through the use of profile splicing structures.

Panels: The panels of a modular enclosure usually consist of a front panel, a rear panel, side panels, and a top panel, which together with the sealing strips allow the enclosure to be completely sealed. The door panels under the modular design are removable for easy installation and maintenance, and are usually available in solid metal panels, ventilated panels, clear glass panels, and other types.

Base: The base as a support will be reserved for cable import and export, convenient wiring management, modular enclosure base, there are many types, such as fixed base, adjustable base, or with roller base to facilitate the flexible movement of the modular enclosure.

Mounting System: The Mounting System is a key part of a modular enclosure and is used to secure and mount internal equipment or components to prevent damage caused by movement or vibration. Many different types of mounting systems can be applied to modular enclosures, they are:

• Монтажные пластины
• Mounting Rails
• Монтажные кронштейны
• Slide Rails
• Mounting Trays
• Mounting Frames
• Magnetic Mounts 

Doors & Hinges: You will find a wide range of options for hinges and locks in modular enclosures, such as hinges that support standard and quick-release designs, and smart access control systems with optional mechanical and electromagnetic locks.

Connector System: The connection system is one of the important components of the modular enclosure, used to link the signal and data transmission between the internal and external devices of the enclosure, ensuring that the modular enclosure can be seamlessly connected with other devices to achieve the purpose of flexible expansion. The connection system supports the modular enclosure in the following ways.

• Electrical connection
• Signal Transmission
• Data transmission
• Module Expansion

Cooling & Ventilation: Prevent overheating of the equipment inside the enclosure, which is important in high-temperature environments and in scenarios where temperature control is required.

Protection System： The protection system is one of the core systems of the modular enclosure, including grounding and vibration- and shock-resistant design. According to the enclosure’s dustproof, waterproof, corrosion-imitating ability, but also to determine the scope of application of the modular enclosure and the level of protection.

Size of Modular Enclosures

Modular cabinets come in a variety of sizes to accommodate different types and sizes of equipment and provide protection and installation space. Below we will briefly describe the three standard sizes of modular enclosures to help you get a better understanding.

• Small Modular Enclosure: The size typically ranges in size from 100 mm to 400 mm, they are used to protect electronic equipment, low power utility devices, sensors, and small power terminals. These enclosures usually do not require much internal space and can therefore be wall mounted and are often used indoors. Small modular enclosures provide minimal electrical protection and can meet protection ratings from IP30 to IP65.
• Medium Modular Enclosure: Typical sizes are in the 500mm to 1200mm range and are commonly used in computer rooms, power distribution rooms to handle larger electrical loads and electrical connections due to their scalability. Typical mid-sized module enclosures are floor and rack mounted and require IP55 or IP65 and higher protection ratings.
• Large Modular Enclosure: Commonly used in sizes ranging from 1300mm to 2200mm, they are used in industrial environments, data centers, and the energy industry, where they are often required to accommodate large amounts of electrical equipment and complex control systems. Most of the large modular enclosures are for modular installations to meet the needs of large equipment such as large service cabinets, substation equipment, and more, which require a high level of protection, IP67 or even higher.

Various Types of Modular Enclosures

Modular enclosures offer a simple and flexible solution for equipment protection. Below, we bring you the different types of modular enclosures from four perspectives to give you a better understanding of their voltage ratings, operating environments and protection requirements.

1. According to Voltage Level

• Low Voltage Modular Enclosure: Suitable for electrical systems up to AC 1000V, DC 1500V. This type of modular enclosure is usually used in industrial automation, building management, server room, industrial power distribution scenarios. Common types include low-voltage distribution cabinets, industrial control panels и IT server racks.
• Medium Voltage Modular Enclosure: Suitable for medium voltage transmission and distribution systems from AC 1000V to 35kV, including 10kV, 24kV, 35kV and other voltages. Modular enclosures for lower voltages require customization with higher levels of insulation, such as air, vacuum, and gas insulation to improve safety and stability, and are typically installed in substations, industrial power distribution, rail transportation, and energy generation stations. Common types are: Medium Voltage Switchgear, Ring Main Unit (RMU), Medium Voltage Substation Enclosure.
• High Voltage Modular Enclosure: Suitable for high voltage transmission and distribution systems above AC 1000V, including 10kV, 35kV, 110kV and even higher 220kV. High insulating materials are required to prevent high voltage breakdown, and gas or vacuum insulation can be used to improve safety, usually installed in substations, power plants, and other places. Common types are High Voltage Switchgear, Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS), High Voltage Cable Distribution Box.

2. According to the Environment

• Indoor Modular Enclosure: Indoor modular enclosures are designed for installation in server rooms, factories, commercial and residential buildings. The common types are power distribution cabinets, industrial control cabinets, and more. These modular enclosures typically require an IP65 rating.
• Outdoor Modular Enclosure: These types of module enclosures usually face harsher climates and need to pay attention to their windproof, rainproof, corrosionproof, dustproof, and impact-resistant characteristics. Generally refer to the IP grade system and NEMA grade system, common types are base station cabinet, charger cabinet, and so on.

3. According to the Protection Features

• Standard Modular Enclosure: Suitable for general commercial and industrial environments, mainly to protect the electrical or electronic equipment in the enclosure from accidental contact or intrusion of dust, liquid splash. These modular enclosures are often made of cold rolled steel, stainless steel, aluminum alloy, with IP20~40 rating.
• Waterproof & Dustproof Enclosure: This type of modular enclosure requires a very high degree of sealing, usually used in outdoor, humid, dusty industrial environments, generally in the production of 304 stainless steel, aluminum alloy, and accompanied by a special corrosion-resistant coating process. Generally refer to IP66, IP67 or above protection levels.
• Explosion-Proof Modular Enclosure: Suitable for use in hazardous industrial environments where flammable and explosive dusts and gases are present and must comply with safety ratings such as ATEX and IECEx. These modular enclosures are typically made of aluminum and stainless steel with reinforced seals and are Intrinsically Safe, Flameproof and Increased Safety designs.

4. According to Different Constructions

• Freestanding Modular Enclosure: Freestanding modular enclosures are usually designed with removable panels, adjustable mounting rails and expansion devices for easy module expansion, customization and subsequent installation. Commonly used in areas that require frequent maintenance and extensive expansion, such as industrial, electrical, and information services.
• Bayable Modular Enclosure: Bayable modular enclosures are commonly used in data centers, power control stations, and automated production lines, and are commonly standardized to 19-inch rack systems. The modular connectivity design easily expands multiple enclosures and allows them to be combined side-by-side, providing great convenience for large-scale equipment integration.

Benefits of Modular Enclosures

After learning about the types of modular enclosures that are suitable, we can also discover their other advantages.

• Highly Customizable

Highly customizable is one of the most important features of modular enclosures, not only in terms of size, material, type, reserved link slots, removable panels, etc., but also in terms of NEMA and IP protection ratings for different usage scenarios.

• Flexible Installation

Easy and flexible installation is another major advantage of modular cabinets. With removable components, modular enclosures are compatible with a wide range of equipment sizes and scales to meet different layout requirements. Compared to the more rigid installation of monolithic cabinets, modular enclosures can also accommodate a variety of installation methods, such as floor standing, rack mounted and wall mounted.

• Easy Scalability

Modular enclosures not only have a flexible internal structure, but are also easy to connect and expand. According to the reserved link slots or slides, they can be easily connected to form large integrated systems to meet more needs.

• Easy to Maintain

The ease of maintenance of modular enclosures relies heavily on the flexible, interchangeable construction. Using removable panels and slides, parts that need to be maintained or replaced can be partially dismantled without affecting other parts.

• Space Efficiency

Efficient use of space is a significant advantage of modular enclosures, especially in complex environments and limited spaces, as they allow for the saving of floor space through stacking, side-by-side or vertical mounting, or by placing them horizontally or vertically. Modular enclosures also allow multiple modules to be integrated into a single unit through standardized interfaces, thus reducing the overall space required and allowing for high-density storage without wasted space.

• Безопасность

A common misconception about the safety of modular enclosures is that they are not as safe as Monolithic enclosures. But, the modular enclosure in the design of the same degree of consideration of how to maximize the degree of protection of equipment, so they are the same with the monolithic enclosure, are provided with waterproof, dustproof, impact resistance, explosion-proof, fire prevention, etc., different features for different applications, such as industrial, chemical plants, mining and energy industries.

• High Cost Performance

Due to the flexibility of expansion and maintenance, although modular enclosures are initially more expensive than Monolithic enclosures, they are more cost-effective in the long run because they avoid repeated replacement and disassembly.

Application Areas for Modular Enclosures

Modular enclosures have a wide range of applications and are widely used in various industries, the following are a few common industries that can utilize modular enclosures.

1. Data Center and Cloud Computing

Modular enclosures are a common storage and protection device in data centers, as data centers have extremely high requirements for expansion and rapid maintenance, and Monolithic enclosures are not fully adapted to this constant demand for computing and storage.

2. Industrial Automation & Electrical Control

In the industrial automation and electrical control industry, modular enclosures are widely used in the industry as they allow for faster replacement of control modules as well as the ability to readily adjust equipment configurations according to production needs, providing more flexibility than one-piece cabinets.

3. Renewable energy

In the renewable energy industry, where power modules need to be frequently adapted to the energy scale and dynamically expanded and maintained according to the scale, modular enclosures can adapt to changing energy environments and provide easy adjustment.

4. Public transportation industry

Through targeted custom designs, modular enclosures can be customized with features such as vibration resistance, EMI protection, and remote monitoring to provide convenient, flexible equipment protection in vibration-prone railroads, trains, and other public transportation systems.

5. Telecommunications and Network Communications

The most important feature of communication equipment is the need for rapid expansion of ports and functions, and there is a very high demand for rapid deployment. Modular enclosures can adapt to the growing demand for expansion and prepare for possible additional configurations at any time by reserving slots.

6. Communications base stations

In a communication base station, modular enclosures also have excellent performance. Based on the flexible internal structure and high compatibility, it can optimize the internal and external space to the maximum extent to achieve stable, safe and long-term operation.

7. Construction and infrastructure

modular enclosures are mainly installed in buildings and power management systems, and adjust the power and control modules according to the needs of the building, enabling faster and more retrograde expansion and maintenance than Monolithic enclosures, improving efficiency.

Заключение

Overall, modular enclosures are flexible in expansion, portable in installation, simple in maintenance, and highly customizable for a wide range of applications, and have become the first choice for protecting electrical, industrial, and other equipment. We recommend that you evaluate the application industry and environment before purchasing, installing, and customizing a modular enclosure for your equipment, so that the modular enclosure achieves the best results.