Ruggedised electronics cabinets for military applications
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 Preview | Actum Group director Greg Barron (left) and R. Muralee Sivakumar from Pentair Technical Solutions. | 1.49 MB | Download |
 Preview | Ruggedised versions of electronics cabinets (an ordinary one is pictured here) for military applications are distributed in Sout | 4.08 MB | Download |
These specialised cabinets are manufactured by Schroff of Germany, part of parent company Pentair Technical Solutions. Actum Industrial is part of the Actum Group, a specialist distributor of niche electronics products for high-end industries and applications, explains director Greg Barron.
Visiting South Africa recently to explore new market opportunities for its innovative products, R. Muralee Sivakumar, technical manager: MEA/Turkey, electronics protection, Pentair Technical Solutions, points out that Africa is becoming an increasingly important market.
“The main focus for us in Africa is definitely the defense sector, particularly in South Africa, which has a well-established defense industry with a global reputation for technological development,” Sivakumar explains.
He adds that the infrastructure backlog in Africa is likely to create long-term demand for sophisticated electronics equipment and back-up systems, particularly in the arena of telecommunications.
Schroff offers the Varistar MIL ruggedised electronics cabinet for shock and vibration resistance under the most demanding conditions. These cabinets are tested to MIL 901D, and also feature RFI shielding in order to avoid electromagnetic interference. Another ruggedised electronics cabinet on offer is the Varistar Seismic, an earthquake-resistant cabinet up to Bellcore Zone 4 with an NEBS-compliant plinth.
Sivakumar explains that Schroff focuses on a modular approach from PCB hardware, which includes front panels, plug-in units, retainers and CCAs and related accessories, through to electronic subracks and cases, including 19" chassis, and finally complete electronic cabinets, which can be multi-purpose or ruggedised.
“The importance of front panels lies in the fact that they form the ‘face’ of an electronic device,” Sivakumar notes. Therefore these have to be resistant to scratches and fingerprints, in addition to being conductive for shielding performance.
Front panels usually need to be modified as the connected board requires openings for LEDs, connectors or switches. Such modification has to be carried out quickly and efficiently, and must also provide for digital printing for individual designs.
A plug-in unit comprises a front panel and all the necessary accessories to fix it to the board and a subrack. Depending on the application, insertion/extraction handles range from static handles for low forces, cantilever extraction handles for reasonable forces, IEL/IET handles for CompactPCI and VME64x applications with high-density connectors and high extraction forces, to heavy-load XL handles for extraction forces up to 1 500 N.
Cassettes or frame-type plug-in units feature a surrounding frame for mechanical protection and RFI shielding. This provides a scalable degree of protection. Retainers range from simple nylon card guides to sheetmetal PCBTainers. LokTainers provide board clamping for moderate shock and vibration, while CardLok and WedgeLok provide ruggedised board clamping for heavy shock and vibration. Features include a high clamping force and excellent heat dissipation.
Schroff subracks and 19" rack-mount chassis are compatible to the latest international standards, including IEC 1101.1. MultipacPRO is designed for the latest trend of accommodating standard boards horizontally, which makes for a much more versatile platform.
Schroff multipurpose electronic cabinets include Labrack, an open 19" frame for laboratory applications, while Novastar focuses on high functionality for the audio-video or broadcasting sectors. Varistar offers doors and cladding for IP20 or IP55 protection, while Varistar EMC offers RFI shielding up to 60 dB at 1 GHz.
Ends
Notes to the Editor
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About the Actum Group
The Actum Group has diversified to become a leading importer and distributor of components, instrumentation, automation and industrial products. The original business, Actum Electronics, has been operating since the 1970s and was originally an importer and distributor of electronic components. More recently, four businesses have been acquired to form the Actum Group. These are Altico, Connecta, Peter Jones Electronic Equipment and Dowson & Dobson Industrial.
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