The controls for machines and automation need somewhere to live. An electrical panel box is that home, the enclosure where the controls that run a line, a pump, or a process are laid out, wired, and protected. An electrical junction box plays a humbler role, serving as the intersection where wires meet. The two can look similar on a wall, but they do very different jobs. At Bud Industries, we help design engineers and panel builders match the right enclosure…

What distinguishes a simple metal or plastic box from a functional electronic enclosure? Most often, it’s the modifications necessary to allow access to the interior, stabilize and protect its contents, and present the appropriate appearance. Enclosures typically need a minimum of one cutout for a power cable and often many other modifications, which can include holes, cutouts, tappings, gaskets, pre-assembly, and finishing. For many design engineers, specifying enclosure modifications is the final step in the design cycle, with time-to-market pressure…

One of the most frequent questions we are asked is to clarify the NEMA rating system for enclosures.  There are many misconceptions about the ratings including that a higher number rating means a greater  level of protection or that all ratings suggest that the products are waterproof or dustproof.  For today’s blog, I am going to focus on two of the outdoor ratings and describe what they mean, how they are tested and what the difference are.  These are the…