100 customised enclosures light the way!

A UK electricity utility company has been provided with 100 customised enclosures within two weeks of order. Industrial enclosure manufacturer Spelsberg was able to supply a customised sample within an hour of request to Avanti Lighting, which had been contracted by the utility company to develop a weather-proof CCTV bracket and enclosure mounting system.

Avanti Lighting supplies lighting and electrical products for commercial and industrial applications across the UK. Creating bespoke solutions for a range of large-scale enterprises, the company was tasked by the electricity utility to develop a solution to mount and house swan-neck CCTV cameras to be installed in outdoor locations at sites across the country.

Avanti Lighting designed a bespoke corner bracket to fit the installation specification, providing a powder coating to match the cameras. In addition to achieving the correct angular position for the bracket, as well as a durable design, the utility company’s main requirement was ease of installation and fast project completion.

Direct installation

Avanti Lighting’s bracket design enabled direct installation of the camera, with a cable access point in the exact required position. To house the cameras, the enclosure needed to be fully weatherproof and sufficiently robust. At the same time, the enclosure had to precisely fit the required cable entry point and be easy to install.

The project also had a rapid deadline and, as a result of previous project collaboration, Avanti Lighting turned to Spelsberg UK with its on-site, UK customisation facility to design and manufacture the bespoke enclosure.

“For the customer, ease of installation was key, including an enclosure that would be supplied ready to mount, with all holes drilled for cable entry points,” says Avanti Lighting’s general manager Paul Vissani. This would make the process as quick as possible for the utility’s engineers. We knew that Spelsberg’s CNC capability meant rapid, accurate machining, provided around a durable industrial enclosure.”

Total protection

To protect against all-weather elements, an IP67 TG enclosure was selected, providing total protection against dust, as well as water ingress, meaning that the camera would remain safe and dry when installed outside. Constructed from polycarbonate, the enclosures would also provide durability from impact and UV protection.

Reviewing the utility customer’s requirements, along with the design of the camera and the bracket, Spelsberg’s engineers developed the optimum method of enclosing the CCTV device. The enclosure had to provide a precisely positioned cable entry point, but, as the camera included a pre-terminated cable that would not physically fit through a compression gland that would normally be used, an alternative solution was required.

As a result, Spelsberg’s design included CNC-machining a groove in the enclosure that would both allow cable entry and maintain the high IP rating. With the enclosure lid removed, the camera could be installed with the cable inserted into the groove. Thanks to the precision of the machining, replacing the lid would form a tight and protected seal around the cable, preventing any dust or water ingress.

Speed a critical factor

A critical factor for Avanti was speed of the process to meet the utility provider’s deadlines. Taking the initial requirements to Spelsberg UK, as a result of the on-site design and CNC capability, a sample was provided to the customer within an hour.

“Spelsberg typically provides a sample within 24 hours, which can be a particular advantage over other UK enclosure suppliers that can take more than a week, especially if they don’t have customisation facilities on-site,” states the industrial enclosure manufacturer.

The customer confirmed the initial sample and the total order of 100 enclosures, all manufactured with CNC customisation, was completed within two weeks.

“The reason we work with Spelsberg is that they provide durable enclosures and they’re able to customise them to suit any application requirement,” says Avanti Lighting’s Vissani. “As this service is provided on-site, it invariably means a fast project completion.”