How to Protect Outdoor Electronics by Choosing the Right Enclosure Material
At Hongfa, we offer a variety of enclosure materials tough enough for year-round placement outdoors, even in extreme temperatures. Let’s take a quick look at some popular materials.
Hongfa electronic enclosures are among the most widely used outdoor enclosure solutions. polycarbonate is an amorphous thermoplastic that’s naturally UV stable, so it’s a great choice for outdoor use. This material is so good at holding up to various weather conditions and extreme sun that it’s actually used as a lightweight, weather-tough alternative to traditional roofing materials.
Not only is polycarbonate great for blocking UV rays, which means a safer protective layer for your electrical components, but it’s also very lightweight and extremely durable. Like all our plastic electronic enclosures, these polycarbonate styles can be customized to your needs to suit an incredible range of products, whether you’re designing a whole-new gadget or want to improve on an existing design.
UTILIZE A JUNCTION BOX TO PROTECT YOUR ELECTRONICS WHILE OUTDOORS
Metal enclosures made from materials like stainless steel and aluminum are also an excellent choice for outdoor junction boxes. These materials offer a sharp look and rugged construction as well. Unlike polycarbonate, they offer a degree of natural EMI shielding to protect your devices from electromagnetic interference.
Choosing the Right NEMA or IP Rating
It’s also important to choose an outdoor rated NEMA enclosure or IP rated enclosure to protect your device. These rating systems provide a quick and clear way to understand how much protection an enclosure offers against environmental hazards like water and dust.
NEMA standards are used mainly in North America. Outdoor enclosures should have an outdoor NEMA rating like NEMA 4X or NEMA 6P. For more information about what these ratings mean, see our NEMA ratings guide.
IP standards are used worldwide, but especially in the European Union. An outdoor enclosure should feature a waterproof and dustproof IP rating, such as an IP66 or IP68. Our IP ratings guide offers more information on the IP ratings system.
Hongfa offers hundreds of enclosure models with IP and NEMA ratings. We also UL certify all of our NEMA and IP enclosures, so you can be confident our enclosures will perform to their expected specifications.
Venting Accessories to Prevent Condensation
Another simple thing you can do to protect outdoor devices from heat and moisture is to choose from our selection of waterproof accessories. As previously mentioned, condensation caused by heat and humidity can seriously compromise the parts inside your unit, so you want to do everything you can to prevent it from building up. Not only does moisture compromise the quality and performance of your electronics, but it can also lead to mold and deterioration over time.
The best way to prevent condensation in any environment is to improve airflow through enclosure vents, especially within electronic housings. There are venting solutions that keep units watertight while allowing airflow so condensation doesn’t accumulate. Adding air vents to equalize temperature and pressure effectively creates a more safe and protected environment. Moreover, Hongfa can machine the required air vent holes into the enclosure for you!
PURCHASE AN OUTDOOR ENCLOSURE TODAY
Get in Touch
When you’re looking for environment-specific solutions that will help improve the quality, performance and durability of your product, you need the best outdoor enclosure solutions available.
Hongfa is always on hand to provide expert advice and details on our enclosure specifications. That way, you will find a solution tailored to your needs, whether it needs to be protected from heat, rain, dust, water or all of the above!
If you have specific questions about enclosure models, NEMA ratings, specifications or anything else, contact us!
