Choosing a Wall-Mount Panel Enclosure

Time to purchase the control panel enclosure for your new machine/automation process. There are wall mount, free standing, modular, and disconnect styles. There is single door, double door, triple door. Some have continuous hinge, quarter turn latches, screw down clamps, etc. Where do you start choosing a PLC Panel Enclosure? Let’s start with the basics…

Start with a single door wall mount enclosure for small to medium control systems (i.e. PLC, HMI, couple VFDs, and half a dozen IO modules). There are a couple of choices that are typical to choose from when looking at the cost effective Hoffman Concept Enclosure product line:

Mild Steel (ANSI 61 Grey or Light Grey): This is the most common and least expensive panel type. They typically are NEMA 12 (dust tight) and NEMA 4 (water tight). They range from 12″ x 10″ to 60″ x 36″ (L x W) with depths from 6″ to 20″. You will need to purchase the matching inside sub-panel as well (either painted white or galvanized). One accessory typically worth purchasing is the wall mounting feet as well (Hoffman CMFK). You can find more information on this panel here.
Stainless Steel (304 or 316L): This is the most common panel type when needing a corrosion resistant/high pressure washdown rated panel. It is quite a bit more expensive than mild steel, sometimes thousand dollars more expensive. 316L is better at resisting corrosion from harsh chemical contact, but is also more expensive than 304. They typically are NEMA 12 (dust tight) and NEMA 4X (washdown tight). They range from 12″ x 10″ to 48″ x 24″ (L x W) with depths from 6″ to 16″. You will need to purchase the matching inside sub-panel as well (either painted white or galvanized). One accessory typically worth purchasing is the wall mounting feet as well (Hoffman CMFKSS). You can find more information on this panel here.
Stainless Steel WaterShed (304 or 316L): This is a less common panel type when needing a 304 sanitary washdown rated panel. This is more expensive than the standard stainless steel panel mentioned above. They typically are NEMA 12 (dust tight) and NEMA 4X (washdown tight) with a sloped roof to keep water and/or debris from sitting on top of the panel. They range from 12″ x 10″ to 60″ x 36″ (L x W) with depths from 6″ to 16″. You will need to purchase the matching inside sub-panel as well (either painted white or galvanized). One accessory typically worth purchasing is the wall mounting feet as well (Hoffman CMFKSS). You can find more information on this panel here.

When in doubt, choose Mild Steel if dust is your only concern. If the panel will be exposed to water, the Stainless Steel options are the way to go. For panel size, try to leave 20-25% empty sub-panel space in case other components need to be added in the future. As far as exact size, that is usually only determined once the panel layout drawings have been completed, but a rough guess can be used up front if needed. Need to bounce your thoughts off an expert when choosing a PLC Panel Enclosure? Contact Us

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