Fast enclosure customisation speeds up security project utilities company

Avanti Lighting supplies lighting and electrical products for commercial and industrial applications across the UK. Creating bespoke solutions for a range of largescale enterprises, Avanti Lighting 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. 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. This would make the process as quick as possible for the utility’s engineers,” says Avanti Lighting’s General Manager, Paul Vissani. “We knew that Spelsberg’s CNC capability meant rapid, accurate machining, provided around a durable industrial enclosure.”

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.

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. 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 Paul. “As this service is provided on-site, it invariably means a fast project completion.”

Spelsberg is one of the largest manufacturers of electrical enclosures in the world. With over 4,000 enclosures available as standard and further customisation possible, it offers solutions for almost any application.

With the largest supply of non-metallic enclosures, ex-stock in the UK, its products are often available for delivery within 24 hours; customisation is possible on any product, including bespoke entries, engraved corporate logos or fitted terminals, within 48 hours. Products can be ordered direct from Spelsberg or from most leading supply specialists including RS, Rapid, Farnell and CPC.