Beyond connections: WAGO demo unit shows interconnection and automation expertise

WAGO is a name long associated with manufacturing compact and easy to use electrical spring connection technology, but to present its interconnection and automation range, it needed a new demonstration unit. Partnering with enclosure manufacturer Spelsberg, WAGO selected a housing that would enhance the presentation of its broad offering. Crucially, the enclosure would also help to display the advantages of its products in a real-world setting.

Clare McCusker, National Sales Manager, Spelsberg UK, explains Wago’s requirements.

When people hear the name WAGO, they often associate it with electrical connections, such as DIN rail-mounted terminal blocks. Although the German brand has a long history in the electrical interconnection field, WAGO also has a wide range of electronic interface products and automation technology. This includes products such as signal conditioners, relays, and voltage converters, as well as I/O systems, controllers, and HMIs.

However, WAGO’s position as the market leader in electrical interconnection heightens the challenge to educate customers about its capabilities in electronic interface and automation technology. This is the reason behind the development of its latest demonstration case. Aimed at OEMs, panel builders and switchgear builders, as well as distribution partners and wholesalers, the demo unit presents the breadth of WAGO’s offer to industry.

Intended for presentation at customer sites, as well as display at exhibitions, the demo case had to be sufficiently compact and lightweight to enable mobile transportation.

Real-life product presentation

“Installing demonstration products in an industrial enclosure means customers can see how they would look in an actual application, and how they would fit in a control cabinet or enclosure,” says designer of the demonstration unit, Clive Humphrey, WAGO UK and Ireland’s Product Manager for Interconnection.

The demonstration enclosure includes rail mounted terminals, alongside relays, a power supply, and an energy monitoring meter, while automation products include an I/O system and a network switch. The array presents highlights from WAGO’s full range and capabilities, rather than a scale representation of an actual installation. However, mounting the products within an enclosure helps demonstrate the key advantages of WAGO’s offering.

“Our customers require reliable connections and quality products that perform, long-term, in industrial conditions. The demonstration enclosure helps to show that build quality,” explains Clive. “However, another important customer need is small footprint, so products included in the demo case, such as the triple-deck terminal block, which takes the same space along the DIN rail as a standard single terminal, helps demonstrate the compact dimensions of our products.”

Ease of use

A further vital need of WAGO’s customers is ease of use. This is answered by features such as lever-operated terminals that enable rapid access for installation. Selection of the enclosure was important to emphasise these key advantages, and the product chosen for the job was a Spelsberg GTi-3 housing with a transparent lid.

“All the components in the enclosure are DIN rail mounted,” says Clive. “A key reason I chose this enclosure is because the DIN rail is so easy to fit, with wide flexibility over mounting positions.”

Constructed from high strength polycarbonate, the GTi-3 is lightweight for easy transportation. While it’s compact, it is sufficiently deep to house taller products, such as the I/O and triple-deck terminals.

“For installation, everyone’s looking to make life easier and complete jobs faster, so features that enable this are important. When mounting an enclosure like this for real, its knock-out holes, which show the flexibility available for cable entry and exit points, mean simple installation of cables and glands,” says Clive.

Customisation options

While WAGO tends to customise solutions in-house as part of the turn-key service it offers to large OEMs, original products that enable rapid customisation is an advantage to WAGO.

“Even though Spelsberg can offer CNC machining to drill holes, the flexibility of Spelsberg enclosures means that the design lends itself to fast, straightforward customisation, and this is a real benefit,” adds Clive.

For the demonstration unit, WAGO did require Spelsberg’s in-house printing, which included the addition of a colour logo on the enclosure lid. Along with the finish quality, this service is more reliable, cost-effective, and accountable compared to involving a third-party.

This latest WAGO demonstration unit is the third in a series, all of which use a Spelsberg enclosure. For its customer projects, WAGO also typically chooses Spelsberg as its preferred enclosure supplier. The relationship between WAGO UK and Spelsberg UK has existed for nearly 30 years and began following the original partnership that existed between the two German manufacturers.

Partnership

“We enjoy an excellent relationship with Spelsberg,” explains Clive. “The enclosures are consistently manufactured to a very high standard, and the support provided by the UK team is very helpful. Spelsberg UK doesn’t just have a warehouse, it has a facility with engineering expertise in design and customisation, so if we ever have any special requests, the team can quickly provide it, instead of having to wait for support from overseas.”

About Spelsberg

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.