Leading manufacturer of airflow control units recognises the importance of flexibility and reliability when specifying enclosures

Based in the UK, Temperature Electronics Ltd. is a world leader in manufacturing laboratory airflow and temperature control solutions for OEM companies and systems installers. The company started life manufacturing temperature control systems and over the past two decades has expanded into airflow monitors for Biological Safety Cabinets and Fume Cupboards as Health and Safety requirements, and subsequent legislation, has increased. Its success has seen it expand its global market share over the past 35 years and it is estimated that there are over 100,000 of its units operating in laboratories worldwide.

Laboratory environments are painstakingly set up – at significant expense – to provide as consistent an environment as possible that allows work to be carried out accurately and safely. Temperature Electronics’ products are vital to maintaining the temperature within the labs and ensuring that potentially harmful gasses are extracted in the correct manner. For this reason they insure that they house the control units in reliable enclosures which meet the varying requirements of different applications.

Richard Eady, Production Manager for Temperature Electronics Ltd., comments: “The control units for our products need to be well protected from a range of potentially damaging environments; water ingress and chemical corrosion being the most common.

They also have a specific set of requirements with regard to entry points and other machining details, so it is important to us that they are bespoke to our design. For this reason we have always tried to work with a supplier that has a wide range of standard products which are easily customised and available for quick delivery.”

Because of its requirements for flexibility and reliability its supply partner for electrical enclosures is Spelsberg, one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of non-metallic enclosures and the largest ex stock supplier in the UK. Spelsberg UK has a range of over 4,000 standard products, most of which can be customised quickly using its in-house CNC machining facilities. Its sales engineers are experts in designing bespoke solutions and can offer advice on empty enclosures or fully installed solutions.

Richard Eady continues: “We’ve been specifying Spelsberg’s enclosures for a number of years now as the quality of manufacture is second to none. We also find that the personal level of service means that our exact needs are met and we can be confident that the finished product has been designed around our requirements; which means we don’t need to design our products around the enclosures.”
Spelsberg initially began supplying Temperature Electronics Ltd. with its well known range of TK enclosures, which are available in both Polystyrene and Polycarbonate with IP66 protection. The products are machined to the bespoke requirements of the customer prior to delivery which reduces installation time upon arrival and require no further customisation. Temperature Electronics Ltd. was so impressed with the product that over time more enclosures were added to its shopping list.

Other products which have proven to be useful include the TG range and Spelsberg’s tough GRP enclosures. The TG range offers a recessed lid which allows for overlays to lie flush to the enclosure meaning important instructions or warnings can be added quickly without any raised edges. The GRP range has been equally popular as its extremely tough construction adds even greater protection for products which will be used in environments with extremely corrosive materials.

Chris Lloyd, General Manager for Spelsberg UK, adds: “As our range of enclosures has expanded over the past few years we’ve found that we are able to offer Temperature Electronics Ltd. improved solutions. Almost all of our products can be customised to suit, and because we keep most in stock they can be delivered on a very short lead time.”

Richard Eady concludes: “For many OEMs the importance of flexibility and reliability in their suppliers cannot be overemphasised. It is rare to find a supplier that offers such a personal service while still having the weight of such impressive in-house modification and assembly services behind it.”