Earlier this month, industrial enclosures provider Rittal presented its new stainless steel versions of the company’s AX and KX small and compact enclosure series and the VX25 enclosure system at this year’s international meat industry trade fair IFFA in Frankfurt, Germany, from May 4 to 9.

While the company presented system solutions for enclosure, power distribution and climate control technology, the main highlight of Rittal’s presentation was its comprehensive Hygienic Design range of stainless steel housings, enclosures and climate control systems for hygienically sensitive areas where cleaning has to take place regularly.

Included in this range was the company’s brand new stainless steel range of AX and KX small and compact enclosures and its VX25 enclosure system.

In the food industry, production plants must be designed with hygienic aspects in mind. Depending on the hygiene zone, the requirements of the splash, packaging and nonfood zones vary.

Food manufacturers’ production facilities must be as easy as possible to clean and, at the same time, process-safe so that they can guarantee the greatest possible safety for the end-user. The basic requirement is that machines and systems are designed so that they are easy to clean. To make this possible, Rittal offers appropriate housing and enclosure systems for every hygiene zone.

The new VX25 large enclosure system is now available in a 100% stainless steel version to meet the highest demands of corrosion resistance. In addition to the frame structure, doors, panels and the gland plate, all the external parts such as 180° hinges and comfort handle variants are also made of stainless steel.

While this type of enclosure has IP 55 and NEMA 12 protection categories as default, the optional NEMA 4X version with its corresponding IP 66 protection category offers even greater security. This means that the electrical and electronic equipment in the VX25 is reliably protected against both dust and splashes as well as jets of water, even under demanding conditions.

The new Blue e+ cooling units are now also available in stainless steel should VX25 stainless steel enclosures also need to be fitted with energy efficient cooling technology for use in the food industry.

With the new AK, KX and VX25 housing and enclosure systems, plant constructors are ideally prepared for digitalisation. This way the enclosures incorporate digital equipment and thus fit ideally into the digital value chain of panel building and switchgear construction.

As an example, besides the high-quality three-dimensional data and configuration tools, QR codes on all panels to be machined simplify their integration into the production workflow.