Knowing they can rely on their equipment to perform properly, especially during the peak grape harvesting season, is essential to winemakers. The goal at Carlsen and Associates is to provide the wine industry with the ultimate in functional, quality winemaking equipment. One of the more popular products is the Waukesha 130 Wine and Must Pump, which can handle virtually all phases of wine production.
While Carlsen’s customers rely on its equipment, they probably don’t understand the design work that goes into a top quality product. For instance, selection of a protective enclosure for electrical controls was extremely methodical, and ultimately led Carlsen to Stahlin Non-Metallic Enclosures.
Enclosure cabinets typically used in industrial applications fall under standard NEMA, UL, or CSA guidelines. The NEMA 250 standard assists designers in understanding the performance requirements for various physical or environmental conditions.
Finding the Right Enclosure
While researching the best enclosure for the Waukesha 130 Electrical Controls, Carlsen discovered that what was really needed was a NEMA 4X Enclosure to ensure reliable protection from impact, rain, snow, sleet, windblown particles, and corrosive agents.
The electrical controls protected inside the Composite NEMA 4X Enclosure include variable frequency drives and control switches. External attachments to the enclosure include removable remote control connector, power cord, and speed control cord.
Once Carlsen’s designers identified the manufacturers that offered NEMA 4X enclosures, they narrowed the list down to those who offered composite non-metallic ones. They knew composite enclosures could handle the constant washdowns in the wine industry, were lightweight to help reduce machine weight, and were a lower cost option when compared to stainless steel.
Aesthetics Are Important Too
The next challenge was selecting an enclosure that had aesthetic appeal. Stahlin's Classic and J Series enclosures met this need. A key deciding factor was that all Stahlin fiberglass enclosures are molded with patented SolarGuard®, a specialized non-halogenated SMC formula that guards against damage from constant UV exposure.
Stahlin met another practical need: the ability to modify enclosures to Carlsen’s exact specifications. Through their ModRightT factory-based modification program, Stahlin drills holes in the enclosures to exact specifications, thereby saving time, money, and headaches. A recently purchased Belotti 5 Axis CNC router has increased accuracy, improved quality due to less handling of parts during the routing process, and has given Stahlin significant machining and routing capabilities from increased power and versatility. As a result, turnaround time for Carlsen’s custom enclosures has been reduced.