Benefit of Local Manufacturing – Custom Switch Solution Delivered On Time and To Budget

Blog Benefit Of Local Manufacturing Custom Switch

Here at Leveltec we specialise in creating custom solutions for our clients. No workplace is the same – each business and site has its own safety, environment and requirements. 

Whaylla Steelworks recently required a custom solution for an upgrade to their onsite teeming cranes for its Crane Boarding Switches which offer increased safety when performing maintenance. The client needed a solution that could be replicated and delivered in stages and Leveltec were required to find a suitable rotary sector switch and enclosure for use in harsh environments with space installation issues and mounting variance.

As the project was planned to be delivered in stages another key factor was finding a solution that was uniform with a part number so it could be ordered over and over again, reducing the amount of engineering time required on each project, having product variations, and maintaining consistent site operating procedures.

A teeming crane is also called ladle crane and is used in casting workshops for ladle handling and pouring metal liquid. The working environment is really high temperature with a high level of dust and risk, which means a teeming crane has a very strictly design according to the working conditions.

As distributors of PCE Merz Switchgear we were able to provide a switching solution and engaged an engineering firm to determine and detail the complete scope of requirements of the project.

These modular crane boarding switch enclosures were manufactured under our inhouse BSH brand and are designed to reliably switch low currents signals at extra low voltage in the harshest environments. They were manufactured from 316 stainless steel with X15 orange colour and featured an integrated identification plate along with external mounting plates to ensure easy installation and use.

The PCE Merz Switch installed was supplied with two style of escutcheon plate (BSH-ES0200 – ON/OFF) & (BSH-ES0222 – POS1/POS2). The switch was a custom MN 151 series, two pole change over with gold plated contact for dry circuit switching. The switch was to be non-lockable, yellow escutcheon plate with a large red handle suitable for use with gloves.

The modular design allowed for mounting plate, enclosure and lid to be rotated making it a universal enclosure. This opened up options to have the threaded cable entries from any side making the installation easier where cables may have been challenging to install. The standard mounting plate allowed the installer to mount the enclosure on vertical or horizontal strut with the tabs long enough not to buck over. There was also an optional pipe bracket available should the installation take place on a walkway handrail.

Clear identification was the next challenge with such a small enclosure, rather than have external label brackets manufactured the lid was designed to include space for four labels.

The solution was designed to meet IP66 and for ease with single cable runs, and each unit was supplied with a threaded bung to seal the outgoing cable entry. Each enclosure featured an earth bonding strap, field replaceable gasket and captive lid screw.

More than 100 of these units have been supplied on time and installed on the site, and will endure some of the harshest dust and heat exposure without switch failure.

The BSH Modular series enclosure can be used in many other application to house both MN Cam switches and ML compact Disconnect switches for both control and power application up to 32A.

Do you need a switch in a box? Let’s talk about your next project.