Enclosure Materials

Enclosure Materials

A brief overview

B&R Enclosures supply a wide range of enclosures in different enclosure materials. There are various reasons why you would choose one material over another and a brief summary is provided below.

Please note that specific site conditions can significantly influence the choice of enclosure materials. The best way to select the right material is to look at the performance of similar materials on site. As such the following are general guidelines only.

Plastics

Click here to see B&R’s range of plastic enclosures.

Used for enclosures with few requirements and for resistance to corrosion that would be problematic for metal enclosures. Plastic enclosures are a versatile choice.

The disadvantage is that they are not as strong as metal enclosures and cannot be built to anywhere near all the sizes required for industry. They can also be susceptible to damage from the sun.

Steel

Click here to see B&R’s range of steel enclosures.

Steel can be used for applications where there is little chance of corrosion or in locations where the enclosure will become scratched or damaged.

Steel enclosures are strong and robust, but steel can be susceptible to corrosion from the environment once the powdercoated surface is damaged.

Aluminium

Click here to see B&R’s range of aluminium enclosures.

Powdercoated aluminium can be considered as the next step up for resistance to corrosion. It is substantially better as resistance to salt water, although in many cases should not be used for applications where strong alkalis might be present.

Aluminium is a great choice for applications in remote locations due to this higher corrosion resistance and its lighter weight which enables it to be manually installed rather than machine lifted in many applications.

Stainless Steel

Click here to see B&R’s range of stainless steel enclosures.

B&R manufacture a range of enclosures from 316 grade stainless and offers excellent resistance to salt water and other forms of environmental corrosion. These tend to outlast enclosures in any other materials. The use of 316 stainless steel is also aesthetically pleasing.

B&R use a special N4 surface finish that helps minimise corrosion and provides a great ‘brushed metal’ look.