Control System Enclosure Design

Objective:

Design enclosures for several OPTO 22™ control systems that will allow chemical engineering students to easily view and access the hardware, while protecting the hardware fom mild chemical spray.

Description:

Two systems in particular require enclosures: a system for a Constant Stir Tank Reactor (CSTR) in the Chemical and Fuels Engineering Senior Lab at the University of Utah, and a mobile cart unit in the same lab. The first enclosure must be mounted to a vertical surface, while the second needs to be a total enclosure. A photo of the CSTR system is shown below (without enclosure)

Design and Manufacturing:

It was decided to use 3/8" thich acrylic to create the required enclosures. It was machined on a mill to provide flat and square edges, which were then bonded with an acyrlic adhesive. Passages were provided for data and power cables. Each enclosure had a means of access. The CSTR enclosure utlized a removable panel secured with quarter-turn fasteners, and the mobile enclosure used a removable top section secured with tension latches.

As an excercise, the Mechanism tool within Pro/Mechanica™ was used to model the motion of the enclosure access mechanism before embodiment. An envelope was traced out using Mechanism during the simulation to determine space requirements for the motion.