Rackmount Features

Chassis Construction		Vibration and Shock Protection
All of our chassis, except where otherwise stated, are manufactured from lightweight rugged aluminum. The main body of the chassis is formed from 0.080" aluminum while the front and rear are 0.125" thick with an additional 0.125" thick front assembly being mounted to most chassis. This gives an overall front plate thickness of 0.25". The chassis exteriors are powder coated to provide protection and scratch resistance while the internal components are alodined to provide protection and conductivity. All mating faces in the chassis have direct metal to metal contact for EMC/RFI compliance. The lids of the chassis have rolled tops with direct metal to metal contacts with the main chassis.		Although computer equipment has become much more robust, the need for protection is paramount in our design concepts. In most chassis, the drive device carriers are shock mounted on 4-6 rubber isolators. These give only a rubber to metal contact and provide two methods of protection. The isolators absorb any shock the chassis may experience and also provide vibration damping. The PC cards inserted into the chassis need to be held in the correct location to avoid poor electrical contact and damage. In all of our chassis the cards are held in place in at least three locations and in some chassis four. All of our chassis provide a rugged metal enclosure in which the computer equipment is protected.

Drive Shock Mounting		Air Filtration and Pressurization
In almost all of out chassis, the disk drive bay is mounted on rubber isolators to provide shock and vibration protection for the drive devices being fitted. There are at least four isolators fitted to each drive bay assembly giving excellent protection in rugged environments.		Air filtration and pressurization is important when cooling a complete system to prevent dust and dirt entering. All of our chassis have UL approved washable filters fitted where air is drawn into the chassis. The filters are removable for cleaning without the need to power down the system. To prevent dust and dirt entering via drive openings, card slots etc., air is drawn into the chassis through the filters giving positive air pressurization. This forces the dust and dirt away from any openings.

Stock Availability		Design and Customization
Excellent Design features in a chassis are very important but mean nothing if it takes too long to deliver. As part of our commitment to provide a quality service we ensure we have all of our chassis available in a short time. The most common chassis in our range are produced in hundreds giving ample stock and short lead times The flexibility of our chassis, brought about by common sense design practices, gives us the ability to adapt product where very short lead times are required.		Although we have various chassis described on this web site, some customers needs may not match the models listed. Over the years we have designed and customized many chassis, from simple work changes to complete custom design. We pride ourselves on our ability to react to customers needs and our understanding of industrial PC design concepts. If you cannot find the product you require, or have a special design, call us today to discuss your requirements.

Cooling
One important aspect in the design of an industrial computer system is the cooling of the internal components. While it may not be apparent in the early years of operation, good cooling will enhance the systems overall MTBF (mean time between failure) and therefore prolong it's life. All of out chassis are fitted with multiple cooling fans, up to 10 in some chassis. The fans are 80mm, 92mm and 120mm (dependent of chassis model) high quality ball bearing based devices. Fan sheets are available on request.