Mike Dolt Enterprises
Mike Dolt Enterprises
User: paulbr, Location: Inside the Beltway
Asked on: Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 12:39 pm EDT
Answered on: Tuesday, May 14, 2024 at 3:29 am EDT
Question: Our company is OEM. We are making large industrial equipment (600-800amp, 480VAC). Before this equipment is shipped to the customer it is assembled and commisioned in the house. Up till now we were feeding our main enclosure through the open door. Therefore during all commissioning time we were having energized panel with door not closed.Now days we are trying to enforce NFPA70E including Personal Protection Equipment (PPE). To be able to do start up you need to dress like spaceman if you keep feed the panel through the door openning.I am wondering how other people addressing this issue. Let's say if we make cut out in enclosure to feed cable through it and after start up is completed will close this cut out. Will we compromise enclosure rating? Are there some standard flanges the may be used for this purpose? Most of our enclosures are Hoffmann and we do not know where exactly power cable will penetrate enclosure at customer site.Please, share your experience.PaulBr.
Enclosed Feed-Through
To avoid opening the enclosure during commissioning, consider installing an enclosed feed-through into the enclosure. This allows cables to be fed into the enclosure while maintaining the enclosure's IP rating.
Hoffmann Enclosed Feed-Through (EFT)
Hoffmann offers an EFT specifically designed for this purpose: Two-part system
Consists of a gland plate that mounts to the enclosure and a connecting plate that mounts to the cable gland.
IP66 rated
Maintains the enclosure's IP rating.
Easy to install
No drilling or cutting required.
Standard Flanges
Another option is to use a standard flange for cable entry. However, this requires drilling a hole in the enclosure, which may compromise the enclosure's IP rating.To mitigate this, you can use a sealed flange with a cable gland. This ensures that the cable entry remains IP-rated.
Recommended Process1. Install an enclosed feed-through or sealed flange into the enclosure.
2. Feed the cables through the feed-through/flange.3. Commission the equipment.
4. Remove the feed-through/flange (if using an enclosed feed-through) or tighten the cable gland (if using a sealed flange).
Additional Considerations Ensure that the feed-through/flange is properly sized for the cable(s) being fed. Use a cable gland that is appropriate for the type of cable being used. Tighten the cable gland securely to ensure a proper seal.* If possible, coordinate with the customer to determine the cable entry point at their site to avoid unnecessary drilling or cutting. Flag for review