A growing bestseller

Spelsberg Over 40 million enclosures from the popular Abox series have been sold already.

But that’s no reason for Spelsberg to relax. New developments are enabling this proven enclosure family to continue to grow. In this case, the focus is on even simpler, faster installation.

The connection and junction boxes in the Abox series have been among Spelsberg’s biggest bestsellers. Their raised terminals enable speedy and clearly laid-out wiring. The range reaches from classic damp location installation to waterproof variations with IP 68 and junction boxes and enclosures with innovative plug-in terminals. Even in case of larger cross-sections, these extremely stable boxes can be installed safely and smoothly. Changed requirements for electrical installations always ensure new developments within this proven series. Not only are completely new variations added, but proven models are constantly being redesigned and often adjusted according to inspirations provided by customer requests.

A good example of this is the Abox SL. SL stands for ‘screwless installation’ using WAGO terminals. Similar to other Abox models, the terminal supports are mounted at the top, and they are especially easy to wire and are suitable for cross-sections up to 16 mm². Made using transparent material, it becomes obvious right away whether it has been stripped correctly and the conductors have been inserted correctly. The newest variation of Abox SL, which was specially designed for the WAGO terminal 221, has been available in this design for nearly a year, and it was still taken back to the test bench to make improvements. In the future, the terminals will no longer be featured stacked in two rows, but will rather be positioned in a single row next to each other. This makes installation even easier and straight-forward.

Abox M, the design featuring metric knockouts, has just been reworked. In this case, a new variation featuring permanent glands will also be available in addition to the popular elastic cable glands, which will also enable higher protection classes using cable connectors. Waterproof glands in the Abox up to IP 65 and the Abox-i up to IP 66 may be implemented in this way.

The success of the Abox series is not a coincidence: Numerous highlights that now qualify as standard in the industry were already available with Abox many years ago, when they were setting new standards. Right from the start, Spelsberg was convinced by raised terminals to make installation especially easy for workers.

Stainless screws and a solid wall thickness ensure that everything remains how it is, even when the going gets tough on the construction site. If things get really tough, then the model “i” is the right choice. Abox i means industrial quality consisting of UV and weather-resistant polycarbonate. Many different knockouts are not only on the sides, but also in the bottom, which makes them especially flexible to implement. The user has the choice between inside fastening via convenient slotted holes or outside fastening flaps, in which case the interior of the enclosure remains completely reserved for wiring. Teeth on the rear side ensure secure mounting on the substructure, so the box cannot twist.

For really hard cases, Abox XT even offers a cast design that is able to be used in flood zones, washing systems, ports, and tunnels. The cast mass remains permanently elastic after installation so that the connection boxes can be opened again. The cast resin is able to be removed completely, in which case changes made later to the wiring or repairs are possible without much work.

New production processes are applied relatively quickly at Spelsberg to enable additional further development of products. For example, this richly traditional company was an early adopter of the two-component injection moulding process. These days, seals are injected directly during casting and are therefore connected with the enclosure so that they can’t be lost. These means that nothing can fall apart, needs to be laboriously replaced, or can slip during assembly.

Agriculture is also suitable for Abox-i. In this case, electrical installations and systems are exposed to high mechanical, thermal, and chemical stresses. As an example, the high content of ammonia in the air experienced within livestock farming results in more rapid corrosion of materials. Straw is highly flammable. Grain and other harvested products introduce a lot of dust in the buildings in which they are stored. This makes the installation subject to the highest requirements, since the enclosure used not only needs to have a high protection class, but also needs to be resistant to ammonia, high humidity ,and significant temperature fluctuations. Several models in the Abox series were certified by the DLG especially for this application and are even able to stand up to ammonia-filled stall air without any problem.

And with numerous other test marks as well, the halogen-free Abox is also a big feature of the Abox series, since the developers always kept an eye on the current standards in the different regions of the world. For years now, Spelsberg has been running its own in-house test laboratory, which is always equipped to state-of-the-art standards. This is tested not only according to VDE: The laboratory itself has been certified by the VDE. The experts active in this area test the products and systems according to strict specifications, and after successful tests, which are checked by the VDE in terms of implementation and structure, the desired certificate is awarded.

The good reputation that Spelsberg has acquired in this case was also a bonus while working with UL: After a decade of trustworthy cooperation, Spelsberg is now permitted to test independently according to UL and award the corresponding test mark. In this way, Spelsberg’s internationally active customers are also on the safe side.

For special applications, Abox enclosures are also available featuring red covers, which immediately make it clear that they belong to the power circuit for the safety lighting. And that’s not the only colour that customers can purchase their Abox enclosures in grey, black, and white are serially available for nearly all models, the customer can also request production of any other colour individually.

This flexibility is possible because Spelsberg independently produces their nearly 5,000 serial products exclusively at its two German locations. This makes it easy to implement individual customer solutions relatively easily. Additional drilled holes and printing is also possible as required. Not only is pad printing included in the services offered by this enclosure specialist, but four-colour printing is no problem thanks to Spelsberg’s own digital printer, so individual design possibilities for enclosures is nearly unlimited. In spite of these possibilities, grey nevertheless remains the most popular colour, since it integrates with typical installation environments very harmoniously, and the focus is placed on the function without being overly conspicuous.

DLG