Modular vs Unibody Enclosures: Which Is Better for Your Project?

Both modular and unibody enclosures protect the electronics,  but they are different in some aspects. For beginners, it is a daunting task to figure out whether to go with a unibody or modular design. With unibody designs, there is an increase in strength, durability, and performance, however, modular designs allow for easy expansion and flexibility. But you have a seat! This article will assist you in choosing the best electric enclosure for your project because a single good enclosure can make a huge impact. Just stay connected!

1) What is a modular enclosure?

A modular electric cabinet is a cabinet that is formed by the combination of several segments. Unlike unibody enclosures that are constructed from a single piece, modular alternatives provide easy modification and expansion.

A modular enclosure is best defined as a cabinet built by separate panels that, collectively, make a full cabinet. Like other types of cabinets, these modular enclosures protect equipment from electrical, moisture, dust, and impact damage. Their flexibility makes them ideal for setups that may change over time. Instead of retrieving the entire unit, users have the choice to add or remove single panels.

Modular enclosures

In addition, modular closets allow for simple transport and effortless installation. Since the sections are built as separate components, getting them through tight spaces is much simpler. For maintenance, modular devices are much simpler since only certain areas need to be accessed rather than the entire disassembly.

The materials of construction include steel, aluminium, and polycarbonate, depending on the protection needed. Automation, telecommunications, and power distribution industries use modular enclosures due to their economy and expansion possibilities.

2) What is a Unibody Enclosure?

A unibody electrical enclosure box is a cabinet fabricated from a single welded metal sheet. Unlike modular enclosures, there are no detachable side panels. Thus, these enclosures achieve superior strength, durable, robust construction, and provide dust, moisture, and impact protection.

Unibody enclosures are used in electrical, industrial, and outdoor applications. The seamless structure ensures no escape of water or contaminant in harsh environments. Also, such enclosures have better physical security since there are no separate parts that can be easily tampered with.

Unibody enclosure

Depending on the needed protection grade, the enclosures can be made from steel, stainless steel, or aluminum. Because they are a fixed structure, they cannot be modified after production, and all the necessary drilled holes and added components have to be done during manufacturing. This makes post-production change difficult.

Unibody enclosure systems are used in different industries like power distribution, telecommunications, and automation where there is a greater need for protection and structural integrity. Their reliable, all-in-one design makes them a long-lasting solution for demanding applications.

3) Modular vs Unibody Enclosures

Both unibody and modular enclosures serve the same primary purpose: protecting equipment. However, their differences in design dictate how effective they will be in protecting the equipment.

Difference between enclosures

i) Structure

Unlike unibody enclosures, modular enclosures consist of separate, individual panels. Although modular enclosures are more adaptable, unibody enclosures are much stronger due to being a single welded piece.

ii) Flexibility

The overall structure of modular enclosures makes them more flexible than unibody enclosures because post-production changes are easy to make. However, unibody enclosures are much more challenging to modify after production.

iii) Strength

Because of unibody enclosures’ seamless construction, they are naturally more durable than modular enclosures. Enclosures that are modular have moderate strength, as their construction includes various weak points from the connected parts.

iv) Protection

Unibody enclosures are automatically sealed meaning they provide better protection against dust, moisture, and impact damage compared to modular enclosures. As modular enclosures have more seams, they are weak in extreme conditions.

v) Best Use Cases

Both enclosure types have their best utilization features. Modular enclosures work best for custom setups that may require expansion, while unibody enclosures are targeted toward harsh environments with high protection needs and durability.

	Modular Enclosure	Unibody Enclosure
Structure	Separate panels	Single welded piece
Flexibility	Easy to modify & expand	Difficult to modify
Strength	Moderate	Very high
Protection	Good, but more seams	Excellent, seamless
Best for	Custom setups, expansion	Harsh environments, security

4) Industry Application Guide

Selecting the appropriate enclosure is dictated by industry, environment, and operational requirements. Modular enclosures and unibody enclosures fulfil different requirements in each sector.

Applications of enclosures

• Manufacturing and Automation

Factories and automated systems make use of modular enclosures in great numbers. Their design is flexible, making it easy to incorporate new parts, which is beneficial for expanding production lines.

• Energy and Utilities

Power plants, systems for renewable energy, and utility networks are served best with unibody enclosures, which can withstand harsh weather conditions and electrical damage, providing seamless protection.

• Telecommunications

Modular enclosures serve an important purpose in Network infrastructure by allowing fast and easy maintenance. New devices can be installed quickly without interrupting normal operations.

• Oil and Gas Industry

These robust enclosures are made for very dangerous environments that need protection from explosions and corrosion. Their solid build ensures safety in extreme conditions.

• Healthcare and Laboratories

Flexibility is required in modular enclosures for hospitals and labs because internal configuration changes as new technology and research advance.

Each industry benefits from a specific style of enclosure, which ensures efficiency, protection, and durability in challenging conditions.

5) Scenarios Favoring Modular

Flexibility, personalization, and simple upkeep are crucial for many industries. Modular enclosures offer the best solutions for adaptability.

• Frequent Modifications Needed: Many industries that frequently upgrade their equipment or change layout configurations optimally utilize modular enclosures. These encapsulating structures facilitate expansion, reconfiguration, and component substitutions with absolute ease.

• Large or Multi-Section Installations: The Seamless integration of modular design is essential for projects that require multiple interconnecting units. The application of such designs is widely observed in factories, data centers, and telecom networks as they need scaling to be integrated.

• Space-Constrained Areas: For remote locations and tighter industrial spaces, modular enclosures that can be prebuilt and assembled onsite work best to overcome the constraints of space and the difficulty of moving large prebuilt structures.

• Cost-Effective Maintenance: In industries where equipment maintenance is frequent, modular enclosures reduce the cost of repairs and downtime as access to specific sections is made easy without disassembling the entire structure.

• Customization Requirements: Modular enclosures are highly preferred in the healthcare, automation, IT, and many other sectors that require special configurations to operate.

With modular enclosures, dynamic environments can expect efficiency, adaptability, and long-term cost savings, making them the most suitable for the fastest changing scenarios.

6) Mandatory Unibody Applications

Some environments demand the utmost unibody enclosures for safeguarding, protection, security, and durability. Its welded seams offer maximum reliability for critical applications.

• Harsh Conditions: Power plants, offshore sites, and mining industries utilize unibody enclosures for their exceptional protection against dust, moisture, and extreme temperatures.

• High-Security Needs: Unibody enclosures are used by the military and government agencies to stop vandalism, tampering, and unauthorized access to highly sensitive areas.

• Explosion-Proof Applications: Corrosion-resistant unibody enclosures that are also explosion-proof are used in oil, gas, and chemical factories for safety compliance.

• Heavy Industrial Equipment: Factories with high-mechanical stress machinery utilize unibody enclosures to contain vibrations.

Also, other industries that need protection and structural integrity opt for unibody enclosure.

7) Hybrid Solutions

A blend of modular and unibody enclosures makes the best solution for some cases. These fusion enclosures are perfect for intricate projects.

a) Partial Modularity for Upgradability

Some industries operate with a fixed primary structure that has pre-designed modular parts for possible future upgrading. This occurs in telecom, automation, and data center fields where core system parts can remain untouched while other components can be altered with relative simplicity.

b) Heavy-Duty Protection with Expandability

Some industries expect strong protection from robust enclosures, while allowing extensions can benefit from hybrid solutions. For instance, power stations, together with large-scale manufacturing plants, employ a unibody base for protection with modular extensions for added scalability.

Hybrid solutions

c) Cost-Effective Customization

In some cases, hybrid enclosures help minimize expenses when combining low-cost modular sections with unitary-protection body elements. This is often observed in the transportation and renewable energy fields.

d) Improved Maintenance Access

A unibody exterior featuring modular interior sections combines simplified maintenance with optimal control, security, and protection.

Hybrid solutions offer a balance between flexibility and strength to satisfy and justify custom industry requirements and rigid control over durability.

8) Why Saipwell Modular Enclosures

Saipwell Modular Knockdown Enclosure KPZ provides modular design solutions for a variety of industrial applications due to its modular features. Its knockdown structure enables the enclosure to save up to 70% of its storage volume which translates to huge savings on delivery costs.

Saipwell modular enclosures

• Key Features

• Unlimited left and right baying creates an endless combination.

• All sides provide easy operational access.

• The working edge of the door is positioned 25 mm above the floor, which guarantees its usability under different conditions.

• Incorporates a mobile frame door that has a pattern of 25 mm pitch holes for reinforcement and is useful for various applications.

• Material and Construction

• The body is made of cold rolled steel but is available in other materials.

• Powder coating against scratch with the texture of RAL 7035.

• Set to IP55 as per regulations GB 4205-1993 EN60529.

• Frame, front door, mounting plate, rear panel, roof plate, and gland plates are equipped; side walls and base are optional.

• Frame 1.5 mm, Door 2.0 mm, Mounting Plate 2.5 mm, Others 1.5 mm.

As a member of Saip Electric Group, Saipwell leads the world in the enclosure market. We have over 30 years of experience with products under the quality trust mark sold in more than a hundred countries.

9) Saipwell Enclosure Advantages

Saipwell enclosures can protect, are flexible, and are efficient for industry effectiveness. Due to modular design and robust materials, they can be relied upon for varying applications.

Saipwell enclosure’s benefits

+ Design that Saves Space: Saipwell’s modular enclosures can be taken apart and folded, which makes their storage less than the original. Aside from being more efficient to move, these features also make them simpler to work with.

+ Flexibility and Expansion Ability: The enclosures are capable of unlimited unrestricted left and right baying, which allows for effortless improvement for growing industrial purposes.

+ Unmatched Availability: Installation, servicing, and alterations are simplified as access is provided from all sides of the unit.

+ Strong Materials: These enclosures are made of cold-rolled steel powder coating, which makes them perform reliably longer while resisting corrosion.

+ Greater Covering: The enclosures perform dependably even in tough conditions due to their IP55 protection rating, which guards against dust, moisture, and damage to the exterior parts.

+ Simple Setup: Quick and easy setup is guaranteed with the pre-punctured door frame and the slidable mounting plate.

Saipwell enclosures are ideal for industrial and commercial projects due to their high durability, ease of use, low cost, and efficiency.

10) Saipwell VS Rittal Enclosures

Both Rittal and Saipwell are renowned suppliers of electrical enclosures. Each has its unique characteristics and designs to satisfy different industrial requirements.

Rittal Enclosures

• Heritage: With a solidified legacy since 1961, after being founded in Germany, Rittal has always been known for its high-quality industrial enclosures.

• Products: These include their stainless steel enclosures, climate control systems, IT racks, and power distribution units, which are suitable for a number of industrial processes.

Saipwell Enclosures

• Innovative Design: Saipwell specializes in modular and knock-down enclosures that save storage space which directly leads to lesser costs in delivery.

• Accessibility and Flexible Features: Their enclosures can be accessed from all sides, so there is no limitation to left and right baying, making expansion and maintenance hassle-free.

• Material and Protection: Saipwell enclosures are made from cold-rolled steel with a textured powder coat. They are also dust and moisture resistant, which adds durability to the enclosure.

• Comparison

? Customization: While industries that prefer change prefer modular design and flexibility by Saipwell, Rittal, on the other hand, offers more durability through standard designs.

? Cost Efficiency: Transport and storage costs can be reduced due to the knockdown feature of Saipwell enclosures (25% more affordable), which is not stated in Rittal’s traditional designs.

? Global Presence: Rittal already has a strong foothold around the globe, while Saipwell is now coming up as a strong competitor, especially in areas that look for new and less expensive options.

Whether it is Rittal or Saipwell, the choice primarily rests on specific project requirements, budget, and the craving for custom or standard options.

11) Conclusion

Unibody enclosures provide strength and security, while modular enclosures offer flexibility and cost savings. Saiwell’s designs improve resource efficiency while providing reliable space-saving solutions. When selecting the best enclosure, you must always take into consideration the application specifics, how easy it is to set up, and the protection it offers for extended periods of time.

12) FAQ

1. Can I modify Unibody enclosures with post-production drilling?

Yes, but the compromise will be the structural integrity and protection ratings. Proper drilling must be conducted in a way where the drill ends are sealed properly so that the structures remain dust, moisture, and impact resistant.

2. How we ensure decade-long seam integrity in modular systems?

Routine inspections alongside maintenance plans are the best. Using high-grade gaskets along with corrosion-resistant coatings and precisely assembled panels will aid in ensuring the structure’s long-term durability while also protecting it from environmental factors.

3. Which type better complies with EU CE certification requirements?

Both can comply, but modular enclosures allow for some level of CE standards. Make certain that seals are done properly, as well as grounding, and the quality of the materials to comply with safety and environmentally set standards.