Individual stainless steel PC cabinet reliably protects sensitive technology from moisture

Reliable protection: the individual PC cabinet from Höcker.

Reliable protection: the individual PC cabinet from Höcker.

Many customers in the meat and food industry as well as pharmaceuticals face the same challenge: often, several sensitive devices such as label printers, scale controls, and other delicate equipment, for example for order picking, need to be placed directly on the machines. It is often unavoidable during operation that they are also located near cleaning systems and thus inevitably exposed to moisture. When standard cabinets are not designed to accommodate all devices inside, customized solutions are needed to reliably protect them. Such as the specially optimized PC cabinet made from reinforced stainless steel, which the Hœcker Group developed specifically for a customer's particular needs. "The solution is a good example of how we adapt existing products and tailor them in collaboration with our customers to meet their requirements," says Managing Director Benjamin Hœcker. It is not uncommon for customized solutions to be incorporated into the product portfolio of the problem solver, as many customers face similar challenges.

In the specific case of the customer request, a cabinet was needed to house a PC and printer, which should protect the technology from spray water from cleaning hoses at the nearby cleaning station. Additionally, a special cable management system was necessary to eliminate weak points in the splash protection, to protect the cables from ground moisture, and to prevent tripping hazards.

Based on many years of experience, the customer valued Hœcker's quality and flexibility and had already had good experiences with a similar cabinet of this type. "In close consultation, we further developed the product according to its requirements," reports Christian Weber, Technical Sales at Hœcker.

Our standard PC cabinet is primarily used in areas where PCs, monitors, and keyboards need to be protected from spray water and other environmental influences, and it is designed for these requirements: It is made of stainless steel with a thickness of 0.8 millimeters, features a monitor compartment with a cylinder lock and window, a keyboard drawer, a base cabinet, swinging doors with a cylinder lock, and an adjustable shelf. "To adapt the standard model to the specific requirements of our customer, namely housing a printer and PC, some modifications were made," says Weber. The goal was to place both devices side by side at working height. Since operation is via a touch display, a keyboard drawer was unnecessary. For even greater stability of the landscape-oriented construction, the decision was made to use robust 1.2 mm thick stainless steel sheet. The cabinet can be securely closed with a flap with two toggle latches. An all-around rubber seal protects against water ingress, and the cable entry point at the top ensures there are no open areas in the splash zone. The cabinet can also be securely mounted to the wall and floor to prevent shifting or tipping over.

Overall, the development of the PC cabinet demonstrates how important collaboration with the customer is when developing new products. "Only in this way can we ensure that the requirements and needs are met and that the product provides the long-term benefits expected," says Hœcker.