What are Rittal Enclosures & Are They Better Than KDM Enclosures?

Rittal enclosures have been a household name for many years.

In fact, the term Rittal has been synonymous with electrical enclosures for a very long time.

This article will cover some notable aspects of Rittal electrical enclosures or cabinets. At the same time, compare their electrical cabinets with KDM electrical enclosures.

Here we go:

Let’s Introduce Rittal Company

Rittal GmbH & Co. KG, best known as Rittal was founded in 1961 by Rudolf LohElektrogerätebau in Germany. The same year, Rittal introduced its first electrical enclosure in the market.

Over the years, Rittal enclosures have remained the blueprint for electrical enclosure design and fabrication. Furthermore, the company has also diversified in the IT infrastructure, power distribution, and automation systems, just to mention a few.

But even with the much success in the industry, Rittal enclosures are facing stiff competition from KDM enclosures. As a leading Chinese-based electrical enclosure manufacturer, KDM has leveraged technology to produce equally good electrical enclosure systems.

Exploring Rittal Enclosure Catalogue

Looking at the Rittal enclosure catalogue, you will realize the company has diversified in a wide range of electrical enclosure systems.

Apart from their standard designs, you can also customize your electrical enclosures from Rittal based on the following key categories:

• Size where Rittal enclosure sizes vary in width, height, or depth
• Level of protection
• Approval level or ratting
• Surface finishing
• Where to use Rittal enclosure

At the moment, some of the main Rittal electrical enclosure systems you will find in their catalogues include:

Classification Based on Mounting Technology

It describes how you can install an electrical enclosure. The most common designs Rittal offers include:

• Rittal wall mount enclosures – you can mount these electrical enclosures on wall surfaces.
• Rittal floor standing enclosure – you can install these electrical enclosures on floor surfaces.

In a nutshell, the name of the electrical enclosure determines where and how you can install these systems.

Design or Features of Electrical Enclosure

When it comes to electrical enclosure designs, there are many variables to consider. A reason we may have hundreds of electrical enclosures under this category.

But, as a rule of thumb, the name will always describe what to expect from each electrical enclosure design. Let’s look at some common options Rittal offers:

• Rittal double door enclosures – these enclosures have two doors that open in opposite directions.
• Classification based on size – the focus here is on the dimensions. Where Rittal enclosure sizes vary from small, medium to large designs. In fact, Rittal offers walk-in electrical enclosures which are the largest electrical enclosures for most industrial applications.
• Material – Rittal fabricates electrical enclosures from many materials. These range from metals such as aluminum or stainless steel to plastics such as polycarbonate.
• Compact designs – Popular for solid structures, Rittal compact enclosures are also common in the industry. Some popular options include the AX and SE series. They are perfect for areas with limited space.

Specific Application Requirements

Every application has unique design requirements for electrical enclosures. This is yet another area that Rittal invested in over the years.

For instance, you can choose Rittal explosion proof enclosures or Rittal GRP enclosures. Each enclosure offers unique performance requirements for the safety of all components in the electrical enclosure.

Furthermore, there are the Rittal IT enclosures. These enclosures are specifically designed for the information technology (IT) industry. They feature unique IT rack systems and IT networking infrastructure with options for either floor-standing or wall-mount options.

Other innovative solutions include enclosures for industrial workstations and console systems. Furthermore, Rittal enclosure distributors can also request more customized options.

For hospitals and food processing industries, Rittal enclosures can feature hygienic design. Well, this is also a niche that most electrical enclosure manufacturers have been exploring in the recent past.

Rittal enclosure designs are made from stainless steel. Besides, they are easy to clean and guaranteethe best safety standards as recommended by the FDA standards.

In addition to these, there are very special enclosures that Rittal offers. A good example is the Rittal enclosures designed for earthquake-prone areas. These Rittal enclosures offer optimal protection from seismic waves.

Additionally, Rittal has an EMC-compatible electrical enclosure. With these enclosures, you don’t have to worry about electromagnetic interference. Not to forget the Rittal CS series that are specifically designed for outdoor applications.

Electrical Enclosure Spare Parts

Although not common with many electrical enclosure manufacturers, Rittal is among the few companies that offer electrical enclosure spare mechanical parts. These also include electrical enclosure accessories for parts installation.

Rittal spare mechanical parts are specific for their enclosure systems such as the VX25, VX IT, and VX SE, among others. The original spare parts include panel sections, sealing mechanisms, handles, fasteners, etc.

Quality Compliance for Rittal Enclosure

As an industry leader in electrical enclosure manufacturing, Rittal adheres to strict quality industrial standards. Every Rittal enclosure is designed to comply with strict regulations in the industry.

Remember, Rittal serves many industries with enclosure such as:

• Power distribution
• Climate Control
• IT infrastructure

Each industry may require specific quality standards such as NEMA, IP rating, UL listed, or EMC compliance. For specific quality and standard compliance, Rittal has a complete enclosure catalogue.

Rittal Enclosure Manufacturing 4.0

The demand for electrical enclosures or cabinets is so dynamic today. Remember, consumers have specific requirements that every manufacturer must adhere to.

Enclosure manufacturing 4.0 is Rittal structured plan which focuses on 5 main pillars:

• Engineering
• Supply
• Manufacturing
• Consulting
• Operations and service

Rittal working closely with Eplan, has integrated modern technology in electrical enclosure manufacturing. From concept development, and prototyping to the actual production process, Rittal aims to offer cost-effective solutions in the enclosure industry.

So, far, the plan has been largely successful through its innovative electrical enclosure that is currently available in the market.

But, with all these in mind, we still come to one fundamental question – Are Rittal systems the best in the world?

Well, the enclosure industry has witnessed many developments with many companies like KDM Fabrication offering alternative solutions in the industry. And, this actually, leads us to the last segment:

KDM Enclosures or Rittal – Which is better?

KDM equally offers a wide range of enclosure solutions which we can simply categorize into three main options:

Again, when it comes to fabrication, KDM employs the same manufacturing technology as Rittal. However, for pricing, KDM enclosures are more affordable.

For instance, comparing Rittal and KDM enclosures with the same features and quality, KDM enclosures are at least 17% more affordable. Well, this is mainly attributed to China’s enclosure manufacturing industry which gives factories more advantages against the global competitors.

In case you want exact quotations from the two companies – contact KDM or contact Rittal.