Space between cable ducts in PLC cabinet?

Hi all,

Hope this is not too off-topic,

The question:
Does anyone have an idea how much distance typically is available between the cable ducts of a PLC cabinet in industry? Would you be able to mount a DIN-rail device of 5.1 inches height, that requires ethernet cables to be plugged in from the bottom?

The context:
For an manufacturer of industrial equipment we are developing a gateway device that converts the serial bus data of the machines to industrial ethernet (OPC UA, Ethernet/IP and Profinet) so the machines can be connected to the customers PLC or SCADA system. The device can also run control logic, it contains I/O, and has other features making it quite bulky. The device is typically installed in industrial electrical cabinets, close to the PLC of the customer.

We are writing the software, but our supplier is developing the hardware. We now got their first design: it is a box of 5.1 inch (13 cm) height, 1.5 inch thickness, 7 inch wide, sitting on a DIN rail (in the middle of the device, so vertically centered). It has about the same height as a Phoenix Contact TRIO-PS power supply, or a tiny bit smaller than an S7-1500, as a reference. But ethernet cables and 24VDC power wires need to be plugged in from the bottom, requiring some extra space below the device.

Because the device is quite big, and we need space between the cable duct and the bottom of the device to plug in the RJ45 and power cables, we are wondering if the dimensions would be acceptable for typical PLC cabinets.

The panel is designed for the devices that will be mounted in the cabinet, there is no "typical distance".

I would ask them to redesign so the ethernet and serial cables at least, were on the front rather than the bottom. There is generally at least 150-200mm of depth available in control panels, from the gear tray to the back of the enclosure door, assuming no door mounted switches etc.

Can they rotate it 90 degrees? More likely for a retro-fit, it it was 5.1 High x 7 deep x 1.5 wide. And, as noted, front mounted ethernet cables.

While there is no standard - it can be smaller for terminal blocks and larger for a PLC rack, for example - I find about 7 to 7 1/2 inches will fit most devices.

If it helps, in the EU standard enclosure sizes tend to go up in 200mm increments. Trunking, again typically can be from 30mm to 60mm. The only thing to watch out for is that DIN Rail mounted devices often have to be rotated on to the rail, so you need a bit more room at the top of the device than you might expect. Most device manufacturers give a minimum distance above and below to allow for ventilation. But what they say that must be, and what ends up happening may be two very different things Try telling a customer that the enclosure has to be even bigger.



Attached is a pdf for a Siemens Power Supply that is 125mm high.

Thanks for your help all!
We will ask to put the RJ45's on the front, it makes more sense indeed.