The acronym "DIN" derives from the specifications published by Germany's DIN—Deutsches Institut für Normung, or German Institute of Standards—which have since been adopted as European (EN) and international (IEC) standards. The DIN rail standard was initiated in the late 1950s and the same standard has also been adopted by the North American Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). DIN rails are made from cold rolled carbon steel sheet, aluminum, or polycarbonate, with various plating and finishes for corrosion resistance where needed. Different materials also have different short- circuit and fault current ratings, a consideration in some settings.
While engineers often use a standard 19 inch rack enclosure for their larger, multi-instrument test installations, this configuration is often not a good fit for industrial and laboratory situations. Instead,
This article looks at this worldwide metric-based mounting system, and using sample solutions, shows how designers can take advantage of its attributes and versatility. Basics of the DIN rail Exactly what is the “DIN rail”? It’s a mounting rail for electronic modules that can be used for power supplies as well as many other functions—such as circuit breakers, programmable logic controllers, proportional-integral- derivative (PID) controllers, loop transmitters and receivers, motor drives, relays, and metering units, to cite a few—all of which are available with DIN rail mounting capability (Figure 1).
an arrangement is needed that can handle units of very
different sizes, form factors, and interconnections; provide full and easy access from one side (the front); enable sufficient cooling and filtering for the often hot and dusty environment; support neat cable dressing with full labeling; and provide for physical protection and user safety where needed. An alternative that meets these requirements and is better suited to the diverse needs of industrial installations is the DIN rail mounting system standard. This is a very widely used arrangement for mounting, accessing, and protecting the broad array, form factor, and size of electronic units needed by the application. It supports modules ranging from basic power supplies through advanced sensor interfaces to programmable logic controllers (PLCs), with thousands of DIN- compatible products available from hundreds of vendors. It is designed for flexibility and ease of installation, connection, and access in industrial and other installations.
Figure 1: The DIN rail handles a diverse array of module sizes and functions, including power supplies, transducer I/O, and communications interfaces at low to high point counts; it is well suited to a neat, organized, and labeled cable arrangement and dressing. (Image source: VPEL)
we get technical
43
Powered by FlippingBook