Non-metallic electrical enclosures have many advantages, such as light weight without sacrificing robustness, safe insulation and beautiful and smooth enclosures. The more popular thermoplastics are polycarbonate (PC), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In many applications, they are perfect alternatives to metal enclosures, and they even perform better. HIGHYI can provide you with two major non-metallic enclosures on the market: polycarbonate and ABS.

So which ABS plastic enclosure or polycarbonate enclosure has more superior characteristics and functions? Or which one is more suitable for you? Of course, the only correct answer is “which one can better meet your needs!” But what aspects should we consider and how to make a choice? In this article, HIGHYI ELECTRIC will provide some information and suggestions for your reference.

Buying the right electrical enclosure is the first consideration to ensure the proper functioning of electrical equipment, mainly in terms of size, material, internal construction, and degree of protection.

Today, we will discuss the IP rating system, a common system used around the world to rate the quality of protection provided by electrical enclosures. More specifically, we will discuss what the IP67 rating means and when it is most likely to be used. Finally, we will discuss several of HIGHYI’s many high-quality enclosures to help you choose the most suitable housing to protect your important equipment.

Advantages and Disadvantages of PC AND ABS

Advantages and Disadvantages of PC

• Advantages:
  • Excellent impact resistance: PC has extremely high impact strength and is not easily broken. It can withstand relatively large impact forces and pressures. For example, in fields where a high level of safety is required, such as aircraft cockpits and automotive parts, its impact resistance can effectively ensure the safety of people and equipment.
  • Good transparency: PC has a high degree of transparency, similar to glass, with a light transmittance of up to 89%. This makes it perform well in applications that require good light transmission, such as optical instruments, display screens of electronic products, and transparent packaging. Examples include eyeglass lenses and mobile phone screen protectors.HIGHYI’s PC box also can do non-transparent,normal color.
  • Good processing properties: It can be processed through various methods, including injection molding, extrusion, die-casting, blow molding, casting, melting, cutting, bonding, ultrasonic welding, etc., to make products of various shapes and sizes to meet the diverse needs of different industries and products. The processing is relatively simple and efficient.
  • Good temperature resistance: It can maintain stable performance within a relatively wide temperature range. The general operating temperature range is from -60°C to 120°C. It neither becomes brittle in low-temperature environments nor fails to work properly under certain high-temperature conditions, making it suitable for various working environments and conditions.
  • Chemical corrosion resistance: It has good tolerance to weak acids, alkalis, oils, salts, solvents, etc., and is not easily corroded or damaged by these chemical substances. It can be used in situations where contact with various chemical substances is involved, such as parts of chemical equipment and food packaging.
  • Excellent electrical insulation properties: It has good electrical insulation performance and will not be punctured or deteriorated due to moisture even in a humid environment. It can effectively ensure the normal operation of electrical equipment and the safety of use, and is widely used in the manufacturing of electronic and electrical products, such as computer case shells and wire and cable insulation layers.
  • Non-toxic and odorless: It is harmless to the human body and meets the safety standards in the fields of food hygiene and medical treatment. It can be used to manufacture food containers, medical devices and other products that have direct contact with the human body or involve food safety.
• Disadvantages:
  • Low surface hardness: Compared with some metals or other hard materials, the surface hardness of PC is insufficient, and it is easily scratched and worn, which affects the appearance and service life of products. For example, mobile phone cases and computer shells made of PC are prone to scratches during daily use.
  • Limited chemical resistance: Although it can tolerate common weak acids, alkalis and other chemical substances, it may undergo degradation, dissolution and other chemical reactions when in contact with certain strong acids, strong alkalis or specific organic solvents, resulting in a decline in material performance.
  • Prone to stress cracking: During the molding process or in use, if subjected to relatively large internal stresses, PC materials are prone to stress cracking, which affects the quality and reliability of products. Corresponding measures need to be taken during the design and processing to reduce internal stresses.
  • Relatively high price: Compared with some common plastic materials, such as ABS, the production cost of PC is relatively high, resulting in a relatively high price for its products. In some application areas that are sensitive to cost, its use may be restricted.
  • Environmental adaptability issues: When PC is exposed to outdoor environmental factors such as ultraviolet rays for a long time, its performance will gradually decline, showing phenomena such as yellowing and embrittlement. Therefore, for products used outdoors for a long time, special additives need to be added or surface treatments need to be carried out to improve its weather resistance.

Advantages and Disadvantages of ABS

• Advantages:
  • Good mechanical properties: It has relatively high impact strength and toughness, and can maintain good impact resistance even in low-temperature environments. It can withstand a certain degree of external impact without being easily broken. It can be used to manufacture some products that require a certain level of strength and toughness, such as automotive bumpers and sports equipment.
  • Good corrosion resistance: It has good corrosion resistance to weak acids, weak alkalis, salts, oils, gasoline, soy sauce, alcohol, water, etc., and can be stably used in various chemical environments for a long time, and is suitable for different chemical environments.
  • Excellent electrical properties: It has good insulation performance and good voltage resistance, which can effectively prevent current leakage and short circuits and ensure the safe operation of electrical equipment. It is often used to manufacture parts of electrical products such as electrical appliance shells and sockets.
  • Strong wear resistance: It has a small friction coefficient and good wear resistance. It is not easily worn during long-term use and can maintain the dimensional accuracy and surface quality of products. It can be used to manufacture parts that require frequent contact and friction, such as gears and bearings.
  • Wide operating temperature range: It can be used normally within the temperature range of -40°C to 95°C, which can meet the temperature requirements of most daily environments and general industrial applications.
  • Non-toxic and odorless: It is non-toxic and odorless itself, relatively friendly to the human body and the environment, and meets relevant safety standards. It can be widely used in various products that have contact with the human body or have high environmental requirements.
  • Excellent processing properties: It is easy to be injection molded to manufacture parts with complex shapes and accurate dimensions. Moreover, it can also undergo post-treatments such as painting and electroplating to meet different design and decoration requirements, improve the aesthetics and added value of products, and is widely used in the automotive, electronic, and household appliance industries.
  • Good dyeing properties: It can be dyed quickly and evenly and can be dyed into various colors according to different needs to meet the personalized and diversified design requirements of products and increase the market competitiveness of products.
• Disadvantages:
  • Poor weather resistance: When exposed to natural environments such as ultraviolet rays, sunlight, wind and rain for a long time, it is prone to aging, resulting in problems such as color changes, surface cracking, and a decline in mechanical properties, which affect the service life and appearance quality of products. Generally, it is not suitable for products used outdoors for a long time. If it needs to be used outdoors, special anti-aging agents need to be added or protective treatments need to be carried out.
  • Insufficient heat resistance: Its heat resistance is limited. When working at around 80°C for a long time, its mechanical properties will decline rapidly. It is easy to deform and soften in high-temperature environments, thus affecting the normal use and performance stability of products. Therefore, its application in high-temperature environments is somewhat restricted.
  • Relatively low environmental protection level: Although it is non-toxic itself, it will release toxic gases when burned, causing certain harm to the environment and human health. In some occasions with high environmental protection requirements, its use may be restricted.
  • Relatively high cost: The cost of raw materials is relatively high. Although its processing cost is low, the overall cost is still higher than that of some ordinary plastics, which restricts its application in some products that are sensitive to cost to some extent.