Hitaltech’s guide to DIN rail enclosures (2024)

FAQs

How do you install a DIN rail in an enclosure? ›

DIN rails can be assembled lengthwise or widthwise inside the base of the enclosures. The DIN rails are secured down into the base of the enclosure via the screws provided, to the mounting bosses. Once secured in place with screws, you can start assembling your components to the DIN rail.

Typically just use standard 8/32 machine screws and flat washers drilled and tapped to The Back panel.

Top Hat Rails: This 35mm design is the most common type of DIN rail, and most modern electrical components are designed to be compatible with it.

I typically attach DIN rail with 10-24 pan head screws, flat washer, split lock washer, and blue loctite. Holes are drilled and tapped manually (broke enough combo drill taps to separate and use a guided tap wrench.

To mount it on the DIN rail, you simply seat the bottom of the clip into the bottom channel of the rail, then press in and up slightly until it clicks into place.

DIN rails according to DIN EN 60715 are among the few standardized components in control cabinet construction. They are used in almost all industries and serve as a universal carrier for electronic equipment.

Each unit can hold up to 1.1 lbs. (500g) in weight. Fasteners may be used for increased load rating. DIN 3 Rail with Self-adhesive can only be mounted on smooth surfaces, e.g. metals, lacquered surfaces and plastics (except polyethylene, polypropylene and rubber).

Din Rail History

DIN stands for Deutsche Institut für Normung, which from German translates as German Institute for Standards in English. The rack-mounting system that we now so commonly see in several industries in the market was born in Germany in the late '20s.

There are three major types of DIN rail: Top hat section (TH), type O, or type Ω, with hat-shaped cross section. C section. G section.

Are there different sizes of DIN rail? ›

Standard DIN Rails are available in 35mm (7.5 and 15mm deep), 32mm and 15mm widths and are supplied in 1 m (3'3") and 2 m (6'6”) lengths. Upon request they can be cut to cus- tom lengths and punched with cus- tom holes or perforations.

International Standards for DIN Rails

The most common rail standard used internationally is DIN EN 60715, which has the following specifications: 7.5 mm to 15 mm height. 15, 32, or 35 mm width. Made of steel, aluminum, or copper.

There are two types available, at 5mm or 7.5mm deep, with most of the extant and new mountable electrical component designs being of this type. The 7.5mm is the more cost effective and suits the majority of modern applications, while the 15mm is more suited for the mounting of heavier components.

Be sure to ground the DIN rail on which the unit is mounted. This unit, designed to connect shield wires and cross wires of the protected devices to a DIN rail, is NOT used to ground the DIN rail. DIN RAIL Grounding DO NOT connect to unused terminals.

DIN rail enclosures are a protective case for protecting electrical devices and components. They enable electronic devices to be mounted onto equipment racks. Also known as top hat rail enclosures, DIN rail enclosures are mounted onto a standard sized metal rail within a rack.

A DIN rail is a metal rail of a standard type widely used for mounting circuit breakers and industrial control equipment inside equipment racks. These products are typically made from cold rolled carbon steel sheet with a zinc-plated or chromated bright surface finish.

DIN rails exist purely for the purpose of physical (mechanical) component support, rather than as any sort of connective or conductive element within a wider electrical system. In other words, they are not busbars, although they can perform a grounding busbar role in certain scenarios.