Contact us
- Products
- Solutions
- Service
- Company
ACKERMANN Anwendungstechnik & Vorrichtungsbau built a system for testing submarine cables for a customer in Sweden. The system with its considerable dimensions was encased in a Faraday cage. Instead of steel, aluminum profiles from MiniTec were used, which offer a number of advantages.
A Faraday cage is an enclosure made of an electrical conductor (e.g. wire mesh or sheet metal) that is closed on all sides and acts as an electrical shield (EMC). Many of us are familiar with this construction in the context of thunderstorms: If lightning strikes a car or an airplane, the people inside remain safe because the electric field strength inside the vehicle is considerably lower than outside. The reverse is also true: if an electrical discharge is generated inside a Faraday cage, observers outside remain safe. ACKERMANN Anwendungstechnik & Vorrichtungsbau from Weinstadt (Baden-Württemberg) specializes (among other things) in Faraday cages and test equipment for high-end products up to 550,000 volts. The company recently built a system for testing submarine cables for possible damage for a customer in Sweden. This also had to be encased in a Faraday cage. The aim of the project was to create a shielded test cage with a basic interference level of <1pC.
While steel was often used as the basis for construction in previous projects, this time aluminum profiles from MiniTec were used. There were good reasons for this, according to Managing Director Daniel Kurz: "On the one hand, aluminum is lighter than steel. Above all, however, the MiniTec modular system offers significantly greater flexibility because the designs can be changed or extended much more easily." Accordingly, Managing Director Kurz commissioned a protective housing with enormous dimensions from MiniTec. The length and width are both 13 m, and the height is also considerable at 5 m. A filigree wire mesh was used for the shielding, both on the sides and at the top. The floor was constructed in several layers, with a 5 mm thick insulating mat surface and checker plate on top. An operator compartment was also provided within the enclosure, as well as a separate deep earthing system.
The realization of the cage by MiniTec happened with enormous speed - after an initial inquiry in October 2022 and subsequent design, the order was placed in the same month. Assembly in Sweden took place in the same year and was completed in early December - also thanks to the excellent cooperation between the assembly team of both project partners. The highly complex testing device was first assembled at ACKERMANN, extensively tested and approved by the end customer. Finally, the system was delivered to the customer in Sweden at LÖSUNGEN at the beginning of 2023, finally assembled in the protective housing and prepared for final acceptance. The complete test cage was integrated into the entire safety circuit of the test field and approved by the Swedish TÜV. A fine example of the interaction of processes and the meshing of industries to produce an inconspicuous product.
Further information on protective enclosures can be found here.
Do you have any further questions about protective enclosures?