A DIN rail kit is one of those little must-haves. These steel rails are surprisingly simple mechanisms, but they’re also highly versatile and play a key role in holding electrical devices and equipment together inside an electrical enclosure. What is a DIN rail, exactly? Before shopping for one, it’s important to understand DIN rails and the role they play. We’re going to examine the facts about DIN rails, their function in NEMA electrical enclosures and Polycase’s DIN rail solutions.

Polycase DR-08 DIN Rail Kit

Polycase DR-08 DIN Rail Kit

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What Is a DIN Rail?

DIN rails allow device builders to mount electrical hardware on a metal rail inside an enclosure. Here’s how a DIN rail works: Each mounting rail attaches via screws to the enclosure’s rear wall or mounting plate. Once you’re done installing the DIN rail, the rail’s standardized design allows you to attach a wide variety of compatible electrical components. Depending on the size and weight rating of your DIN rail, these components may include everything from small components — such as relays, contactors, terminal blocks and programmable logic controller modules — to large and heavy ones (like power supplies and transformers). As long as you’re using the right rail, mounting is usually quick and easy.

You’ll find DIN rails used in many different kinds of applications, including industrial automation control panels and circuit breakers. The durability of DIN rails, as well as their ability to be used in a variety of configurations, makes them a popular choice for a wide range of purposes that require a simple but flexible mounting solution.

Oh, and for anyone wondering what the “DIN” stands for, it means “Deutsches Institut fur Normung.” If you’re understandably confused about what an early 20th century German institute for standardization has to do with anything, make sure to read our complete guide to DIN rails, where we tackle the history of these key parts.

What Does a DIN Rail Do?

These steel rails are an effective tool for mounting hardware inside an electrical enclosure. Let’s look quickly at the major advantages a DIN rail kit offers.

First, DIN rails save space and reduce labor by allowing engineers to easily mount interchangeable components on a single rail. 35mm DIN rails, often known as “top-hat DIN rails” due to their shape when viewed in a cross section, are the industry standard type of DIN rail that most devices use today. Note, however, that it’s important to double-check your DIN rail requirements before purchasing a DIN rail mounting kit.

DIN rails also provide a solid and secure mounting system that will dependably hold electrical equipment in place. In fact, it’s important to note this mechanical support is usually their sole purpose — a DIN rail does not act as a busbar or any other type of electrical conductor. The exception: Under some conditions, it can be appropriate to use a DIN rail as a busbar for grounding.

DIN Rails for NEMA Enclosures

NEMA enclosures are designed to protect against environmental hazards like rain, corrosion and submersion. Polycase offers enclosures with a variety of NEMA ratings, including a NEMA 12 enclosure and NEMA 6P enclosures. When adding any feature or accessory to an enclosure, including a DIN rail, it’s important to consider whether the addition will affect your enclosure’s NEMA rating.

Fortunately, Polycase has designed our DIN rails and their compatible enclosures to maintain excellent structural integrity. In a Polycase DIN rail enclosure, the rail is designed to be fastened into the molded-in bosses to maintain the NEMA ratings of the enclosure. That’s the kind of simple and adaptable design Polycase strives to offer in all of our enclosure solutions.

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A terminal block mounted on a DIN rail.

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DIN Rail Kits from Polycase

Polycase DIN Rails are custom cut to fit our industrial enclosures for quick installation. The DR Series DIN rail kits are designed specifically for use with several popular types of NEMA rated junction boxes, including:

These DIN rails are made from 1mm-thick slotted steel and comply with the EN 60715 standard. Our DIN rail box models are designed for seamless compatibility with their included DIN rails, so you’ll never need to worry about mismatched or ill-fitting hardware.

Each DIN rail kit includes two screws and a 35mm x 7.5mm DIN rail cut to the specific length required for each enclosure so they arrive ready to install. Additional accessories for the NEMA rated enclosures include internal mounting panels and cable glands.

DIN rail with screws on a mounting plate

Source: Vladimir Zhupanenko/Shutterstock.com

Questions or comments? Polycase is always happy to help our customers. You can speak to an enclosure expert live by calling 1-800-248-1233, or contact us online.

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