Pepperl+Fuchs: Combined Panel Solutions for Maximum Flexibility in Hazardous Areas
August 5, 2025
The integration of both sparking and non-sparking components into a single combined solution for hazardous areas can be challenging: While enclosures with Ex d type of protection provide reliable containment for sparking components such as contactors, circuit breakers, or relays, opening or closing enclosures on-site requires a very careful approach and may even necessitate recertification. Ex e enclosures, on the other hand, are perfectly suited for easy wiring and maintenance, but can only contain non-sparking components. As experts in electrical explosion protection with decades of experience, Pepperl+Fuchs provides combined Ex de panel solutions that literally bridge this gap.
New Flange Boosts Compatibility
An all-new aluminum flange is one of the key components Pepperl+Fuchs now uses to create these Ex de solutions. This flange is tailored specifically to allow interconnection between all of Pepperl+Fuchs’ major enclosure series and is critical for maintaining reliable explosion protection—it ensures ingress protection through a seal fitted on both sides of the flange.
Inside the flange area, cables can be routed via line bushings from one enclosure to another. In addition to providing a protected transition path, these flanges also reinforce the structural integrity of the overall solution assembly, allowing it to be securely mounted on a support bar. Furthermore, flanges enable modular expansion by connecting a second or multiple enclosures, making it possible to scale up the solution into a larger, unified system.
Ex de Solutions: Combining Ex d and Ex e
Four durable enclosure ranges that offer maximum flexibility in terms of material choice and size dimensions build the basis for such customized Ex de solutions:
- GR Series (Ex e, Glass Fiber Reinforced Polyester)
- SR Series (Ex e, Stainless Steel)
- EJB/EJBX (Ex d IIB+H2, Aluminum or Stainless Steel)
- GUB/GUBX (Ex d IIC, Aluminum or Stainless Steel)
The transition between the Ex d and Ex e enclosures is safely managed using certified line bushings, which ensure explosion protection is maintained across enclosure boundaries. Cost-effective Ex e cable glands from Pepperl+Fuchs’ own portfolio can be used within these combined Ex de solutions, further optimizing the overall cost and installation effort. These combinations enable simple expansion and modification of the control elements in the Ex e enclosure, while the industrial control components remain optimally protected in the sealed and certified Ex d enclosure.
GR and SR Combinations: Optimizing Space
Additionally, the new flanges also support the seamless combination of all enclosures from the GR or SR series with the same depth and width. This possibility for maximizing space significantly simplifies electrical engineering. At the same time, it can be utilized to create separation between different electrical areas in complex applications. Using this combination approach, control panels, complex control stations, wireless access points, and many other systems solutions in types of protection Ex e or Ex nR can be engineered very easily.
Highlights of Combined Panel Solutions
- Combined panel solutions for safe operation of electrical equipment in Zone 1/21 and Zone 2/22 hazardous areas
- Modularity of flange-based system allows for high degree of individualization
- Simple system for complex panel solutions
- Various durable enclosure materials available: GRP, Stainless Steel, Aluminum
- Fully certified solutions from a single source
More Information – Ex de Combinations – GR Series – SR Series
