This month, we’ve been hard at work on an informational article examining how polycarbonate stacks up against two of the most commonly used materials in the enclosure industry: fiberglass and stainless.


If you’d like to check it out, we’re offering the article up for free on our website.


After putting the finishing touches on the article, we realized we were only scratching the surface of explaining why polycarbonate delivers a knockout punch in the match against fiberglass or stainless.


In the article, we talk about how polycarbonate is easier to ship and install due to its lighter weight. A nice feature, but you don’t really start to understand the impact of this statement until you examine specific applications. For example, when selecting enclosures for use on aircraft carriers, naval ships, cargo planes and airplanes, you probably won’t think twice about choosing a 9 lb. polycarbonate enclosure over a 70 lb. metal enclosure.


One-man installation is another benefit of a lighter-weight product. Think about this: large buildings require somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,500 enclosures—what would you rather carry with you up the side of a skyscraper?


For customers whose enclosures are highly visible, like those in a professional sports stadium, Integra can customize the color of the enclosure to match its surroundings—or even to show a little team spirit.


Polycarbonate enclosures are also nearly indestructible. If you missed it, check out what happened when one of our customers ran over an Integra enclosure with his half-ton pickup truck! If you tried to replicate this with a fiberglass enclosure, you’d have a mess on your hands.


Polycarbonate is definitely the material of choice if your enclosures are at risk of impact, vandalism or fire. You can even hold a torch up to an Integra enclosure, light it on fire, and as soon as you remove the torch it will extinguish. This is due to additional flame retardant we add during the manufacturing process.


Have you put your Integra enclosure to the test? Leave us a comment; we’d love to hear about it.