Plastic Mounting Track from Functional Devices

Tech Tuesday Plastic Mounting Track from Functional Devices

The devices that we make are not always prepackaged in gray plastic enclosures. In order to make our products more panel friendly, we have developed track mount versions of our popular RIB® relays and other devices. A panel builder or panel shop can effectively utilize the valuable space by grouping together our devices using our plastic mounting track. This helps make wiring and panel layout neat and tidy. In this week’s Tech Tuesday post, we discuss Functional Devices’s very own plastic mounting track and AdapTrack®. We will go over the differences between the three versions and potential benefits of using this handy accessory.

MT4 Series: 4″ Wide Plastic Mounting Track

Our 4″ wide plastic mounting track was developed in the late 1990’s, as we recognized the market in panel building. This track comes in eight different lengths, ranging from 2″ to 48″ long. Don’t see the exact size you want? Order a little bit longer and cut it to length! There are mounting holes that run along the bottom of the track that enable you to fasten the mounting track to the panel board or wherever else it needs to be mounted. Those holes are spaced at 2″ apart on center.

The track is designed to grip the device circuit boards tightly, lessening the chance of a device sliding around. You may need a little extra leverage when snapping the devices in and out of the track. When looking for a device, such as a RIB® relay or current sensor, to fit the 4″ wide mounting track, look for an “M” after the “RIB” in the model name (“RIBM”). The “M” stands for a 4″ width.

MT212 Series: 2 ¾” Wide Plastic Mounting Track

The 2 ¾” wide mounting track is very similar to the 4″ wide track, but with one difference: the width! This version of track takes up less space in a panel, which will allow room for more RIB® devices. You see what we did there? *wink, wink* This track has the mounting holes evenly spaced at 2″ on center so that it may be fastened down to just about any surface. As for identifying the correct size of device to fit into the 2 ¾” track, look for an “MN” after the “RIB” in the model name (“RIBMN”). The “MN” stands for a 2 ¾” width. The MT212 series track also comes in eight different lengths, so there are many options to choose from to get the track to fit in your panel.

AT4 Series: 4″ Wide AdapTrack®

Last but not least, I present to you the very unique AdapTrack® mounting track. This panel track only comes available in a 4″ width. Take note that there are no mounting holes evenly spaced down the track, and there is a reason for this! The AdapTrack® mounting track is specially designed to snap onto three different standard DIN rail sizes. Details may be seen on the data sheet. We have designed various plastic tabs that allow the track to grip to the DIN rail in hopes of making the panel fabrication process a little faster for our customers. There are not as many lengths to choose from with this model as compared to our other mounting tracks.

Plastic Mounting Track Selection Guide

If you’re interested in relays and other devices for panels or enclosures, having mounting track for the device will be critical. Good thing we have the right track for any RIB® device! Just be sure to order the correct width so that your device will snap in place and stay put. Are you sticking with DIN rail in your panel? Go ahead and try the AdapTrack®! It could be quite convenient.

As always, if you have any questions about the topic discussed or any of our other RIB® devices, feel free to give us a call or send over an email. We’ll be glad to help out!

Sam Klennert
Sam Klennert

Meet Samuel Klennert – you can call him Sam. He was born and raised amongst the farmland of Indiana, which includes corn, soybeans, and sometimes wheat. Sam graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelors degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology in 2015.

Outside of work, Sam enjoys spending time with his wife and dog – whether it’s inside or outside their home. Sam can also be seen serving at his local church and glorifying God with other believers, which is by far his favorite way to spend time.

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