Steute, a medium-sized technology company based in Löhne, Germany, offers switchgear and sensors as well as innovative system solutions worldwide. Steute Controltec is one of three business units and offers products specialized in the protection, monitoring, control and automation of industrial machines and systems.

With the Ex STM 515 series, the Steute Controltec business unit recently added compact and robust solenoid interlocks for potentially explosive atmospheres to its range of safety switchgear. This series is now being expanded to include an “Extreme” version. In other words, the STM 515 “Extreme” can be used in adverse conditions such as dust, dirt, moisture and vibrations.

The robust die-cast aluminum housing, among other things, is designed to enable a long service life even under harsh mechanical conditions. The multiple coating of the housing (passivation, primer, powder coating) ensures a high degree of corrosion protection, according to the supplier. Thanks to the effective sealing, the protection classes IP66/67 are achieved. So wet and damp conditions are no obstacle to the use of the STM 515 Extreme – especially as the electrical connections are well protected in a connection chamber. Impacts and vibrations can also be among the ambient conditions under which this variant of the STM 515 works reliably.

Regardless of the Extreme version, a practical feature of the entire STM 515 series is an actuating head that can be repositioned in 4 x 90° steps. The modular construction with diverse additional functions is equally typical of Steute switchgear. Users can choose between the closed-circuit and open-circuit current principle (for non-safety-related applications) and can select both an auxiliary release (from the access side) and an escape release/emergency release (from the hazardous area) as an option. The new STM 515 Extreme from Steute is targeted at applications in the bulk materials industry that do not require explosion protection.

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