Upgrading a machine usually means adding features. More features mean more components, and more components usually mean a bigger enclosure. For Sonny’s CarWash Controls, a bigger enclosure was not an option.
The challenge: more components, same enclosure
When we first met Sonny’s CarWash Controls, the timing wasn’t right. Their product was already designed and in production, and switching to the Satie System would have meant resizing it.
Three months later, they came back. They were modernizing one of their products and needed to fit 30% more components into the control panel while keeping the exact same enclosure dimensions.
With standard wire ducts and DIN rail, there simply wasn’t enough room.
The solution: a custom Satie frame
Our team designed a custom aluminum Satie frame around their layout. By optimizing how components are mounted and wired, we compacted the panel while keeping it ergonomic and easy to work in.
The results
- 30% more components in the same enclosure
- No bigger cabinet, so no redesign of the machine around it
- Same cost as the original panel
- A clean layout that stays easy to wire and troubleshoot
Sonny’s CarWash Controls modernized their product without changing its footprint. Since then, we’ve worked together on several other projects.
What the customer says
“[We were] designing a new control box which required us to add more devices without changing the size of the enclosures. This would have been impossible to accomplish using regular wire channels and din rail. The Satie System made it both possible and easy.”
Carlos Canedo, Director Controls Engineering, Sonny’s CarWash Controls
Carlos’s team highlights four things they like most about the Satie System: it’s easy to wire, easy to troubleshoot, flexible for design changes, and an effective way to reduce enclosure size.
Why it matters for machine builders
Product upgrades are where control panels run out of space. Instead of redesigning the enclosure, the frame and the machine around it, Satie helps you make better use of the space you already have.
FAQ
Can you add components to a control panel without a bigger enclosure?
Often, yes. Satie frames optimize the space inside the enclosure. In this project, Sonny’s CarWash Controls fit 30% more components into the same enclosure size.
Does a more compact panel cost more?
Not necessarily. Here, the upgraded panel cost the same as the original.
Does the Satie System work for upgrading existing products?
Yes. This project was the modernization of an existing product, not a new design.
Planning a product upgrade? Talk to our team about your control panel layout. Contact Satie North America
