caleg Schrank- und Gehäusebau GmbH
About us
caleg-group is a manufacturer and solutions provider for industrial enclosure technology, cabinet systems, and subracks. Our range of services includes engineering, CAD- and CNC-controlled manufacturing, and customer-specific final assembly. The boundaries between machine frames, control systems, control cabinets, and machine enclosures are blurring. Anyone seeking a design-oriented yet cost-effective solution cannot avoid this merging. Engineering has a pair of terms for this: integral construction and differential construction. What do integral and differential construction mean? These terms originate from design theory: Differential construction: A product is created from several individually manufactured components that are joined using joining technology. Each component fulfills a function – one part supports, one part protects, one part covers. Integral construction: Several functions and components are combined in one product. Design theory calls this functional integration: fewer parts, fewer joining points, fewer interfaces. In mechanical and plant engineering, differential construction looks like this in practice: The control cabinet comes from a catalog, the machine frame from a steel fabricator, and the enclosure from a third supplier. Three components, three tolerance chains, three points of contact – and at every interface, the question arises as to why nothing fits together properly and looks like a single, seamless unit. Our types page provides an overview of the classic control cabinet designs. An integrated approach: one product that unites everything. In integrated construction, this three-part approach no longer exists. There is no control cabinet, no base, no separate machine frame, and no attached enclosure – but rather one product that unites everything: The frame supports the machine and simultaneously houses the control system, the enclosure is not a shell around the structure but an integral part of it, and the operating interface is located where the operator needs it. The concrete benefits: Design: A single, seamless product instead of visibly assembled components. Especially where machines and technology are visibly present at the customer's premises or in public spaces – in laboratories, medical technology, at the point of sale, in elevators, at charging stations, and ticket and service machines – the exterior contributes to the sales experience and becomes part of the operator's corporate design. Costs: Every interface eliminated saves twice: in design (no tolerance coordination between suppliers) and in processing – one quote instead of three, one tolerance chain, one incoming goods inspection, one assembly, one invoice. Responsibility: One contact person for the entire product instead of interface clarification between three suppliers. Technology: Consistent design simplifies EMC concepts, cable routing, climate control, and sealing – requirements are addressed holistically once instead of three times at interfaces. And to be clear: A standard control cabinet simply cannot achieve this – not even if it's painted in bright colors. Why this is a job for a system provider: Integrated design requires that one entity masters the entire product. Those who only manufacture control cabinets think in terms of control cabinets. Those who only weld frames think in terms of frames. For 75 years, we have been manufacturing enclosures, cabinets, and sheet metal solutions – and as a system provider, we are not limited to a single component: Our design team develops the product as a whole using 3D CAD/CAM, and manufacturing takes place in our three plants in Central Europe – CNC punching and laser cutting, bending, welding (including welding certification for railway technology according to DIN EN 15085-2), PU foaming for seals, surface treatment, and anodizing are all done in-house. Upon request, we also handle assembly, wiring, warehousing, and direct shipping. Production starts from batch size 1 – this also applies to the integrated complete product. Certified according to DIN EN ISO 9001, UL, and CSA. Where differential construction continues to excel: Integral construction is not dogma, but an option that must be mastered. Differential construction remains strong wherever modularity is required: systems that grow, cabinet series that are expanded, and components that need to be replaced during servicing. With our portfolio of Unibox, Uniflex, and Uniframe enclosures, the caleg group offers a comprehensive, standardized modular system of terminal boxes, wall-mounted enclosures, and rack-mounted enclosures. Customers can order any component dimensions with individual RAL colors, hole patterns, and UL and CSA certifications, starting from a batch size of one. Even within a single product, our engineers make decisions for each assembly: A welded body provides a seal with fewer sealing levels (regularly up to IP66, higher protection ratings available upon request), while a bolted mounting plate remains replaceable. The combination of both construction methods – known in engineering as composite construction – is the norm. Which construction method suits your needs? For machines or devices with high demands on design and compactness: Integral construction – a single product that combines the frame, control system, and enclosure. For end-user visibility (laboratories, medical technology, POS systems, elevators, charging stations, vending machines): Integral construction – the product appears as a single, seamless unit. Systems that grow, series that expand: Differential design – the frame or array accommodates every expansion. Cost pressure with complex assemblies: Review integration – every eliminated interface reduces design, assembly, and logistics costs. And what if the requirement doesn't fit into any standard framework? Then you've come to the right place with the first part of this series: Custom solutions in control cabinet construction – with us, that's simply called a solution.