Ventilation and Thermoregulation with STEGO Solutions

In modern industrial automation, maintaining stable environmental conditions within control cabinets and enclosures is essential for ensuring safety, efficiency, and long-term reliability. Sensitive electronic components, power distribution units, and automation hardware all depend on carefully managed environments to operate without failure or costly downtime.

STEGO, a German manufacturer with decades of expertise, has built a strong reputation for delivering proven and durable solutions that address these challenges. Its product range spans heating, cooling, lighting, and environmental monitoring, offering engineers and system designers comprehensive options for creating reliable automation infrastructure.

The purpose of this article is to explore how STEGO’s portfolio supports the full spectrum of cabinet environmental management. From essential accessories such as lighting and ventilation, through to advanced automation with IO-Link-enabled controllers and sensors, STEGO provides the tools needed to safeguard and optimise modern industrial systems.

 STEGO Offer 

Optimising Control Cabinets – Lighting, Ventilation, and Heating

Control cabinets are at the heart of industrial automation, housing critical electronics that ensure reliable operation of machinery, communication systems, and IT infrastructure. To guarantee long-term stability and safety, these enclosures must be equipped with the right combination of lighting, ventilation, and heating solutions. STEGO’s product portfolio addresses each of these needs with precision-engineered components designed to withstand demanding industrial environments.

Cabinet Lighting for Safe and Efficient Maintenance

Proper illumination inside control cabinets plays a vital role during servicing, inspections, and system upgrades. STEGO offers LED-based cabinet lamps that combine energy efficiency with practical functionality. Options include models with integrated PIR motion sensors for automatic activation, chainable connections for larger enclosures, and versatile mounting systems such as clips, screws, or magnets. With tolerance for wide ambient temperatures and multiple brightness and colour temperature options, these lighting solutions are highly adaptable to different industrial settings.

In this instance, the lamp fixture is paired with a US-standard network socket.

The lamp includes an intensity adjustment switch, while a wide-angle PIR sensor enables automatic activation when movement is detected. Certain models also integrate built-in sockets, providing convenient access for powering tools or measuring equipment.

Lighting can also be automated with the use of door switches, which mechanically break the circuit when the cabinet is closed. These practical, universal components are likewise available within STEGO’s product range.

Lamps

Connections and wiring

Door switch

Many of STEGO’s lamps support chain, or cascading, connections, allowing multiple units to be linked together. To make installation straightforward, the manufacturer provides ready-to-use cables with polarised connectors, also available through the TME catalogue.

While most models operate on DC power, STEGO offers versions compatible with a wide mains voltage range (100–240V AC). The range includes options with different colour temperatures (cool, neutral, warm) and brightness levels up to 16W and 560lm. These lamps are also engineered to perform reliably across broad ambient conditions, from –40°C to +60°C.

Mounting flexibility is another advantage, with versions designed for screw fixing, clip installation, or magnetic attachment directly to cabinet walls.

 LED Lamps

Effective Ventilation for Sensitive Electronics

Overheating remains one of the greatest risks to sensitive electronic systems. Adequate ventilation is essential to prolong the life of automation equipment and IT hardware. STEGO provides a range of AC and DC fans with airflow capacities from compact 233 m³/h units to high-performance models reaching 1458 m³/h. Many options feature IP54 or IP55 protection, safeguarding equipment against dust and contamination. Complementary grilles and replaceable filters ensure installations remain efficient and easy to maintain, offering engineers both reliability and convenience.

DC Fans

AC Fans

STEGO fans are equipped with protective grilles that prevent obstruction of the mechanism while also providing a clean, professional appearance. Many models additionally meet high protection ratings, most commonly IP54 or IP55, to guard against dust ingress. The DC range delivers airflow of up to 233 m³/h, while AC versions achieve up to 1458 m³/h and are available for both 115V AC and 230V AC mains standards. Sizes span from compact 92×92 mm units to larger 291×291 mm models, with connections made either via power cables or screw terminals. 

Ventilation grilles

Filters

The STEGO range also includes complementary accessories such as ventilation grilles, available as housings or frames, along with replacement dust filters to support ongoing maintenance.

Heating Solutions to Prevent Condensation and Cold Stress

In most cases, ventilation is used to dissipate heat from components housed within the control cabinet. However, maintaining the right environmental balance can also mean addressing the opposite challenge: excessive cooling of the enclosure. Too much cold can negatively impact sensors and electromechanical parts, shorten the service life of batteries or accumulators, and promote moisture condensation that in turn causes corrosion, short circuits, and other failures. To counter these risks, STEGO offers a wide range of heaters designed to prevent temperature drops. These solutions are ideally suited not only to industrial automation systems but also to energy distribution, road infrastructure, and telecommunications, where sensitive electronics must operate reliably despite variable weather conditions and exposure to moisture. 

DIN rail heaters

Screw-mounted heaters

RC 016 series heaters

HV series heaters

STEGO heaters utilise semiconductor PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) elements, delivering fast and energy-efficient heating within a controlled operating range.

They are available in multiple formats, including DIN rail-mounted units, screw-fixed designs for enclosure walls, and models integrated into fan assemblies. Many versions achieve ingress protection up to IP67, making them suitable for harsh environments. Power ratings span from 5W to 250W, with supply options ranging from 12V DC through to 240V AC, depending on the specific model.

Heaters with power 100…475W

Heaters with power 500…950W

Heaters with power 1.0…1.2kW

To achieve uniform heating inside the cabinet, heaters are often paired with ventilation systems. For this purpose, STEGO also offers blowers that integrate a fan with a heating element, providing combined airflow and temperature control. The TME catalogue features a broad selection of these devices, with models delivering up to 1.2kW of power and airflow rates reaching 160 m³/h. Options include screw-mounted units, ideal for positioning near ventilation inlets or outlets, as well as DIN TH35 rail-mounted versions. While most models require an external thermostat or advanced controller for activation, STEGO also supplies integrated heaters with built-in control. The product line covers both DC-powered designs and versions for direct connection to mains supply, ensuring flexibility in installation and system design.

 Heating Elements

Network Sockets

STEGO’s product range also includes fundamental control cabinet components such as DIN rail-mounted network sockets. These are frequently used to provide emergency power access or to support servicing and maintenance activities within the enclosure.

European standards

US standard

UK standard

The sockets are designed with a straightforward connection method using spring terminals and front-mounted release buttons for quick installation. Among the available options are models fitted with integrated fuses, positioned for easy access and replacement. STEGO manufactures versions that comply with a wide range of international standards, covering not only European types (British, French, German – Schuko, Italian, Swiss) but also global formats such as those used in Japan and the USA. Depending on the regional variant and fuse rating, the sockets are capable of supporting voltages up to 240V AC and currents of up to 16A.

DNS Sockets

Beyond the Basics – Accessories and Environmental Condition Control

While lighting, ventilation, and heating form the foundation of effective control cabinet management, many smaller components and intelligent monitoring systems play a crucial role in ensuring long-term reliability. STEGO’s product range extends beyond core systems to include practical accessories and advanced solutions for precise environmental control.

Essential Accessories for Cabinet Functionality

Even the most advanced control cabinets rely on fundamental accessories to remain safe, efficient, and easy to maintain. STEGO offers network sockets in multiple international standards, including European, UK, US, and Japanese formats, ensuring global compatibility for service and emergency connections. Alongside sockets, the portfolio includes practical installation elements such as cable glands, drying plugs, and pressure-compensating devices. Though often overlooked, these smaller components are vital in protecting enclosures against moisture build-up, pressure fluctuations, and environmental wear, directly supporting system reliability over the long term.

Cable glands

Drying element

Pressure compensation element

Intelligent Temperature and Humidity Management

Beyond actuators and cabinet accessories, STEGO also offers a broad range of solutions for monitoring and regulating environmental conditions, extending into both industrial and building automation applications. Central to this portfolio are thermostats, available in adjustable formats as well as factory-calibrated units pre-set to standard temperature thresholds. Customers can select models with either lower or upper switching points, along with single- or dual-channel variants (e.g., 15°C and 50°C) capable of managing both heating and cooling/ventilation systems. These versatile devices are suitable not only for control cabinets but also for wider applications such as warehouses, tanks, food storage facilities, and other environments where precise climate control is essential. 

Thermostats

Temperature and humidity sensors

Hygrostats

HVAC systems are responsible not only for temperature control but also for maintaining proper humidity levels. This capability is particularly important in environments where chemicals, food products, fertilisers, or substrates are stored, as well as in server rooms where excess moisture can pose a serious risk to equipment. To address these needs, STEGO complements its range of thermostats with hygrostats and multifunctional combined sensors. These environmental controllers are available in both DC models (up to 28V) and AC versions for mains operation, and are capable of directly switching loads up to 16A—sufficient for powering most standard air conditioners, heaters, and fans.

Environmental Condition Sensors

Toward Smarter Automation – IO-Link Integration

IO-Link is an open communication protocol designed for sensors and actuators in industrial automation. By enabling direct point-to-point data exchange, it supports straightforward, real-time management of multiple devices while also allowing bidirectional communication.

A wide range of manufacturers provide IO-Link–compatible Plug & Play solutions, making it easy and cost-effective to expand systems. The use of standardised wiring further simplifies installation and integration, ensuring consistent connectivity across different components.

Controllers, hubs

Wiring

IO-Link automation setups are typically built around three core elements: a controller, which acts as the gateway between IO-Link devices and higher-level systems (in STEGO’s case, linking to Ethernet networks and the company’s cloud platform); a variety of sensors, most commonly for monitoring environmental conditions; and hubs, which serve as passive splitters to connect multiple sensors to the bus I/O port.

All of these essential components are included within STEGO’s product offering.

Relay module with three outputs for circuits and an IO-Link connector.

In the IO-Link ecosystem, a “hub” may also function as an actuator module, such as a relay-based unit. A good example is the model 07200.2-00, which supports three outputs rated up to 10A at 240V AC or 30V DC, with tolerance for AC inrush currents up to 16A for short periods of up to 10 seconds. Commands are delivered from the master system (PLC, server, or the STEGO CONNECT cloud platform), transmitted via IO-Link, and executed at the outputs. This functionality enables the creation of a modern IIoT system (Industrial Internet of Things) with minimal hardware and simplified installation.

Pressure and temperature sensor

Air quality sensor

Light intensity sensor

STEGO’s IO-Link compatible sensors are compact, pre-calibrated devices designed for reliable integration. Built with robust protection levels (e.g., IP64) and featuring a standard industrial M12 connector, they are suited for use across industrial systems, ventilation setups, and building automation applications. Within the TME catalogue, the range includes pressure and temperature sensors, air quality monitors, and light intensity detectors. 

Ultrasonic sensor

Current transformer

In addition to the core range, STEGO also offers ultrasonic proximity sensors and current transformers. Ultrasonic models operate over distances from 0.3 to 4.0 metres and are housed in compact plastic enclosures (98x35x27mm) with universal screw-mount brackets for straightforward installation. Current transformers, on the other hand, are built to detect and measure currents up to 100A. Depending on the version, outputs can be provided as analogue signals (4–20mA) or in digital IO-Link format, enabling both remote control of heavy loads and precise monitoring of energy consumption.

Futureproofing Industrial Infrastructure

From cabinet lighting and ventilation through to heaters, sensors, and cloud-enabled IO-Link systems, STEGO delivers a holistic portfolio designed to protect and optimise critical industrial infrastructure. By addressing every aspect of environmental management, the company provides engineers with the tools needed to ensure reliable performance in automation, telecommunications, and IT applications.

What sets STEGO apart is its focus on durability, energy efficiency, and seamless integration with modern IIoT and Industry 4.0 requirements. Each solution, whether a simple cabinet accessory or an advanced data-driven sensor, is built to withstand demanding environments and deliver long-term value.

For system designers, installers, and automation engineers, STEGO represents a trusted partner in achieving stable and efficient environmental control. By incorporating its proven solutions, organisations can safeguard their operations today while preparing for the smarter, more connected factories of tomorrow.