Heavyweight newcomer floors competition with strength and flexibility

Power and data delivery specialist Marshall-Tufflex has beefed up its Underfloor to Desk range with the launch of a new raised floor box strong enough to withstand the combined weight of ten baby elephants.

The new box is quicker and easier to install and comes as standard with a market-leading 3mm support plate allowing it to handle ‘medium load’ traffic. For installations requiring ‘heavy load’ classification a steel sub-frame can be ordered and quickly inserted (at a later date if building usage changes) to support the lid without restricting space for wiring and accessories.

During load testing this steel sub-frame, which also allows for fine adjustments to accommodate uneven flooring, proved itself capable of withstanding a 1.25 tonne load – more than the combined weight of 10 newborn elephants.

In addition, the floor box has been designed with earth fixing points at each end, giving installers greater flexibility when positioning sockets. It is supplied with dividers that make it suitable for use as either a three or four compartment box.

“Our aim when designing this floor box was quite simple, to provide installers with one product that meets a wider range of needs, offers more flexible installation and can be upgraded to increase load capacity as required. Earth fixing points at either end solve the problem of modifying boxes on site (saving time) and the compartment dividers simply drop in to give either a three or four compartment unit, massively simplifying the specification and ordering process,” said Jeremy Dodge, Marshall-Tufflex Head of Marketing & Technical Services.

The 83mm deep unit, which replaces existing Marshall-Tufflex floor boxes URF32/URF42, is supplied with two easy fit cable retainers/guides, a cut-out within lid for carpet/carpet tiles of up to 6mm deep (extra deep lids are also available), metal screws to attach trim to surrounding carpet for a more secure fix, pre-punched fixings, a barrel lock option for extra security (installer to fit), other box depths, an RCD option and pre-wired option with MT32 Connectors.

The floor box has been designed and manufactured in accordance with the latest standards (BS EN 61534-22:2009, BS EN 60670-1:2005, BS EN 60670-23:2008, BS EN 50085-1:2005 and BS EN 50085-2-2:2008).