There are plenty of burning questions in the manufacturing industry. “How do we increase flexibility?” “How can we ensure consistent quality and accuracy throughout?” “What’s the best way to minimize the impact of recalls?” And the the big one: “What will the factory of the future look like?” In this globalized era, we need to take on a global perspective when discussing any aspect of manufacturing.
If you want to truly understand a language, you must first understand the vocabulary of that language and how it is used to convey information and ideas. As with any aspect of industrial enclosures, there exists a unique and important vocabulary in climate control and the products and services required to ensure industrial enclosures are adequately protected.
According to ISO 13849-2, the main goal of verification and valiation is to confirm that the design of a control system’s safety-related parts (SRP/CS) meets the specific safety requirements for a machine. The first step is to design a validation plan that will combine analysis and functional testing under any foreseeable conditions with respect to the final system.
In this special Monthly Market Company Feature we are discussing building controls with John Zappa, Owner and President of Building Controls Group a distributor for HVAC control supplies (embed website on first company mention) in St. Paul Minnesota. Buildings Controls Group has a UL508a fabricating facility that also specializes in the fabrication of UL508A industrial control panels for the HVAC and building automation industry.
In order to comply with FDA UDI standards, all medical device manufacturers must properly format their labels and include a unique device identifier (UDI) to help end users easily identify package contents. Changing requirements can be a challenge for manufacturers in this industry, while incorrect information can lead to fines, recalls and a reduction in consumer confidence.
Just as most people haven’t crossed paths with sophisticated criminals in their everyday lives, most industrial automation users have not had to face major cyber threats from bad actors. Many manufacturers and producers don’t know how vulnerable their systems are – and unfortunately, the ramifications of an attack go deeper than lost product. Threats and bad actors are out there – just ask the 18,000 companies affected by the recent SolarWinds hack, or the industrial and energy-producing facilities targeted by the Stuxnet malware attack on PLCs in 2009.
In 2014, the University of Richmond (U of R) realized they needed to enhance their building management to keep up with campus expansions and student needs. They chose to work with MACC, a local building controls contractor with extensive experience. Part of MACC’s objective was to optimize occupant comfort while at the same time minimizing energy use.
Schneider Electric had recently announced the launch of its Wholesale Building Management Distributor Program. This new formalized partner program highlights Schneider Electric’s commitment to providing the resources, incentives and support distributors need to sell more product, grow their business and increase revenue.
Manufacturers can face hefty fines and serious reputational damage when erroneous labels escape into the supply chain. To combat this, it’s essential to install a system that will catch misprints, reveal printer maintenance problems, and prevent debris and foreign matter from obstructing the label. This all starts with print quality inspection.
If you are reading this, you are probably wondering “Should I use a polycarbonate enclosure or a fiberglass enclosure?” This is a very valid question to have. Often we find companies continue to use fiberglass because they are unaware of the advantages of working with polycarbonate; and, the inherent value in using this versatile thermal set plastic. When it comes to the NEMA ratings, a 4X enclosure is a 4X enclosure when it leaves the factory, regardless of the material.
Earlier this year, Graybar and Sanveo asked contractors about their adoption and use of technology to see what has changed since they last surveyed them in 2018. The results reveal that contractors are becoming increasingly comfortable using technology in some cases, but hesitate to fully digitize their workflows. The resulting data silos may be making supply chains less efficient and hurting productivity on the jobsite.
As the demand for electric power continues to increase, so does available fault currents. When available fault currents at the HVAC equipment exceed the panel’s short circuit current ratings (SCCRs), there can be catastrophic results. Watch Littelfuse’s new video Learn How to Calculate and Increase the SCCR for an overview of the popular method using the UL 508A Supplement S-B.
The events of 2020 rapidly accelerated a global, cross-industry digital transformation, underscoring the mission criticality of data centers as the backbone of the world’s virtual economy. In fact, the data center market is expected to grow by nearly 14% in 2021. ABB Power Conversion – a global provider of comprehensive, end-to-end power solutions in mission-critical environments – recently issued a new data report.
Whether manufacturing packaging machines or components for airliners, companies must be able to guarantee all metal parts will remain durable and dependable throughout the product’s lifecycle. Recognizing this challenge, LSP Technologies pioneered an effective method to increase the strength of metal parts: surface treatment with pulsed laser beams.
Much has been said about the potential of big data and artificial intelligence (AI), and there’s still a hope that some AI technologies will eventually become plug-and-play solutions. At the moment, however, false positives and false negatives remain prevalent, and it’s likely that these may never completely stop occurring. That said, AI is still a useful technology with the right business case, and it’s likely to play a major role in the factory of the future.
Recently Panel Builder US had the opportunity to chat with Bill Sellitto, Vice President of Engineering and Jim Sellitto, Vice President of Business Development from MartinCSI. MartinCSI (MCSI) is a Systems Integrator in Plain City, Ohio that provides Design & Integration of Industrial Control Systems to a wide variety of end-users including, Food & Beverage, Pharmaceuticals. Glass and Plastic, Chemical, Utilities, OEM, Packaging, and the Automotive sector.
