Featured Articles

Fibox: Battle of the Boxes – Fiberglass vs Polycarbonate Enclosures

Fibox: Battle of the Boxes – Fiberglass vs Polycarbonate Enclosures

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.

 

 

 

Top Trends from Graybar’s 2020 Contractor Technology Survey

Top Trends from Graybar’s 2020 Contractor Technology Survey

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.

 

 

 

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Protect Your HVAC System from Damaging Fault Currents

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.

 

 

 

Powering the New Normal: ABB Survey Finds 53% of Data Center Professionals Are Considering Power System Upgrades to Meet Increased Demand

Powering the New Normal: ABB Survey Finds 53% of Data Center Professionals Are Considering Power System Upgrades to Meet Increased Demand

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.

 

 

 

Precisely Synchronized Surface Treatment Process Increases Fatigue Life of Metal Parts

Precisely Synchronized Surface Treatment Process Increases Fatigue Life of Metal Parts

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.

 

 

 

How Artificial Intelligence Can Serve As a Bridge Between IT and OT

How Artificial Intelligence Can Serve As a Bridge Between IT and OT

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.

 

 

 

Discussing Automotive industry Panel Design and More with MartinCSI

Discussing Automotive industry Panel Design and More with MartinCSI

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.

 

 

 

Johnson Controls Customers Prioritize New Integrated Technologies for Healthy Buildings; Solutions Must Deliver for Healthy People, Healthy Places and a Healthy Planet

Johnson Controls Customers Prioritize New Integrated Technologies for Healthy Buildings; Solutions Must Deliver for Healthy People, Healthy Places and a Healthy Planet

Johnson Controls recently announced results of independent surveys of 800+ building decision makers showing a clear shift to increased investment in healthy building trends and technologies. “At the center of a vision for a healthy world must be healthy buildings, and that means delivering on the most critical elements to serve People, Places and Planet,” said George Oliver, CEO of Johnson Controls.

 

 

 

Insulation Testing: Megohmmeter or Hipot Tester

Insulation Testing: Megohmmeter or Hipot Tester

There are two common methods for performing insulation resistance testing on cables, wiring and electrical equipment. One uses a megohmmeter to measure insulation resistance. The other uses a hipot tester to check for insulation breakdown. Both apply a high voltage, either ac or dc, to the device under test (DUT) and measure the resulting current flow. A modern megohmmeter (or megohm meter) applies a dc voltage to a DUT and measures the dc current (nanoamps or microamps).

 

 

 

Choosing the Right Panel Meter

Choosing the Right Panel Meter

Selecting a panel meter for a particular application can be a daunting task, given the wide variety of products that are available today. There are many factors to consider when making a decision. Let’s look at a few of the major items. Panel meters can be categorized by type, size, style or other criteria. One way to begin the selection process is to look at the meter’s function – what measurement is this meter making?

 

 

 

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Disruptive Technology and the Future of the Automotive Industry

For years, urban citizens have been unhappy with their mobility experience: too much traffic causing long transportation times, too much noise, poor air quality, and limited parking options, to name but a few of the issues. Then, in one day, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the order to “stay at home” has completely reshaped cities, forcing us to reconsider the way we live our lives and the way we do business.

 

 

 

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The Power of Partners: Accelerating Your Transition to Smart Manufacturing

Digital transformation is one of the most urgent issues confronting manufacturers – it’s no longer a question of ‘if’ but ‘when and how?’ Right now, many companies are somewhere on the continuum of digital transformation, working to connect isolated systems and processes to support modern Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technologies.

 

 

 

Quick Tips for Fixing Issues With Barcode Reading Position

Quick Tips for Fixing Issues With Barcode Reading Position

On any production line, it’s imperative to keep things moving. No-reads caused by faulty barcodes or unreliable readers can significantly hamper production by wasting both time and materials. Fortunately, there are several possible solutions for barcode reading problems, depending on what’s causing the issue. In some cases, a readable barcode may receive a no-read result simply because of its position relative to the reader.

 

 

 

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Molex Releases Results of Global Automotive Survey on the ‘Car of the Future’

Molex recently unveiled the results of a global survey of automotive decision makers depicting top trends and technologies impacting “car of the future” strategies and business decisions. Survey findings validate the critical role of data, software and networking in enabling electrification and connectivity—identified as the two most important areas of innovation.

 

 

 

CIOS of U.S. Connected Cities Share Tips to “Get Smart”

CIOS of U.S. Connected Cities Share Tips to “Get Smart”

IBM, which trademarked “smarter cities” in 2014, outlined its vision of the term in a 2009 executive report: cities should be imagined as a “system of systems” providing an integrated web of services, from transportation to education. Noting that “in 2008, for the first time in human history, the majority of the world’s people lived in cities,” IBM proposed a new, utopian model of urban management that would use technology to monitor and optimize these systems.