A new age in digital transformation is requiring manufacturers to rethink their existing business models and corresponding infrastructure. To remain relevant and competitive in the age of Industry 4.0, manufacturers need to do more than simply adopt digital technologies and deploy predefined processes in isolated islands of automation as they have done in the past.
Read more: How Time-sensitive Networking Is Revolutionizing...
For someone unfamiliar with how to protect electrical enclosures used in very rigorous industrial environments, the terms “purge” and “pressurization” can conjure up all kinds of curious questions. The purpose of this paper is to help clarify for both the uninformed and for those who are partially informed and are considering the use of such a system, what a purge and pressurization system is.
Read more: Purge and Pressurization Systems – What are They?
The line between programmable relays and micro PLCs has moved to a much lower price point over the last few years, making a micro PLC a better option for controlling many small to medium size machines. Micro PLCs are no more expensive nor difficult to use than programmable relays in these applications, and the required training is about the same, as is the programming effort.
If you produce industrial control panels (ICPs) for installation in the U.S. and/or Canada, you know how critical it is to confirm their safety and reliability. Workers, businesses, and communities depend on it. Your customers also want to be assured that your panels will be approved by inspectors upon installation. Red tags, costly repairs, and delays are unacceptable. But just as critical to your success as a manufacturer is a safety evaluation process that supports the way you do business – whether you are mass producing a single panel model, producing individual control panels or short runs of panels for intermittent delivery, or have another production and delivery approach.
Housing electrical components inside an enclosure is a requirement in industrial applications. The enclosure is required to protect the controllers, power distribution components, power supplies and other electronics from harsh factory floor environments. Factories, plants and facilities often experience relatively warm ambient temperatures, and many of the electrical components housed in the control enclosure generate heat, so many enclosures require cooling. In some instances, such as for outdoor installations, enclosures may require heating.
The threats that make enclosure thermal management necessary to begin with reach the height of their destructive energies all at once, once a year, in the summertime. While some logistics of manufacturing become vastly less complicated in the summer sun, several interrelated changes in the weather threaten the critical electronics that allow production lines to operate. These factors—heat, debris, and moisture—must be planned for and neutralized.
There are many important items to consider when choosing a controller for machine and process automation. Breaking down the equipment’s operational needs is a starting point and will help evaluate the range of controllers specified by OEMs or machine builders. Depending on how the equipment fits into the larger manufacturing environment, the automation system can provide a complete solution or just control individual parts.
Read more: How to choose an Industrial Automation Controller
Electrical enclosures serve to protect electrical devices from adverse environmental influences, such as dirt, other particulates, moisture, or chemicals that could damage components. Plus, by housing electrical devices inside a secure enclosure or box, personnel are protected from electrical hazards such as electric shock, arc flash, and burns. However, electrical devices generate heat as a byproduct of their operation. When the heat load of the electrical devices within an enclosure exceeds the heat dissipation achieved through natural convection, the temperature inside the enclosure will rise.
Read more: What is the Right Temperature Set Point for My...
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AX Enclosures: Now Also Ready for Outdoor Use
Rittal is replacing its previous KS series with the new fibreglass enclosures AX and so completely redefining fibreglass enclosure technology. The development is based on Rittal’s technology for sheet steel and stainless-steel enclosures, which can be used to greatly simplify and speed up manufacturing processes in panel building and switchgear manufacturing. Now, for the first time, fibreglass enclosures also feature this system technology. This is a win-win situation for plant constructors:
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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. Already, the growing amount of data available from factory equipment has made it possible to successfully use AI for predictive maintenance purposes. It’s time for companies to start thinking about how to harness AI for their facilities.
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