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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Siemens: Control Cabinet Solutions
A unique portfolio of powerful solutions for your industrial applications
Today's market demands unprecedented efficiency from products designed to be flexible and dependable. One true measure of effective industrial performance is the ability of technology to produce real competitive advantages. With a comprehensive industrial control technology offering, Siemens provides just that at practically every level of your facility.
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Siemens: Door Interlocking Requirements
To protect people from injuries caused by electricity, control panels that are used in the U.S. must be designed so that they ensure protection against direct contact. This means that no live parts can be touched under normal operating conditions.
The U.S. standards therefore specify that the enclosure doors must be locked in accordance with specific guidelines, but that they must be accessible for maintenance and service by qualified personnel.
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Sensors and System Maintenance in the Fourth Industrial Revolution
The fourth industrial revolution, or Industry 4.0, builds off the computerization and digitization of previous shifts and employs artificial intelligence, IoT, cloud computing and remote dashboards that measure and monitor parameters and minute data points related to industrial operations.
Industry 4.0 offers endless possibilities as more production lines are designed and configured with quality sensors. Those who utilize the right sensors, in the right place, for the right amount of time should experience improved system maintenance..
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