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...
Editor's Pick: Featured Product News
Beckhoff: C60xx Ultra-Compact Industrial PCs
Extremely space-saving and flexible
The C60xx series of scalable ultra-compact Industrial PCs combines maximum computing power in what is currently the most compact format with a wide range of options for installation in the control cabinet. It is ideally suited for control, visualization and communication, for example into the cloud.
The latest Intel processors − in three different performance classes, from the Intel Atom with one core to the Intel Core i7 with eight cores – offer maximum scalability and power density with an optimal price-performance ratio.
Performance classes and application areas
The C601x series offers Intel Atom computing power for a wide range of automation and visualization tasks. Due to their impressive computing power in relation to their size, the PCs are mainly suited for use in Industrie 4.0 applications, for example as an IoT gateway.
The C603x series unites high-performance Intel Core-i processors with extremely compact housing dimensions. The processors from the 65 W class have only been used in the much larger ATX-based Industrial PCs up to now. The devices thus represent a new dimension in terms of power density. They are suitable above all for particularly complex automation and visualization tasks, but also for a wide range of other applications in the field of image processing, the handling of large volumes of data and in the IoT environment.
The C602x series is the link between the C601x and the C603x, and the fanless integration of Intel Core-i-U processors of the 15 W class opens up new application areas and options.
TE Connectivity's Mezalok Mezzanine Connector Gets an Upgrade With Increased Data Rate Support up to 32+ GB/S
TE Connectivity has recently upgraded its rugged, high-speed Mezalok mezzanine connector family to support the growing demand for higher data rates and improved processing power in military electronics. The upgraded connectors have increased data rate support up to 32+ Gb/s. The Mezalok connector family has been designed specifically for mezzanine cards in rugged applications and is standardized as the interconnect for XMC 2.0 (VITA 61). Rapidly evolving technologies in signal intelligence, radar, communications and surveillance are driving the need for more powerful embedded computing solutions.
Mezzanine cards are often used to provide additional functionality and processing capability within a small form factor. TE designed the Mezalok connector family to support these applications. Typical applications include application-specific high-speed input/output (I/O) protocols, graphics, memory and digital-signal processing.
“New designs in rugged embedded computing require higher speeds and high pin counts in order to pack more functionality into smaller plug-in modules,” said Jason Dorwart, product manager for TE’s Aerospace, Defense and Marine division. “TE recognizes this trend and is continuing to build on this platform to help solve customer needs, offering new options in stack height, pin density and higher speeds, giving the system designer a broader solution set to work with when needing a fast, rugged and reliable mezzanine connector for extreme environments.”
TE’s highly reliable Mezalok mezzanine connectors more than double the speed and durability of competing technology, making it one of the most viable options for today’s military and commercial aerospace applications.
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Editor's Pick: Featured Article
5 Mechanical & Electrical Problems A Maintenance System Can “See” That You Can’t (But Need To)
Building systems, such as HVAC, consist of thousands of components that work together to keep occupants comfortable and safe. Preventative maintenance helps ensure all these pieces stay in good condition, through inspecting and checking for worn parts.
However, inspections can’t find every issue. Even with a detailed maintenance program in place, you may not uncover some problems until it’s too late. The solution? Using a building maintenance system to reveal hidden issues.
Here are five problems that a maintenance system can “see” that you can’t.
1. Dampers Not Opening/Closing All The Way
When dampers fail to open or close completely, it affects their operation but doesn’t necessarily cause a system malfunction. Unless you’re specifically checking dampers, you won’t find this problem without the help of a building automation maintenance system.
A maintenance system tracks conditions over time to look back at past readings—if they begin deviating from expected values it indicates a potential issue. For example, if normal operations require dampers to be 30% open and they’ve been trending closer to 50% to reach the same conditions, you know something’s off. Problematic dampers left unfixed will increase energy costs and eventually cause equipment damage.
2. Sensor Drift
Sensor accuracy shifts as time goes by, and readings become less and less reliable. Simply looking at a sensor won’t reveal that it needs recalibration because sensor drift happens slowly over time.
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