Mitsubishi Electric is highlighting the experience of a major semi-trailer manufacturer that wanted to replace a PC-based control system with a programmable logic controller (PLC) system. The manufacturer’s legacy control system had begun to fail too often, leading to costly downtime and the need for a number of manual repair tasks and paperwork.
No one should get hurt at work. Unfortunately, in 2019 there were 5,333 worker deaths in the U.S. – an average of 15 deaths every day. While many types of incidents result in worker injuries and fatalities, among the most frequently cited are lockout/tagout violations. As with most work-related incidents, lockout/tagout related accidents and deaths are avoidable.
Of all the pieces of equipment in a production or process facility, the electric motor is the most fundamental and is probably the most critical. Nothing gets made or moved without a motor. So, it’s only logical that plant operations personnel must maintain the safety of those motors. Panel builders provide that protection via a number of protection and control systems.
Since FourPhase was founded in Norway in 2012, it has been committed to optimizing and enhancing the efficiency of established oil and gas extraction processes through modern technologies. Through its work, FourPhase paves the way for its customers to increase their production and remain consistently profitable. When it comes to implementing its innovative concepts, FourPhase puts its trust in Beckhoff components.
In June 2021, Schlumberger announced its commitment to net zero by 2050. With minimal reliance on offsets, Schlumberger’s net-zero targets cross all of Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, thus covering the entire company value chain. The company’s net-zero commitment focuses on three main elements: operational emissions, technology-use emissions, and carbon-negative actions.
First released in 1993, the International Electrotechnical Commission’s IEC 61131 programming standard remains a key element in the programmable logic controllers (PLCs) used in a variety of industries across the globe. The IEC 61131 standard is especially useful in Open Architecture control systems, which use standard programming languages to operate efficiently, accurately, and cost-effectively.
A Turbine Fuel Regulator’s (TFR) primary function is to provide an output signal for modulating fuel supply in response to the load demand placed on a gas turbine. Secondary control and monitoring functions include actuation of variable geometry end devices such as inlet guide vanes, bleed valves and stator vanes, as well as protection functions such as stall, over speed and temperature monitoring.
Control panels for the oil and gas industry can be grouped into the three main process stages oil and gas go through to transform from a resource in the ground to a commodity. These are upstream, midstream and downstream. Control panels in each of these stages help execute very different things from drilling holes to, ensuring accurate transportation or refining the product.
EPLAN Platform as a Service is a cloud-based CAE (computer aided engineering) solution for electrical schematic and cabinet design. EPLAN Platform as a Service brings all of the benefits from the EPLAN platform, with the additional benefits of working remotely, reducing costs in IT infrastructure & operating costs, and less reliance on in-house hardware. Ultimately offering a flexible solution that is accessible for all.
Much of the conversation about industrial enclosures in food production facilities is about protecting the electronics that power the actual food production sequence. While these enclosures are without doubt a mission-critical element of a healthy industrial automation framework, there are a variety of other applications where food-grade industrial enclosures help drive efficient and productive workflows.
NEMA and IP ratings both measure the same thing: an enclosure’s ability to withstand the ingress of dust or water. This matters because watertightness is not a binary concept: housings are not simply waterproof/not waterproof. Varying degrees of pressure play a huge part in how well your enclosures will cope with exposure to water or dust. A splashproof enclosure will not resist prolonged immersion.
Littelfuse, Inc.,, an industrial technology manufacturing company empowering a sustainable, connected and safer world, reported its annual electrical safety survey exposed that almost all respondents had witnessed someone working on or near energized equipment of more than 50 volts. Over 50 volts puts people at risk for electrical shock and electrocution.
As more electrical devices are deployed in industrial applications, the need to protect these critical systems increases. Unexpected power outages lead not only to higher maintenance costs of electrical equipment but also to lower operational efficiency, productivity, and overall business revenue. To ensure a stable power supply, facility managers need to monitor power quality so that electrical devices are protected from unwanted interruptions and damaging fluctuations.
An Industrial control panel is an assembly of two or more components — such as motor controllers, switches, circuit breakers and control devices. They are used in various end-use applications including the operation of industrial electric motors and drives, production, assembly and conveyance. Control panel builders are responsible for the construction of electric control panels for manufacturing machinery and other various types of equipment.
The energy transition has brought both challenges and also new opportunities. For example, if a wood-fired system also provides process heat, then lucrative subsidy programs can be utilized. The energy data management system which is, among other things, necessary for to apply for subsidies, can be easily realized, as Endress Holzfeuerungsanlagen GmbH has proven.
Even in 2021, in a time when Industry 4.0 and IIoT have accelerated the evolution of industrial panel and switchgear engineering, there’s still much in the way of misinformation and misconception about how manufacturers should go about defining a modular enclosure and what truly categorizes an industrial enclosure as modular. Whether it’s a matter of naming convention or just a misunderstanding of the traits and attributes that comprise a modular enclosure system…