When the pace of life slowed in 2020 as a result of COVID-19 shelter in place mandates, the environment around us we saw meaningful — and positive — change. Now there is collective desire and a growing demand to get back to business without compromising the opportunity we’ve been presented. In fact, sustainable practices are becoming a top-of-mind topic among investors, c-level executives, employees, and customers.
From an e-commerce explosion to the rapidly expanding adoption of robotics, 2021 has brought a variety of trends to the material handling and logistics industries. And what can companies expect from the second half of the year? Here, we discuss emerging trends that impact the way the industry does business. As more logistics companies upgrade to the latest technology, one top industrial automation trend is the adoption of human-like robotics.
It can be challenging to get the right components assembled to complete an automation project connected to the Industrial Internet of Things (IoT). Many people feel overwhelmed researching the different approaches to automation, and may experience exasperation once they realize the separate expenses they can incur to bring their IoT-enabled machine control dreams to life. But implementing automation and IoT does not have to be hard. Or expensive.
When designing high-voltage networks, a protection plan must be drawn up to ensure the safety of people but also to preserve the continuity of operation in the event of a fault in the electrical installation. For this purpose, it is necessary to determine for each point of the installation, the maximum and minimum prospective short-circuit currents for each type of fault: three-phase, two-phase, two-phase with earthing and single-phase.
Allied’s “Ask The Expert” series taps into the experience and expertise of key thought leaders and subject matter experts from the more than 500 global suppliers they work with to bring customers the right solutions for their most challenging problems (and the daily ones, too). This edition complements an Ask the Expert video with DesignSpark’s Greig Cameron with John Burns. target market manager and lead application consultant for the Electrical Products Group at Siemens.
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.
Any positive, productive relationship — be it personal or professional — depends largely on how well two or more parties get along with each other and their surrounding environment. Whether it’s a basketball team, a marriage, or even the electrical components contained within an industry enclosure, the ability to co-exist without disruption results in optimal operating efficiency and safety.
Designing motor-driven electrical equipment and panels can be a labor-intensive process due to installation requirements mandated by NFPA 70 National Electric Code (NEC) Article 430: Motors, Motor Circuits, and Controllers, which defines the requirements for all motor branch circuits and the operational functionality of panel devices. Electrical control products must be able to be used globally in addition to being compliant with NEC codes and standards.
The power supply doesn’t nearly get the attention it deserves. It is a hardware component with a heartbeat that brings life to electrical devices by providing power. The daily interaction along with the frequency of usage makes this device’s output commonplace. Power supplies convert alternating current or direct current into direct current. They offer wide AC/DC input voltage ranges to accommodate global compatibility, which cover most line voltages and accept wide frequency ranges.
The challenge: Integrating a temperature controlled ventilation system with a very limited available space in an industrial control panel equipped with variable frequency drives. The application: PI Distribution in the food and beverage industry required the development of a new stand-alone system of cooktops that can be installed without the constraints of an overhead ventilating canopy.
Allied’s “Ask The Expert” series taps into the experience and expertise of key thought leaders and subject matter experts from the more than 500 global suppliers Allied works closely with to bring customers solutions for their most challenging problems (and the daily ones, too). Continuing their recent focus on women in tech, Allied had the pleasure of talking with Sylvia Feng, Product Line Manager at Belden Inc.
Remember when you were a kid playing outside in the summer and your parents reminded you every now and again to come out of the sun, have a cold glass of water, and take a brief time out to catch your breath? Yes, that was of course mildly frustrating as a young kid full of energy, but the goal was to make sure you didn’t overheat from exerting all that energy and to help ensure your body could continue to operate a peak performance even under the most strenuous of conditions.
There have been 3 important benchmarks or game-changing moments in industrial manufacturing in the last 100+ years. The first landmark moment occurred in the late 1800’s with the introduction of water and steam power; the second evolution ushered in the assembly line and the use of electricity in factories; and the third pivot point featured the advent of computers and the internet.
EN/IEC 62061 represents a sector-specific standard under IEC 61508. It describes the implementation of safety-related control systems on machinery and examines the overall lifecycle from the concept phase through to decommissioning. Mid February 2021 the new edition of IEC 62061 was published. The new edition is not only an update of the existing standard. For starter the standard is no longer limited to electrical system, but it can now be used with all kinds of technologies, for example for hydraulic or pneumatic systems.
Anyone who has been following the latest expert discussions on energy efficiency in machines and plants will have noticed that certain topics come up time and time again. The main examples are “variable frequency drives for optimum drive solutions” and “increasing efficiency in lowvoltage induction motors (EISA and NEMA Premium).” Yet low-voltage controls rarely enter into the debate. And that, as this article intends to show, does them an injustice.
Rittal North America recently donated $18,000 to the Urbana Youth Center in Urbana,Ohio, to support key educational, life skills, and career training programming such as homework assistance, nutrition programs, general operations, and upcoming programs on career readiness and placement.