It can happen at the best workplaces and in the safest environments but it’s always chilling news when you come into work and hear that there has been a workplace injury. Whether you are in charge of safety, are a production manager, or are a plant manager, so many questions go through your mind at…
Designers can improve personnel safety by incorporating modern products and technologies, and by following a “design for safety” approach. Marty Kronz at AutomationDirect wrote an article for the February 2023 issue of Applied Automation. Titled Addressing Electrical Safety Hazards, this article identifies how some newer products, sometimes in combination with automation, can increase the effectiveness…
Let’s take a minute to think about how far we have advanced with innovation and technology. It is truly amazing when you look at the devices and products we develop these days. From a simple small piece of wood with a spring-loaded thin u-shaped metal rod and an extremely simple trigger mechanism designed to reduce…
You get a call from the production floor because a machine is not running right. You go check it and find out that the motor is acting up, has corrosion damage inside the junction box, which is probably also contributing to the imminent death of the motor. Now you need to replace it but don’t…
Most of us have a basic idea of what power surge means. We know it is something that affects the electric power we receive and that it can cause serious damage to industrial equipment, computers, and sensitive electronics. To offer a simple definition, a power surge is a fluctuation of the voltage coming in through…
Industrial facilities use many electrical enclosures to house automation and electrical components. Several of these enclosures require cooling and/or heating to control the climate within the enclosure to prevent condensation or component overheating. In this SlideShare, you will learn about the different types of climate control, reasons for use, and how to select and size…
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What is IP69K?
IP69K Definition IP69K is a product standard rating developed to ensure that products carrying this rating comply with required simulated environmental conditions. The most common areas requiring IP69K devices are areas where heavy washdowns are required. Therefore, IP69K rated devices are a must to prevent damage to electronic devices and instrumentation during the washdown procedures….
What is a Ferrule? What is a Ferrule? I ask myself this question thinking specifically of the small metal tube with a colored insulated plastic end where you can insert wire strands and crimp the tube securely to the wire. To answer this question, I decided to do an internet search to see what I…
I remember years ago walking into a production facility and being intrigued by the processes taking place in each section of the production line. It was so interesting to see how things were shaped, packed, filled and more. Every step or section of the production line had a specific purpose that needed to be completed…
Most control systems have to make things move, and that usually involves motors. Lifting, pumping, robotics, conveyors, fans – pretty much everything uses a motor of some kind. General purpose one- or three-phase AC motors are great for simple on/off systems; Inverter-duty motors are specifically designed for operation with variable frequency drives or VFDs. General…