AutomationDirect has added a new line of AC variable frequency (VFD) drives for motor speed control and other industrial control applications. The WEG CFW300 variable frequency drive is a high-performance VFD for three-phase induction motors. It is ideal for applications on machines or equipment that require precise control with easy setup and operation. The CFW300…
Building the Electrical Control Panel There are many things to consider when building an automation control system. Some control systems are extremely simple, like a pump control system that consists of a pump, level controller, and a contactor, or they can be complicated and control a full production line with a series of sub control…
Electrical control systems are used on everything from simple pump controls to car washes, to complex chemical processing plants. Automation of industrial machinery, tools and more has increased productivity and reliability in all areas of manufacturing, utilities and material processing. When an operation or process used to produce an end product is very laborious, time…
In a Control Design September 2018 Automation Basics column titled “Terminate the Rat’s Nest”, author Dave Perkon gets right to the point when he writes, “For those who think it’s okay to open a control enclosure and see a monochromatic rat’s nest of wires without any wire labels, you should be aware, that’s worst-case practice.”…
Housing electrical components inside an enclosure in industrial applications facilitates the protection of controllers, power distribution components, power supplies and other electronics from harsh factory floor environments. Factories, plants and facilities often experience considerably warm ambient temperatures, and many of the electrical components housed in the control enclosure generate heat, so many enclosures require cooling….
Those of us who have worked with, or around, electrical equipment have witnessed electrical arcs. At the very least, we’ve seen the sparks produced when a relay or contactor switches off. This is easily observed by watching a motor starter with open contacts. When the motor turns on, the contacts close in a fairly uneventful…
1.) Loopy Lapel To setup this puzzle: drill a hole in a pencil and tie a loop of string through the hole (as shown in the picture). Make sure that the loop of string is short enough that it will NOT pass over the long end of the pencil (the pointy end). Now, the trick:…
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Bulk multi-conductor cable is a convenient way to connect electrical power and signals. Below are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about bulk multi-conductor cable: Why use a shielded cable? What is the difference between cord and cable? Why use VFD cable? What does ‘Exposed Run’ mean? What is the difference between…
When designing a PLC controlled system, one aspect that should not be overlooked is how the PLC scan will affect your operation. The PLC scan consists of a sequence of operations the CPU will follow repeatedly. The amount of time the CPU needs to complete this sequence is known as scan time and it can…