There’s never been a better time to upgrade your industrial facilities for safety, energy efficiency, and environmental sustainability. Lane Lanford, a Category Marketing Manager at RS, highlights six product categories that can make a big impact and offers suggestions for selecting the right choice for your specific needs.
Lane Lanford, Category Marketing Manager, RS
The benefits of operating a smart manufacturing facility and fully embracing the rise of Industry 4.0 are making even the most traditional manufacturers at least consider investing in related upgrades. Recent device and equipment developments have made it easier and more economical than ever to operate more safely and efficiently, increase productivity, and reduce energy expenses and costly downtime while simultaneously improving your impact on the environment.
This can be motivation enough. But a recent wave of manufacturing initiatives, industry regulations, infrastructure incentives, and environmental trends is encouraging manufacturers in the machine building and infrastructure industries to take that step now by alleviating some of the economic challenges. The overall U.S. manufacturing outlook is still trending positive, just slower and lower than investors had anticipated and hoped for. So, economic incentives can make a real difference. In fact, Oxford Economics’ Q3 2022 United Stats Sector Outlook reported that construction in the United States is expected to increase by 2.7% in 2023 due in part to these timely incentives.
Recent legislation, including the CHIPS and Science Act, Inflation Reduction Act, and Infrastructure Act, have helped to make now an ideal time to build new facilities or make your existing infrastructure smarter and more compliant with modern clean building initiatives. Readily available electrical technologies can help you realize immediate savings, improve safety, increase efficiency, boost productivity, and contribute to a greener world. In fact, lighting, energy-efficient motors, variable speed drives, integrated building controls, and automation systems have been shown to reduce building’s energy consumption by 50–70% or more.
There’s a lot to consider when preparing for these types of industrial upgrades. But it doesn’t need to be daunting. Many trusted and proven industrial suppliers offer a comprehensive array of electrical solutions that can make your facilities work smarter not harder and help you achieve your safety, productivity, and sustainability goals. Solutions including disconnect switches, electrical connectivity products, power conditioning products, motors and motor control products, wire and cable, and circuit protection products can help bring your facilities into the future.
Disconnect Switches
Disconnect switches are crucial for helping you isolate electrical equipment in need of repair or stopping the flow of electricity on a schedule. They are primarily used as safety devices that stop the flow of power through an electrical circuit to enable emergency stops and machine maintenance, and they provide equipment operators with peace of mind. When disconnect switches are deployed, operators know they can safely do their work without electrical risk.
There are two main types of disconnect switches: fusible and non-fusible, both of which provide a simple and safe way to manually open and close circuits. Non-fusible disconnect switches offer an easy means to open and close circuits. Fusible disconnect switches contain several fuses in a single enclosure, making it easier for you to choose and separate a particular segment of the circuit, and also provide strong protection against overcurrents.
Disconnect switches from leading providers including ABB, Square D, Altech, Schneider Electric, and Siemens deliver the safety and flexibility you demand.
Electrical Connectivity Products
When it comes to the products that help you build your electrical circuits and make your power connections, safety and reliability are paramount. Electrical connectivity products, including terminal blocks, electrical connectors, electrical pin & sleeve power connectors and interlocks, and electrical connector accessories, help ensure exactly that.
Connectors come in a variety of shapes, sizes, materials, pin counts, IP ratings, and electrical specifications, so there are plenty of options but also plenty of decisions to make sure you’re choosing the right ones for you. It’s important to weigh different factors, including your workplace environment and your priorities concerning reliability, durability, and ease of installation when choosing which connectors are best for you.
Terminal blocks are typically used in motion and automation control systems to provide safe, reliable connections between multiple electrical wires and circuits. Terminal blocks keep your connections secure and your control panel wires neatly organized, which helps make maintenance easier and more efficient.
It’s important to know there are several types of terminal blocks, including ground terminals, barrier terminal strips, PCB mount terminals, feed-through terminals, and power distribution blocks. The characteristics you need to consider to choose the right type include current, mounting style, termination type, voltage rating, wire size, and operating environment.
Leading suppliers including Phoenix Contact, TE Connectivity, Altech, and Molex offer a wide range of terminal blocks sure to satisfy your exact specifications.
Power Conditioning Products
AC-DC power supplies convert power from its initial source into the appropriate format and voltage for whatever application you’re running and typically consist of a transformer, a rectifier, a filter, and a regulator. The right power supply can keep you operating smoothly and efficiently, while the wrong one can put your electrical and electronic devices at risk. A power supply can change voltage, convert current, or regulate power. It’s important to note, though, that you may not need all these functions or the added cost that comes with them. Instead, consider selecting power supplies that do what you need them to do but are capable of supporting flexible, modular, and economical system expansions.
No matter what type of application you’re powering, leading suppliers including Mean Well, Phoenix Contact, Cosel USA, TDK-Lambda, BEL Power Solutions, and SOLA HD can provide the right solutions.
Motors & Motor Control
The right industrial motors and motor control solutions can help you operate your facility more safely and consume energy more efficiently. Selecting the right motor starter is an important part of the process. Motor starters are electrical devices that control the electrical power required to start, stop, and reverse motors and protect them from damage. The four types of motor starters are direct on-line (DOL) starters, reversing DOL starters, star delta starters, and soft starters. Leading suppliers of all variety of motor starters include Eaton Cutler Hammer, Siemens, Square D, Schneider Electric, and Phoenix Contact.
AC drives are an essential component for motor control, especially in applications that require precise speeds. They convert fixed frequencies and AC supply voltages to adjustable frequencies and DC voltages and control the speed, horsepower, and direction of AC electric motors. AC drives come in several varieties, the most common of which are induction, synchronous, sensorless vector, and servo motors. They also deliver a number of benefits, including enhanced system control, reduced energy consumption, improved energy efficiency, and extended equipment lifespans. Leading suppliers include Schneider Electric, Siemens, ABB, and Omron.
Wire and Cable
Wire and cable are foundational components for your whole operation. Even if you’re attempting to create a wireless facility, you still need the right wire and cable solutions.
While there’s an extensive variety of wire and cable, there are a couple of specialized types that are particularly useful when trying to make a safer, more energy-efficient facility. NFPA 79-compliant hook-up wire is a good place to start. The NFPA 79 Electrical Standard for Industrial Machinery is a vital regulation because it establishes safeguards that protect operators, equipment, facilities, and products from fire and electrical hazards. It also standardizes how to properly wire and ground industrial machines and equipment.
Multiconductor cables are another popular category for this type of work and are generally either shielded or unshielded. Unshielded multiconductor cables are typically less expensive, easier to install, and easier to work with but don’t offer protection from electromagnetic interference (EMI). So, although they’re a little more expensive and a little less flexible, shielded cables offer reliable signal protection in environments where high-powered equipment may transmit rogue electromagnetic frequencies. Leading wire and cable suppliers include Southwire, Lapp Group, Alpha Wire, and Belden.
Circuit Protection Products
Molded case circuit breakers are a crucial part of effective circuit protection strategies for applications where miniature circuit breakers aren’t sufficient. They’re typically used when load currents require you to regulate a wide range of voltages, and they serve three main functions: protecting against overload, protecting against electrical faults, and switching circuits on and off.
Leading suppliers of molded case industrial circuit breakers including Eaton, ABB, Siemens, and Schneider Electric can provide you with the confidence of reliable circuit protection that fits your exact needs.
Sourcing Total Electrical Solutions for Upgrading Industrial Facilities
RS offers an extensive range of electrical solutions from industry-leading suppliers. Our vast selection of electrical solutions for industrial facilities includes more than 49,000 in-stock and ready-to-ship solutions ranging from disconnect switches and electronic connectivity products to power conditioning products, motors and motor control solutions, wire and cable, and circuit protection products.
Our team has the technical expertise to help you design for scalability, ensure regulatory compliance, and achieve your operational efficiency and sustainability goals. For more information about industrial electrical solutions, including a thorough introduction to electrical connectivity, check out industrial electrical articles and interviews in our Expert Advice series.
For assistance identifying and deploying electrical solutions that are optimized to overcome your unique challenges and achieve your modernization goals, please contact your local RS representative at 1.866.433.5722 or reach out to our technical product support team.
