Control Panels

Common Control Panel Project Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

BySvend Svendsen

A motor size changes after the panel layout is approved. A replacement VFD is selected because the original unit is unavailable. An Ethernet connection is shown on the drawings, but no one has defined who supplies the switch or assigns the network addresses. Inside an industrial control panel project, each one can affect several other…

Control Panels

How Panel Design Affects Maintenance and Troubleshooting

BySvend Svendsen

A motor stops, the HMI reports a fault, and the maintenance technician has to determine whether the problem is the motor, drive, control circuit, PLC logic, or communication path. Troubleshooting could take a few minutes or several hours depending on decisions made when the control panel was designed. Component placement, terminal layout, labeling, wire routing,…