Control Panels

How Panel Design Affects Maintenance and Troubleshooting

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,…

Motors

How To Troubleshoot Electric Motor Fluting

We rely on electric motors to power our machinery, but they are prone to various problems. One of these is electric motor fluting, particularly prevalent in large motors or when using Variable Frequency Drives. Fluting is accompanied by excessive heat, noise, and vibration, and is a sign that bearing failure, and ultimately motor failure, is…