The manufacturing landscape is changing in many ways; there are two significant trends affecting the power grid directly related to cost reductions. One is the addition of new or more automation into each process, and the second is more equipment added to the same space. Both of these trends affect the electrical grid to which they are connected, ultimately affecting equipment that relies on a very small signal to operate properly like sensors and controls.
Typical automation includes adding a significant amount of mobility devices such as robots, motors and other types of inductive loads that, if not properly protected, can affect the power grid by adding eddy currents and spikes. Without proper power planning, equipment will place an imbalanced load on the power grid, leading to the same power problems, plus brownouts and harmonics.
In this changing landscape, we need to ensure that the controls and sensors we rely on are functioning at optimum levels.
How does system interference protection work?
Electrical interference can be found through four typical entry points within any sensor or control system.
- Through the ground connection to the control system.
- Through the power supply connected to the control system.
- Through the sensor input connection (when it is grounded to the system like thermocouples).
- RF or electromagnetic interference.
The obstacle with each of these entry points is that "noise" or unwanted signals can take many forms. Fortunately each of these effects can only be measured and addressed appropriately when fully understood as a complete system.
To understand and address each entry point, Fast Heat has built a knowledge base of these issues through extensive testing in a lab and customer applications.
Each entry point has a specific set of protection points that can be applied:
- Floating ground isolation coupled with static discharge coupling for critical sensor supply circuitry ensures that ground transients will not make their way through to sensitive circuits.
- Power input line filtering for power supply inputs to the control or sensor system.
- High isolation (greater than 1000v) sensor input protection isolates critical sensors and allows them to function without interruption or failure.
- Proper design in the control and sensor system enclosure through appropriate RF shielding that drains away unwanted RF signals coming into sensitive control and sensor circuitry.
Fast Heat has taken extra steps to ensure our customers that our units are as noise-immune as possible, like CE (EM and LV directives), UL and CSA safety standards.
What are the benefits?
Clearly the benefit is the highly reliable control or sensor system that will remove noise as an obstacle, leading to better, faster productivity and overall quality.