Customizing automation control panels is challenging, but skipping it is worse

The secret to finding a needle in the control panel haystack is knowing who to talk to.

Jameco has sponsored this post

Executives and decision makers know it’s not easy to automate industrial processes, but what they may not understand is why. The challenges arise from the fact that most facilities are made up of bespoke machines used to make specific parts, products or assemblies. Hence, there is rarely a one-size-fits-all solution.

Obvious examples of this phenomena can be seen with grippers, effectors and tools that physically interact with products or parts. This equipment must be tailored to hold, move and manipulate an object with specific geometry. But specialization doesn’t end there. An often-overlooked piece of customized equipment are industrial automation control panels. Afterall, if the control panel operates custom machinery, it makes sense that it also needs to be customized.

But these modifications aren’t easy. A search of Jameco, a supplier of industrial automation parts, for products only from MEAN WELL, which is just one of their manufacturing partners, comes up with almost 6,400 results. So, how does anyone make sense of it all?

To understand control panels and how one would go about customizing them for a particular application, engineering.com sat down with Gil Orozco, vice president of Product Management at Jameco and Harland Chen, field application engineer at MEAN WELL.

What is an industrial automation control panel?

Industrial automation control panels act as a central hub for all the components and tools used to monitor, instruct and integrate machinery. “Industrial automation control panels are the backbone of automation,” says Chen. “Panels enhance the efficiency, productivity, safety and quality of the system.”

Just like the machines they operate; panel parts need to be uniquely selected to meet particular needs. “The specific components used will depend on the intended function and complexity of the control panel,” confirms Orozco. “Customer applications are endless. [Selecting the right components] depends on what the customer requires.”

Even though contents can vary, control panels typically consist of:

• Circuit breakers and fuses, which cut the power supply in the event of excess current or faults in the system. This is done to protect other circuitry.
• Switches and/or buttons, which make up parts of the human machine interface (HMI) that enables human operators to manually control or preset operations.
• Indicators, which contain LED lights, computer monitors and gauges. These HMI parts are used to keep human operators informed of the status of the facility’s equipment.
• Power supplies, which includes the electrical batteries, generators and/or grid connections needed to ensure components operate.
• Control relays, which help control high-power devices or circuits with low power signals.
• Terminal blocks, which provide access points to connect and secure wires and cables.
• Programmable logic controllers (PLCs), which are advanced automation and control circuits used to manage equipment and systems based on measured inputs and code.

With the rise of Industry 4.0, many of these control panel components have become smarter. They can communicate with digital systems, connect to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and even digest data, predict performance or make decisions on how to operate. “The components are really in some respect endless,” says Orozco. “In some [instances], you have very smart components [and others] where you have some very basic analog components. So, it really starts with the customer’s application. How we make sense of all that depends on what the customer needs and how can we support them.”

In other words, each of the above parts must be optimized to the task being controlled by the panel. And since there are hundreds, maybe thousands of options for each part, engineering expertise is needed to ensure the panel is optimized to its needs.

What role do control panels play in industrial automation?

Control panels act as the brain and central nervous system of an automated facility. They regulate and manage systems using hardware, software and input data from HMIs, sensors, cameras and more. A control panel need not be fully automated. Some require human interactions, others can be autonomous, and many fall somewhere in between.

Chen explains, “By integrating the programming logic controls, the human machine interface … and various sensors and alternators, the control panels enable the real-time data acquisition and a precise control of the industrial operation.”

So, the benefits of the fully automated systems are that they offer consistent, precise and accurate control. In contrast, systems with human interactions may involve industrial operations that can be more unpredictable, requiring the oversight of human operators who can quickly adapt to a situation.

Automation control panel safety, compliance and regulations

Strict safety, compliance and regulation standards exist to prevent control panels from causing electrical shocks, fires and damage to people or property. “The control panel must adhere to this compliance and regulation to ensure safe operations,” Chen explains. Control panels require “electrical safety, proper grounding and protection against flash cases. Compliance with standards like UL 508A in the U.S., or ‘CE markings’ in Europe and the CSA certification in Canada are essential.”

He also notes the importance of ensuring the electronics operate at safe temperatures, meet environmental safety requirements and have ingress protection (IP) ratings — which measures how well an electrical device is protected from water or dust.

Since so much customization comes into play when finding the right automation control panel, ensuring that it meets safety, compliance and regulation standards is not easy. So once again, engineering expertise is required to guarantee success.

Engineering expertise for industrial control panels

Jameco offers almost 60 different DIN rail terminal blocks from MEAN WELL alone. When other manufacturing partners are included in the search, the number increases by a factor of three.  So, how does anyone know which control panel parts are needed for their particular setup?

Chen and Orozco suggest contacting Jameco and MEAN WELL directly. “It boils down to the customer’s needs,” says Orozco. “Applications and components are endless and there are many different brands and options … We need to understand the [given] application to provide a solution to the customer. And that’s where Jameco and MEAN WELL come in … We take an approach to understanding the customer’s requirements to show what total solutions we can offer them.”

Chen used the example of sizing a power supply. “The power supply we evaluate is based on the necessary functionalities of the [given] control panel. We consider the components, space [and] installation of the power supply.”

With the help of Jameco and MEAN WELL, manufacturers can make sense of all the available options, components and customizations they can add to their control panels. Instead of being lost in a forest of part numbers and compliance documentation, they will see a path to the right solution for a given situation.

“We evaluate based on the region, power and customer,” adds Chen. “If the customer needs to meet a specialized safety standard, our factories in China and Taiwan offer the certification needed for the specific safety and power supply standard.”

For more information on automation control panels solutions, read more about industrial power components.