How to Prevent Machine Breakdown.
Machine breakdowns are a huge time and money drain on manufacturing operations. Unexpected shutdowns can be very disruptive, and the time taken to get everything up and running again is essentially money down the drain. Therefore, the primary focus of our thyristor power controllers is to minimise the chances of this happening and facilitate trouble-free running.
Here we will show you how to prevent machine breakdown along with some of our products that provide the solution:
Robust and Reliable Operation
Traditional mechanical relays or contactors have moving parts which wear out, get dirty and fail over time. Even when working exactly as expected – which isn’t a given with any component with moving parts – these sorts of switches will need replacing on a regular basis. The downtime needed for a scheduled replacement creates a problem. But not nearly as big a problem as the unexpected breakdowns, which are always a risk with this sort of switch. Solid state relays (SSRs), or Thyristor Power Controllers don’t have moving parts. This avoids these issues altogether and provide much more reliable long-term operation without the need to regularly be replaced and with a far lower risk of breakdowns. Because we manufacture our thyristors with reliability as the main goal, we can reduce downtime by a startling 95%.
Eliminate Power Problems
The various power demands of heating elements and other components means that a tight control over the amount of power flowing through equipment is essential. Power surges can cause major problems with burning out components and tripping circuit breakers. As any manufacturing operation knows, start-up can be a flash point (no pun intended) for these sorts of issues. Our thyristors include features like soft start to avoid sudden power surges or power demands at start up for specific types of heating elements. Having fine and responsive control over power levels greatly reduces the risk of breakdowns caused by sudden changes in the amount of power going through the systems.
Increased Component Life
Some components, including heating elements, have different power demands at different points in their life cycle or their operating cycle. Systems like our Phase Angle Control can vary the voltage to keep a consistent power output as required in some operations. This means that elements which require more power because of increased resistance as they age get that increased power. But most elements have greatest resistance when they’re cold and adding too much voltage can risk ‘super-charging’ them which can cause all kinds of problems. Having the right amount of power at the right time for components greatly increases their working life. Our thyristors have useful control parameters that help achieve this. An example is to switch between voltage feedback, to limit voltage during the warmup phase of a heater’s operation, then switching to power feedback during normal operation.
It goes without saying that getting the right power control device and using it in the way best suited to your operation is key in preventing breakdowns. To talk to us about installing reliable power control solutions that significantly reduce breakdowns and downtime, give us a call on 01323 811 100.
