HARTING’s tips on saving big with its power-bus systems, connectors

Hard-wiring has been largely replaced with more efficient systems, according to HARTING.

Manufacturers today are switching from hard wiring to connectors and power-bus systems – especially in power distribution, machine connectivity, and motor control – to save money and time while boosting automation-system reliability. As a world-renowned team of experts in connectivity solutions, HARTING has plenty of advice to offer on design, integration, and installation to determine what connector is suitable for a specific application. Shifting design architectures to decentralized control results in lower cost and design flexibility.

Hardware standardization and design customization

The costs of copper and the inflexibility of centralized control systems have led to the popularity of decentralized control strategies. In decentralized control architecture, power-bus systems are created for common voltages and multiple device protocols. Hardware standardization and design flexibility/customization are the two key benefits of this system.

Designers of decentralized control systems must consider the following points:

• Choose a connector that is physically impossible to install into the wrong receptacle;
• Pick power-bus products that comply with the circuit’s current requirements and follow the NEC tap rule guidelines;
• Calculate the current requirements for the overall feeder circuit to optimize the benefits of the power-bus system;
• When limited by smaller gauge wire drops to the device, use a disconnect;
• Follow the UL 508 guidelines to determine the machine or panel interrupting ratings; and
• Select a motor-rated disconnect with auxiliary contact to show orientation of the switch, to be compliant with UL 508 lockout-tagout guidelines at the drive controller or across the line motor.

The user can now implement decentralized control architecture with simple feeder-circuit and branch-circuit drops to devices. These solutions save time, allow easier installation and maintenance, and need less copper.

In the past, motors were hardwired to control boxes permanently mounted to machines. Contemporary designs use connectors on motors or in control panels, saving time and money during outages with labour and production savings.

By using HARTING connector solutions or power-bus systems, users realize cost savings due to material, labour, and up time after the second or third installation or connect/disconnect cycle. Trust the HARTING team for up-to-date connectivity.

For more information, contact HARTING.

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