Electrical control panels carry out vital functions within a multitude of industries. To achieve their specific goals, it’s important that industrial equipment and machines (such as electrical panels) have defined functions and structured control.
How Does an Electrical Control Panel Work?
Electrical control panels are typically a combination of multiple electrical devices and components. As an integral element of any automated manufacturing process, an electrical control panel is a device that uses electrical power to control different electrical assets or mechanical functions of industrial machinery or equipment.
What are the Types of Electrical Control Panel?
When considering types of electrical control panels, size and shape are important factors depending on individual requirements. This is partly due to the different environments in which an electrical control panel is likely to operate from. For example, in some settings a small box on the wall is sufficient.
However, in other applications it could be necessary to install a large electrical control panel which is placed in a dedicated plant room and consists of many long rows of floor standing cabinets.
Commonly in the UK, some electrical control panels will be situated in a control room which will comprise various control systems and be supervised by a small team of production coordinators. In other instances, a number of smaller control panels can be mounted locally to the application and connected via a data network back to a centralised control and monitoring system in an office or workshop.
Electrical Control Panel Components
There are a number of electrical control panel components including:
- Incoming Protection and Switching
- Relays and Contractors
- Energy Monitoring and Control
- Safety Systems
- Enclosures
- Programable Logic Controllers (PLC’s)
- Power and Energy Monitoring and Control
- Circuit and Load Protection
- Power Distribution Systems
- Variable Frequency Drives & Soft Starters
- Thermal Management and Ventilation
- Programmers, Times and Variable Frequency Drives
- Power Factor Correction, Surge Protection, and Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS)
Do You Need a Custom Electrical Control Panel?
Standard electrical control panels meet various systems demands. However, depending on the complexity of your systems requirements, it might be necessary to opt for a bespoke electrical control panel in order to meet your needs.
Standard and Bespoke Electrical Control Panels from GB Controls
With years of experience providing high quality electrical control panels and systems across a broad range of industries, GB Controls is able to meet your requirements in an efficient and effective manner.
To find out more, contact a member of the GB Controls team on 01282 871187 or alternatively, you can contact the team online.