You may have heard about the core elements of electrical enclosures, or the most effective ways to cut costs on panel building — but there are always a few details that might fall through the cracks. Control panel builders who go above and beyond the bare minimum consider the following elements of design to create the highest quality product for the best customer experience.
Unfortunately, documentation continues to be an afterthought for many shops. It doesn’t make a high profile impact on the customer right away, so documentation gets a few papers waved at it and then neglected. It’s not until industrial control panels need serious upgrades or repairs that documentation suddenly becomes so crucial.
Professional control panel builders should include readily accessible copies of the programming in every build, in whatever format the customer prefers – on CD, flash drive, or hosted in the cloud. When performing maintenance or field service, every change should also be documented and reflected in the same central reference.
Electrical enclosures should have temperature accommodations built right into the design, but some control panel builders go the extra mile with temperature monitoring. Even with the best designs, industrial control panels may overheat. A warning, even something as simple as a light, helps customers prevent a bigger problem before it starts.
Temperature considerations should also work around human nature. Industrial control panels may not be maintained or cleaned as often as the manual suggests. Something as simple as a dirty air filter can push panel temperatures over the limit. Control panel builders can design cooling elements with at least 25% extra capacity to buffer panels against an oven effect.
The dashboard of a car lays out the most important information with lights. As your customer operates a control panel on-site, what should they be able to see at a glance? Critical indication lights, such as PLC fault detections and battery life, can be added to the exterior of electrical enclosures to make maintenance and monitoring as painless as possible.
Larger panels may also benefit from interior lights, not only for ease of use but to ensure industrial safety for any user. When considering the final location of a panel, control panel builders can exceed expectations by adding lights to panels that will be installed in dark or narrow spaces.
With everything from these three tips to international regulations to remember and implement for every project, sometimes it just makes sense to partner with an experienced panel shop.
PanelShop.com builds custom control panels with the advantages of a single source provider. With customers all over the world, ordering online makes it possible to cut costs without sacrificing quality. Start now to get your free quote for a custom control panel, or just give us a call and we'll work closely with you to ensure your success.