The Electrical Engineer WA

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What ISO 9001 Means for Electrical Switchboard Manufacturers

Quality assurance is important to many industries, but few rely on it as much as the electrical switchboard industry. With electronic components being made and supplied all over the world and switchboards used in remote, harsh environments, standards are needed to ensure reliable and safe products. Benefits of ISO ISO has changed the world regarding international trade and regulation. The main benefits of implementing ISO include: Barriers to international trade have been brought down as standardisation has improved efficiency of production and trade Solutions to national and international problems have been developed Technical detail and safety requirements haven’t needed to be reinvented time and again because organisations are adhering to the same ones What ISO 9001 Means ISO 9001 relates to quality management and improving customer satisfaction. A quality management system defines how an organisation can meet the requirements of clients and stakeholders. It is based on

Features of Transportable Switchrooms

Transportable switchrooms aren’t an out of the box product. The client’s industry type, weather conditions, and switchboard will determine how the room will look and function. There are some features of a transportable switchroom that are standard while others are options a client may decide to take up. Features The following is a list of standard or custom features available for transportable switchrooms. Modular Construction As part of the design process, consideration needs to made of the transportation and fitout of the switchroom. The room may need to travel on some of the roughest roads in Australia to get to its final destination. Depending on the fit-out of the transportable, removable wall and roof panels may be used for easier and quicker equipment installation and removal. Otherwise, the room can be designed, manufactured and transported as one complete unit. Fire Alarm System & Suppression Transportable switchrooms can be wired with fire alarm systems and also

Differences Between Enclosure Materials for Electrical Switchboards

There are two main choices in steel for enclosing your electrical switchboard - stainless steel and mild steel. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Threats Switchboards installed outside are at much greater risk than those indoors. The threats can be compounded by the environment including heavy rain, high levels of humidity, corrosive minerals such as sea salt, dust and UV radiation. If the switchboard is in an insecure area, there is also the risk of vandalism. Stainless Steel The greatest benefit of using stainless steel is that it’s impervious to corrosion and staining. The chromium and nickel within stainless steel stop the corrosion occurring. However, it is harder than most other materials to work with and cut because it is structurally strong. There are multiple grades of stainless steel. The most common one is 304 which contains 18% chromium and 8% nickel while 316 contains 16% chromium, 10% nickel and 2% molybdenum. The increased component of nickel makes h

5 Questions to Ask about the On-Site Installation of your Electrical Switchboard

It’s one thing to design and manufacture the perfect switchboard and another to have the on-site installation go to plan. Here are five questions you should ask your switchboard contractor before you sign a contract. 1. Do your staff have on-site experience? Experience working for the manufacturer in their factory is not the same as installing the equipment on-site, particularly if the location is remote and conditions are harsh. You need to ensure most of the staff sent on-site have installation experience as this is often a different skillset to the skills required on the factory floor. Ideally, the installation team will have worked on projects in industries that are similar to yours. 2. How much testing will you do before coming on-site and should we be involved? Delays can be costly for all parties, so you want to be sure the application is going to work as soon as installation is complete. Ask to see a copy of the test plans to ensure they are thorough. Ideally, the client

What is a PLC?

A programmable logic controller is a digital computer used for automation of typically industrial electromechanical processes. Invented in the late 1960’s, programmable controllers were primarily used in machinery on factory floors but they are used in many machines needed across a variety of industries. PLCs are designed for multiple arrangements of digital and analog inputs and outputs. They need to be able to stand the rigors of factory floors and their temperature ranges, electrical noise, vibrations and impacts. A PLC can run an automatic machine year after year with little ‘assistance’ from humans. PLCs are an example of a "hard" real-time system where output results are produced in response to input conditions within a limited time. The PLC programs are a set of instructions to turn on and off outputs based on input conditions and the internal program. PLCs have continued to evolve over the years and become more intelligent. PLCs have been used in electrical communi

The Importance of Quality Factory Acceptance Testing

When a business is purchasing and installing switchboard equipment integral to the success of the organisation, the purchaser needs reassurance that it will perform as it should. Quality Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) allows clients to achieve this. Switchboards aren’t pulled from a box and plugged in. They are fully customised to the requirements of the purchasing business so they are built to meet agreed specifications. FAT is one of the last customer-to-supplier feedback methods to help ensure that the customer’s expectations are met prior to shipping, installation and startup. The dialogue that occurs during FAT can be valuable in uncovering potential issues that may not have been discussed or considered earlier in the design process. Any minor adjustments can be made before shipping, so the purchaser receives equipment that is perfect for their requirements. FAT has quickly become a standard final step to make sure installations and startups go off without a hitch. The advant