Everything in the box

Energy efficiency in control cabinets saves costs

Well-organized wiring is crucial for the functionality and ease of maintenance in an electrical enclosure. © Pixabay/Bru-nO

Making processes more efficient also has a positive impact on the energy balance. Here too, IoT helps to increase efficiency through the data it collects. Weak points such as excessive power consumption can be identified more quickly using digital data and then optimized. Efficiency is also important for an electrical enclosure in terms of air conditioning. This is because the ever smaller electronic components and the resulting increase in packing density in control cabinets have increased the sensitivity of the systems to external influences such as dust, humidity and temperature. Too much heat is particularly damaging for microelectronics.

The correct insulation can also be permanently monitored using real-time data and corrected if necessary. This is very important because good insulation helps to regulate the temperature inside. In this way, the right insulation helps to ensure that the functionality of the enclosure is not impaired. For example, without effective insulation, short circuits can occur, components can be damaged or even cause fires. In order to be able to evaluate the effectiveness of the insulation, there are various sensors that can be integrated and that can measure and thus monitor parameters such as temperature or humidity.

An important tip is that the control cabinet should be installed in a location where the ambient temperature is low and stable. The use of energy-efficient components such as relays, contactors and other control components can also reduce overall energy consumption. Implementing these measures can significantly improve energy efficiency in control cabinet applications.

Modularity and expandability

For an enclosure to keep pace with technological progress, it must have a flexible and modular design. This also ensures easy scalability: thanks to a flexible design or plug-and-play solutions, new modules can be easily added or existing modules replaced without having to redesign the entire enclosure. This is particularly relevant for industries in which systems are often adapted or redesigned.

The use of pre-assembled modules is also an advantage, as these often consist of prefabricated components that speed up installation. For companies that are still at the beginning of their digital control cabinet and are still cautious, it is advisable to invest in control cabinets that can be expanded with additional components. This allows further intelligent components such as smart breakers or additional communication interfaces to be used without any problems. Future control cabinets will then be able to use intelligent circuit breakers that measure and monitor power consumption and voltage, for example. The main advantage of modular control cabinets is that they are easier to adapt to new requirements. The advantage of this is that the entire control cabinet does not always have to be replaced.

Safety and maintenance

When planning control cabinets, compliance with regulations and standards is an important aspect. One of the best-known standards is DIN EN 61439, which regulates the design, safety and testing of enclosures. One important factor is the consideration of heat generation, as the heat trapped inside can impair the function of electrical components. In addition to DIN EN 61439, other standards are also relevant to enclosure construction, including the EMC regulations, which define central rules on electromagnetic compatibility, for example. It is also necessary to regularly check whether these standards and other functionalities of the enclosure are intact in order to ensure constant safety. Carrying out regular maintenance work is therefore also an essential component for companies and even mandatory in Germany, for example to avoid electrical faults such as short circuits or overvoltage and to prevent consequential damage.

It is also necessary to check and, if necessary, adapt and expand to new technologies in order to keep the control cabinet as up-to-date as possible. Automated processes such as AI, which predicts maintenance requirements and even takes proactive measures, can also be used for maintenance itself. Specifically, AI monitors the condition of the components via the sensor data and analyzes it. If it detects a deviation in temperature or current fluctuations, it can react immediately to the malfunction and possible insulation problems.

AI is also used to make potential failures more predictable: In predictive maintenance, AI accesses historical real-time data and predicts when a failure may occur in the system or in individual components, such as the service life of relays. With the help of planning software backed by AI, machine learning algorithms and data analysis are combined. This makes it possible to create automated maintenance reports that contain recommendations for action and thus provide a clear decision-making aid for design engineers.

Switch cabinet goes smart

Efficient production requires companies to invest in the digitalization of enclosures. End-to-end digitalization of all work steps along the entire value chain leads to a holistic and smart solution approach. This helps to ensure that every process is better understood, also thanks to the integration of IoT technologies, with which optimized data exchange in real time leads to greater efficiency. The modularity and expandability of control cabinets make them a crucial element in modern industrial automation. They enable companies to react more flexibly and quickly to changes in the market or in technology. In addition, future control cabinets will be designed even more for energy efficiency. Companies that recognize and implement the relevance of smart enclosures at an early stage will be able to gain competitive advantages.

Tobias Thelemann, Product Manager Mechanical Components and Electrical Installation, Reichelt Elektronik