With summer heat coming soon, proactive identification of critical hot spots can mean the difference between equipment failure and cool running. Heat’s damaging effects can cause weak links in your control system. Failure to identify these potential issues can lead to an array of obstacles.
Staffing shortages across the country make it difficult to keep up with regular inspections and audit. There are fewer team members available to maintain equipment in massive plants and facilities. How can one be proactive about mitigating issues and minimizing downtime?
Agilix Solutions and our partner nVent HOFFMAN can help to assist you with step-by-step instructions to determine which enclosure and cooling mechanism you may need – even virtually!
Effects of Damaging Heat
It is plain and simple; heat exerts significant stress on electronics. The life expectancy of electronics is cut in half for every 18°F rise over room temperature (72°F). For example, if it is 90°F you can expect the electronics’ life expectancy to be half of what was projected.
When components fail due to heat, the impact can be great:
- Component costs including warranty claims, material, and labor
- Productivity losses due to plant or line shutdowns including lost labor, scrapped product, and opportunity cost
- Customer satisfaction issues such as missed ship dates and quality concerns
Sources of Damaging Heat
The enclosure’s job is to protect your expensive components, but it can also trap heat that comes from the electronics it houses. The most common culprits include:
- Drives (VFD) and servos
- Transformers
- Power supplies
- Controllers (PLCs)
- Soft starters
- HMIs
- Relays/contractors
- Inverters
- Radio equipment
- Battery back-ups
- Server racks
- Processors
Ironically, many of the components that produce damaging heat are the most susceptible to it. We must alleviate the heat being produced and trapped inside, in addition to the ambient heat outside the enclosure.
Cooling & Condensation Solutions
While heat can be very detrimental, it can easily be defeated with a cooling solution. It is essential to protect electronics with cooling for optimal performance. Cooling is critical to extending operational life, ensuring smooth performance, maintaining valuable equipment warranties, preventing catastrophic failure, and maintaining productivity. Agilix Solutions offers a wide range of nVent HOFFMAN closed loop solutions to maintain your application – air conditioners, thermoelectric coolers, heat exchangers, and air movers. Options for battling condensation are also available to work in conjunction with your cooling solution.
How Does a Hoffman Thermal Audit Work?
A thermal audit quickly identifies problem areas and offers compelling evidence of excess heat that can affect performance and potentially damage your critical equipment. We will then recommend Hoffman thermal management solutions to help you minimize downtime and reduce maintenance costs. This video breaks it down:
Request a Control Cabinet Cooling Audit
As an nVent HOFFMAN Meridian Partner, Agilix Solutions provides you access to in-stock products, modification services, custom products and certified support that our competitors cannot offer. We are an authorized HOFFMAN on Demand distributor so you can rely on us to have the products you need available now. Need modifications to standard product? As your local HOFFMAN CERTIFIED MODIFICATION CENTER, we offer rapid holes and cutout modifications for your enclosures and back panels.
As we kick off the 2023 Thermal Audit Program with nVent HOFFMAN, you’re invited to take advantage of a free Control Cabinet Cooling Audit to proactively mitigate issues and minimize downtime. With temperatures rising, don’t let heat damage key components in electrical cabinets and enclosures. Contact your Agilix Solutions Account Manager or fill out this form on our website to request your own free Control Cabinet Cooling Audit.