Electrical control systems play an increasingly essential role in many industries, from food and drink manufacturing to oil and gas, engineering, construction, automotive, industrial processing and more. In fact, in most modern production facilities, you’ll find electrical control systems that direct the way different equipment and processes function to ensure they achieve their mechanical goals.
Electrical controls sit at the heart of every automated system to make it operate in the way the business wants it to. Enhanced productivity, increased safety, and improved efficiency are three of the significant benefits they bring. However, electrical control systems offer so much more.
Here we look at some of the main benefits of electrical control systems and how they can help you make your processes smarter, safer and more sustainable.
What is an electrical control system?
Automated process control has become an integral element of modern manufacturing and engineering. It supports a diverse array of industrial applications. It enables operators to minimise errors during the production process, improve efficiency and, ultimately, enhance the quality of the final output.
However, to unlock the full benefits of automation, industrial processes must be able to run in a predictable, precise and repeatable manner. Electrical control systems are required to monitor and adjust the full range of process variables to ensure the process runs in the most efficient and effective way. They comprise a network of electrical and electromechanical components that use ‘control loops’ to regulate the behaviour of dynamic process systems.
Control loops consist of hardware, including PLCs and actuators, which interpret the signals from sensors, control valves, breakers, switches, motors, and other similar devices, then transmit them back to a programme logic controller (PLC). The PLC processes the data, in real-time, against the the ‘setpoint’ – the ideal condition of each process variable – before applying the appropriate ‘corrective’ action to return the process value to its ideal setpoint.
What are the benefits of an electrical control system?
As we mentioned above, improved safety, productivity, and efficiency are three major benefits of electrical control systems, but there are several other advantages to investing in one, including:
Energy savings
Energy usage is a significant challenge in almost all production facilities, with operators always looking for ways to reduce their consumption to increase efficiency and minimise their environmental impact. Most plant equipment now utilises electrical instruments and devices to monitor and regulate every aspect of a production process. With the help of these components, operations can become more precise, leading to less energy usage.
Reduced safety risk
Safety is always a key consideration in any industrial process or plant operation. When heavy machinery is involved, the risk to human safety increases, especially if your people have to interact with equipment for manual handling, cleaning and maintenance. Processes that are automated and controlled electronically are far safer, present less risk to human operatives and help plant operators stay compliant with all the relevant safety regulations in their industry.
Consistent quality
Automated systems with electrical controls reduce the need for human interaction, which helps to eliminate simple human error. And because they are controlled with a greater degree of precision, more consistent, improved output quality can be achieved. Systems can also run at the same level of performance 24/7, without any variation in product quality.
Lower costs
Because automated systems process a vast amount of real-time data, potential issues can be anticipated and addressed before they become major problems. Electrical controls predict and correct variables to keep equipment and processes running smoothly and identify any performance issues caused by faulty or deteriorating components. This helps keep downtime to a minimum, as maintenance can be predicted and factored in at off-peak times. Also, vast amounts of data can be archived for future analysis in performance investigations or by process improvement engineers.
Environmental performance
As well as controlling the individual components within a process, an electrical control system can monitor a host of performance variables, from energy use and heat output to gas or dust emissions, to help mitigate its impact on the environment. Most of these can also result in cost savings, ensuring further efficiencies.
Increased flexibility
Electrical control systems bring a greater degree of flexibility and adaptability to most production processes. They can be reprogrammed quickly and easily with new production tasks to help speed-up changeovers or new product delivery.
How can Banelec help?
Banelec is a world leader in creating electrical control solutions.
We’ve integrated electrical controls, along with PLCs and robotics, into automated systems for some of the world’s biggest manufacturing brands.
So, if you’re looking to make your processes smarter, safer and more sustainable, our team of specialist electrical control system engineers can make it happen.
We bring diverse experience, knowledge and personality to every project we work on to exceed your requirements and specifications.
Our automation services include complete systems, electrical controls, robotics and conveyor controls. Whatever you do, if you want to do it better, get in touch.