Electrical Control Panel

Description

Electrical control panel

An electrical control panel is a metallic box that allows the person to control all electric equipment, appliances, and circuits mechanically by using electric energy. It gives an operator full access to the whole electric system of a specific location within one large electric board, and with that access, operators can monitor and maintain the entire electric power system. An electrical control panel provides the fastest and easiest method of troubleshooting and clearing issues, and multiple protection devices within an electrical control panel give safety to the whole power system of a specific power system.

An electrical control panel is an enclosure, typically a metal box or plastic molding which contains important electrical components that control and monitor a number of mechanical processes.

Structural Components

The structure of the electrical control panel gets designed in a way to house maximum electric equipment within its boundaries, keeping all running systems safe. There are two fundamental structural components of this type of panel. They are:

Switches are designed to interrupt or control the flow of electric current, essentially manipulating the movement of electrons through a circuit. The concept behind a switch is rooted in the basic principles of electricity and the use of conductive materials to facilitate current flow.

Main Switch consumer units, also known as fuse boxes or distribution boards, play a crucial role in safely distributing electricity throughout residential and commercial properties.

Possible components depends on needs:

• Main Circuit Breaker
• Branch Circuit Breaker
• Transformer or Power Supply
• Programmable Logic Controller (PLC)
• Human Machine Interface (HMI)
• Network Switch
• Relays
• Push Buttons or Pilot Lights
• Terminal Block

Control Panel is a complex electric board that has various power supplies or various step-down transformers installed on a single-line power source that offers reliable control and overview to the operator over a specific industry or building. The electrical control panel is a well-built metallic structure that houses a circuit breaker to control power supply, transformers for voltage leveling according to requirement, terminal blocks for housing different voltage level lines, PLCs for logical operation and automation, relays for control over connection, network switches for communication connectivity and HMI for allowing the operators to have authority and control over all operations. Electric companies around the world make custom electric panels that completely suit specific industry requirements.

Control Panel Body

In the control panel plays the role of its body, which is a metallic box made mostly either from aluminum or stainless steel. Its job is to house all equipment within it and provide electrical safety to the equipment from outdoor conditions, where its size depends on the required job. The enclosures have printed plate that shows the specification of the usage limits for the electric control panel, such as whether it could get used for indoor applications or outdoor applications, waterproof, dustproof, hazardous condition rating, and explosion-proof rating.

IP ratings

These ratings get decided by the NEMA classification of the electrical control panel after safety and IP testing.

The first digit offers a scale of 0–6 and relates to the protection levels against solids like dirt, sand, dust, and debris, while the second digit (0–8) represents protection against liquids like moisture and water. The higher the number, the greater the protection against solids and liquids. The first digit indicates the level of protection against solid objects and dust ingress.

IP66 is an Ingress Protection Rating and refers to dust tight and protected against powerful waterjets. The Ingress Protection Rating, also referred to as IP code or IP rating is an international standard which indicates the sealing effectiveness of mechanical housings against water and dust

An IP65 rated enclosure provides protection from low-pressure water jets from any direction. This is suitable for most outdoor enclosures that will not encounter any extreme weather such as water submersion.

• IP65 – Water resistant
• IP66 – Water resistant against powerful jets
• IP67 – Protected against complete temporary water submersion