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Industrial Electronics: How Can I Get My Employees Up to Speed?

In order to handle more and more demanding tasks, modern industrial electronics are becoming increasingly sophisticated. They share some basic components with household electronics such as microcontrollers but require significantly more electric power to operate.

Industrial electronics need both low and high voltage supply, so an electrical regulation mechanism is a central part of the setup.

Electrical Considerations

Most industrial setups utilize a 480V 3 phase system, with larger ones like power generation plants requiring even higher voltage. Depending on your power needs, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) provides various guidelines on the kind of installations you should have.

A major distinction between electrical and electronic circuits is that electronics have processing capabilities while electrical circuits don’t. Electronics can interpret signals and perform a task associated with the command. While electronics need electricity to work, they also require more complex circuits.

As an industrial electrician, you’re required to be conversant with a wider range of electrical systems. These range from microcurrent components to more sensitive, high voltage production processes.

Main Tasks Associated with Industrial Electronics

Industrial electronics are found in all automated production processes. Although your employees might go on to specialize, the scope covered in training includes:

• Design: They should be able to design various aspects of required components. These range in complexity, from plain electrical fuses to programmable logic controllers (PLCs). Successful designs should ideally result in industrial processes that conserve power and manufacture consumer electronics that focus on energy management.
• Installation: The number of processes, equipment, and components involved in industrial electronics is astounding. They include mass production plants, laboratories, power plants, thyristors, magnetic sensors, and surge protection devices. Robotics are increasingly taking over industrial processes, so automation is a central aspect of the installation process.
• Repairs: Your electricians should be able to diagnose faults within an industrial setup and suggest or implement fixes. Common electrical problems include malfunctions due to heat generation, loose connections, defective wiring, and burnt fuses. These mostly affect coils, hydraulic equipment, and motor drives.
• Maintenance: It includes the testing and calibration of laboratory equipment, torque tools, pressure meters, multimeters, thermometers, and sound level meters. Capacitors, human-machine interfaces, variable frequency converters, and other important components should be regularly maintained. This prevents losses caused by wear and tear.

It’s also important to keep abreast of new developments in the industrial electronics field. Newer, faster components could translate into huge savings for your entire manufacturing process.

Applications

Industrial electronics have broad applications due to their compatibility with several manufacturing processes, such as:

• Automotive engineering. Design, performance scrutiny, safety assessment, and assembly all use industrial electronics.
• Control systems manufacturer
• Factory automation, which sees countless products being manufactured without any variation in quality.
• Mechatronics and robotics
• Pharmaceuticals
• Oil, gas, and other mining operations.
• Power electronics

It’s safe to conclude that industrial electronics are applicable in almost all automated processes. The general skills needed are knowledge of computer software and hardware, DC-AC theory, and integrated circuits. Further specialization should see you gain skills such as the ability to operate PLCs, motor drives, sensors, and microcontroller programming.

Why Safety Training Matters

Industrial electronics deal with high voltage systems, which present a danger to you and your employees. The four main consequences of poor safety are electric shock, electrocution, burns, and falls. Long term effects include permanent disability, loss of livelihood, and costly lawsuits for business owners.

While you might be alert to the dangers of electric shock, other unforeseen circumstances such as workplace falls might still prove fatal. Most electrical accidents are enabled by shoddy installations, unsafe environment, and substandard work conditions.

Such conditions are caused by:

• Using poorly maintained tools
• Failing to de-energize electric equipment during repair or inspection.
• Exposed live wires.
• Loose connections.

Safety training reminds you of the need to be alert when working with electrical components. It teaches you to not only take care of yourself but of your colleagues as well. Although OSHA provides a safety quick card that you can follow to prevent workplace electrical hazards, a certified safety course will go over and above these suggestions.

Learn More about Industrial Electronics

NTT Inc. provides the most comprehensive course on the subject, as well as a seminar on industrial electronics and circuits. This is exactly what you need to update your skills in this fast-changing field.

Other than refreshing your knowledge of important electricity concepts, you’ll also learn practical applications and top notch troubleshooting techniques. As an ACCET accredited organization, we ensure your training meets the highest industry standards. Don’t hesitate to contact us for more information on our courses.