INTERCONNECTION
Enhancing Electrical Safety at El Pomar Dairy
El Pomar is a renowned Colombian dairy company founded in 1953. With decades of experience in the dairy industry, the company has consistently prioritised product quality and safety.
R • • • •
ecently, El Pomar identified a critical need to improve electrical safety at their production facility to ensure a safer working environment for employees and better protection for their electrical equipment. The primary objective for El Pomar was to enhance electrical safety within their facility. This goal encompassed several key aspects:
Providing employees with a safer working environment.
Protecting electrical equipment to prevent damage and ensure longevity.
Reducing the risk of downtime due to electrical faults or failures.
Streamlining the operations of their industrial applications.
El Pomar faced several significant challenges in their quest to improve electrical safety:
Diverse Equipment: The factory’s critical components, including the milk steriliser, enzyme dosing system and powdered milk packaging machines, were manufactured by different companies. As a result, each piece of equipment had unique installations and wiring.
Disparate Electrical Cabinets: These machines operated independently in three different low-quality electrical cabinets, leading to inefficient use of space
and increased complexity in managing connections.
Complex Connections: While employees could safely operate the machines without an electrical license, the complex connections from different applications needed to be simplified to ensure seamless operation and safety.
Inconsistent Standards: The variation in equipment and cabinet quality made it difficult to maintain consistent electrical safety standards across the facility.
To address these challenges, CGS Optimize, a Mencom distributor in Colombia, proposed an innovative solution. They recommended consolidating the operations into a single, high-quality electrical cabinet. This approach would streamline the management of the equipment and enhance overall safety.
Key components integrated into the new electrical cabinet included:
Mencom’s Low-profile Panel Interface Connectors: These connectors protrude 75 percent less from the cabinet compared to standard metal housings. They are UL listed and available in three UL-listed sizes (LP1, LP2, LP3). These enclosures feature a transparent polycarbonate cover for component visibility and an IP65 rating. The unique locking mechanism on the sliding latch can be operated with a standard flat head screwdriver.
Mencom’s USB Port Adapters: These compact circular adapters, ideal for tight spaces, allow for easy connection and disconnection of equipment and can be readily mounted to a cabinet through a 1” diameter hole. Designed to use a single interface component, these circular port adapters offer several options including, but not limited to, RJ45, RJ11, USB Type A, USB Type B, BNC and fiber optic connectors. These port adapters are also UL listed providing IP65, IP69 rating.
The implementation of Mencom’s solutions, facilitated by CGS Optimize, yielded impressive results:
Enhanced Safety: Mencom’s Panel Interface Connectors and USB Port Adapters allowed the PLC to operate without opening the cabinet, significantly reducing the risk of electrical accidents, such as Arc Flash, and protecting operators. Improved Efficiency: By consolidating the equipment into one high-quality cabinet, El Pomar was able to streamline operations, reducing complexity and improving overall efficiency.
Time Savings: The new setup helped save PLC programming time, allowing for quicker adjustments and maintenance. Continuous Production: All these improvements were achieved without interrupting factory production, ensuring that El Pomar maintained its operational pace. Standardisation: For the first time, El Pomar could centralise equipment operation in one cabinet, standardising all programming and operating routines. This standardisation simplified training for employees and maintenance processes.
34 OCTOBER 2024 | ELECTRONICS FOR ENGINEERS
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