In any process or manufacturing environment, the goal is to produce a product with the highest quality while minimizing expenses. To achieve this, manufacturers rely on various types of equipment, including automated machines, which are controlled by cabinets. The cabinet control design is the process of designing and constructing the cabinets that house and control the automated machines. The design must take into account the specific requirements of the machines, the manufacturing process, and the environment in which the cabinet will be used.
To ensure the quality of the final product, the cabinet control design must adhere to the following 5 key principles:
Hierarchy:
Cabinet control designs must be organized into a hierarchy that allows for easy identification and maintenance. This enables workers to monitor the health of their systems at any given time and take appropriate action when necessary.
Standardization:
The standardization principle applies not only to the organization of the cabinets but also to their components. All hardware within each cabinet should conform to a single standard size or type so that it can easily be replaced if necessary. This also makes it easier for manufacturers to make repairs when needed.
Modularity:
Modularity means that each component of the cabinet can be easily disassembled and reassembled. This allows for easy maintenance and repair of individual components, as well as making it easier to replace them if necessary.
Modularity also allows for flexibility in manufacturing processes. If a certain machine is no longer needed or outdated, it can be removed from its cabinet and replaced with another one without disrupting production on other machines housed in other cabinets.
Flexibility:
Flexibility refers to the ability of a system or device to change its configuration quickly and easily.
For example, if a company has multiple systems of industrial automation in Auckland in production at once, it may need multiple cabinets for each machine type in order to accommodate different processes or phases of production at the same time. When two different machines are used at once, flexibility enables them to work together without interfering with one another’s operations.
Simplicity:
Simplicity refers to having fewer parts and connections between parts so that there are fewer potential points of failure in the system. This makes it easier and faster to fix problems when they occur, which increases the overall reliability of the final product.
Conclusion:
A high-quality cabinet control design produces products with the highest quality and minimum expenses.
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