Expanded Component Range Brings Harmony to Control Cabinets

Gianluca Fanchini, Industry Sector Marketing Manager of RS Components, looks at control cabinet components, and highlights that somehow there is the challenge of consistency when specifying panel hardware, in terms of form, fit and function.

From the operational perspective of a machine, the primary buzzwords are flexibility, agility, throughput and quality. If we take a step back and look at the design and build of the machine, we see some other expressions pop up — namely product integration, ease of installation and commonality.

“Design for build/manufacture” is a powerful ethos that pays huge dividends in the development of machines. By using families of parts that share dimensions, mounting formats, tooling and assembly procedures, machine design is now far removed from the hectic days a quarter of a century ago when a mishmash of different sized and shaped components were deployed.

Nowhere is this more obvious than on contemporary control panels, which have been around since the first automated electrical machine was pushed into service. They have evolved functionally since then, but when the ubiquitous rectangular battleship-grey cabinet first appeared, the aesthetic side of their evolution stalled. Couple this to random component formats and sizes and the control panel never really became the poster child for modern machinery, until now.

The Harmony range from Schneider Electric addresses all of these issues. As well as delivering expanded capabilities and greater human/machine interactions, its common aesthetic design makes control panels look far smarter and something that need not be hidden away.

Comprising robust, ergonomic and common-sized push buttons, switches and pilot lights, indicators, timers, sockets and potentiometers, panel designers can incorporate additional functionality, while installers see simpler installation thanks to a self-holding function when mounting, the ability to stack contact modules, and reliable and friction-locked fastening.

Functionality should always be top of the tree, but the Harmony range proves that design, build, maintenance and, of course, aesthetics needn’t be too low down either.

Editor's note: This is a sponsored blog post from RS Components.