Drives & Controls Magazine November/December 2024

ELECTRICIAL n k REO mains chokes are manufactured to international quality standards; by utilizing them in your equipment, you can increase the reliability of your products and achieve energy efficiency gains through power factor improvement. REO UNITY Chokes – Advancing energy efficiency ENHANCE PERFORMANCE AND CUT COSTS WITH REO CHOKES REO UK Units 2-4 Callow Hill Road Craven Arms Business Park Craven Arms Shropshire SY7 8NT Mail: main@reo.co.uk Web: www.reo.co.uk is too low, wires could overheat and, ultimately, cause a re that puts lives in danger. Even if the overheating does not result in a re, it could damage the machinery, causing unplanned downtime and additional costs relating to the repair and replacement of damaged components. Electrical cabinets on machines are often secured using shaped locks with a central pin. However, it is common to nd the central pin broken o , either by accident or deliberately, which allows the lock to be operated with a straight screwdriver or improvised tool. As a result, access is not restricted to skilled or instructed persons, so other people are at risk of electric shock. Another error is to have cables entering the top of an enclosure. Although BS EN 60204-1 is not explicit about this, it does say that ‚exible conduits and cables must allow liquids to drain away from the ttings. If these enter the top of the enclosure, it is not possible for liquids to drain away as required. Other common ways in which electrical equipment does not comply with BS EN 60204-1 relate to the labelling of cables, wires and terminals, the labelling of enclosures, inconsistent identi cation between the machine and the documentation (drawings or wiring diagrams), poorly supported cables, and inadequate earthing and bonding. Coulson and Skyrme jointly authored a White Paper, called BS EN 60204-1 for machine builders and panel builders – a guide to avoiding common errors*. This presents approximately 80 ways in which this standard’s requirements are often not met. The paper has been published by Safe Machine, which hopes the guidance will help machine-builders and panel-builders to improve their compliance. The authors look at each clause in BS EN 60204-1 and highlight areas where electrical equipment is often non-compliant, so you can readily cross-check between the paper and the standard. Complying with the standard does not usually cost more or take longer. In fact, if electrical engineers and electricians are aware of the common errors, they should be able to avoid them easily. Moreover, if a machine complies with BS EN 60204-1, there is less likelihood of problems arising when a customer conducts a pre-delivery UKCA/CE marking audit. After all, rework at this late stage in a project is costly and can jeopardise delivery dates. Most importantly, the White Paper explains why non-compliance can result in risks for machine users and maintainers. Compliance is not simply a matter of box ticking; it will make the machine safer. It can also improve reliability, reduce unplanned stoppages and reduce a machine’s total cost of ownership (TCO). n *You can download a free copy of the White Paper from www.safemachine.co.uk/ wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ SM-White-Paper-@A4-Apr-24-1.pdf. Alternatively, email derek@safemachine.co.uk Compliance with BS EN 60204-1 can improve safety and reliability, and reduce unplanned stoppages and TCO

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