We found 86 posts about Maintenance from DO Supply, a global automation parts
reseller focused on hard-to-find and obsolete industrial automation products.
Modern motor control relies heavily on variable frequency drives, yet the components that safeguard them are often the first to suffer budget cuts. Line reactors, also known as input reactors, are often seen as optional add-ons rather than necessary safety measures. The electrical mechanics underlying reactor protection, the failure types that reactors avoid, and the cost justification for implementing them on each drive installation are all discussed in this article. In simple terms, an input reactor is a three-phase inductor placed between a drive’s input terminals and the incoming AC power source. Its purpose is surprisingly straightforward: it increases the line’s impedance. In a drive environment, this impedance smooths out the abrupt current spikes that occur each time the drive’s rectifier bridge charges its DC bus capacitors, as it resists rapid current changes. Drives convert incoming AC to DC using an SCR bridge rectifier or diode. Because the current is drawn in brief...
Teams with short timeframes set up Rockwell’s PowerFlex drives every day, and most of that work only touches the handful of parameters needed to make a motor spin: voltage, frequency, and a start reference. Once the motor turns, the commissioning checklist gets signed off, and everyone moves on to the next job. But PowerFlex drives feature dozens of secondary parameters that regulate efficiency, thermal load, fault tolerance, and lifespan. When these are left at their defaults and never reviewed, the drive still runs, but often well below its capabilities. Factory settings on a PowerFlex drive exist for one reason: broad compatibility. They are built to work across a wide range of motors and applications, which means they are rarely ideal for any single fixed installation. A default acceleration ramp, carrier frequency, or stall timer is enough to get a drive running. Still, it won’t match the thermal properties of a specific motor, the inertia of a specific load, or the electrical...
Modern industrial automation relies heavily on Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs). PLCs are ruggedized, microprocessor-based industrial computers used to govern critical industrial processes across chemical processing plants, oil & gas systems, food packaging systems, water & wastewater treatment plants, manufacturing, and other industrial complexes. While control engineers and system integrators invest substantial effort into optimizing PLC control code, network configurations, and field input/output devices, a stable PLC power supply is equally vital for reliable system performance. Although PLCs are inherently designed to withstand harsh environmental conditions, such as vibration, extreme temperatures, and dirt, they do require a highly consistent power supply to function properly. An uninterrupted power supply prevents data corruption, logic errors, and catastrophic downtime in any PLC-controlled automation system. A stable PLC power supply readily converts variable line...
When it comes to installing motor drives, there are three different ways to do it: Exactly by the book to ensure maximum efficiency, the “yeah, that looks about right” way, and the wrong way. The by-the-book way will go exactly as you would expect. It’s the “about right” way that may lead to unforeseen struggles, such as a hot motor, when the smaller details are overlooked. Believe us, there is no shame in these installs, and if you’re wondering why your motors are getting hot after a VFD install, stick around to find out why. Heat is the leading cause of industrial motor failure. The 10-Degree Rule is a good baseline to calculate motor insulation degradation based on how hot the motor is running relative to its rated temperature: \-20C leads to 4x longer life -10C leads to 2x longer life +10C leads to 2x shorter life +20C leads to 4x shorter life Order Allen-Bradley PowerFlex 525 Drives Here Your motor will have an insulation class rating that indicates the maximum temperature to...
Modern-day electronics have become the new normal within industrial settings. Take a look up in a factory, and you may see rows of LED lights. Turn to the right, and a conveyor line powered by VFD-driven motors could be humming along, while to the left, a robotic arm may be sorting products for palletization. It’s incredibly easy to see this technology on the surface: you plug it in, set the parameters, and watch it go. The problem is that all of this equipment has to live on the same electrical system. Just as drinking dirty water would harm our bodies, electronics receiving dirty power could also show symptoms of their own illness, such as increased heating, lower life spans, and nuisance tripping. Harmonics are among the most common forms of dirty power and are produced by devices such as rectifiers, inverters, fast-switching devices, and more. These are your VFDs, variable power supplies, switch-mode power supplies, PWM-operated devices, and even EV chargers. Before getting into...
Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) are widely used in modern industries to optimize process control, minimize power consumption, and extend equipment lifespan. The Allen-Bradley PowerFlex series stands out for providing high-performance motor control with precise torque control and simplified automation integration. However, VFD operations can induce damaging high-frequency stray currents and common-mode voltages on motor shafts. These high-frequency currents often discharge through the motor bearings, resulting in accelerated bearing wear and premature equipment failure. The destructive impact of VFD-induced high-frequency currents on motor bearings is a widely recognized engineering issue. Connecting standard AC motors to variable frequency drives (VFDs) like the PowerFlex drives exposes them to stray currents and high-frequency voltage spikes. When under pure sinusoidal utility power, destructive stray currents do not exist. Catastrophic mechanical failure and structural degradation...
Mechanical wear in motor-driven systems is inevitable. It usually stems from repeated stress events, such as hard, abrupt stops, frequent cycling, or sudden load changes. These events can be reduced with motor control to minimize wear and tear on your system. This is where AC drives, or variable frequency drives (VFDs), come into play. They are installed for superior motor control, allowing the user to adjust voltage, frequency, torque, and speed to allow for a more efficient system. Learning how to properly do so will pay dividends in a smoother-running system. Direct-on-line (DOL) motor starts are the primary initiator of premature mechanical wear in industrial systems. When a three-phase induction motor is energized without drive control, inrush current reaches 600–800% of full-load rated current within the first 100–200 milliseconds. The resulting electromagnetic torque spike can reach 150–300% of rated torque and is transmitted instantaneously through the shaft, coupling, and...
Allen-Bradley PanelView terminals from Rockwell Automation are core Human-Machine Interface (HMI) solutions for industrial automation. While ideal for climate-controlled industrial settings, cold storage and outdoor deployments present significant extreme environmental challenges, such as sub-zero temperatures and direct UV & solar radiation. Optimizing PanelView terminals for such extreme environmental conditions requires strategic hardware selection (e.g., robust enclosures such as NEMA 4X-rated enclosures), precise thermal management strategies, and comprehensive preventive maintenance practices. This article explores the operational parameters of PanelView terminals deployed in extreme industrial environments. It presents a comparative analysis of specific PanelView terminal models, practical environmental mitigation strategies, and proactive failure-prevention techniques. Standard PanelView terminals are designed to operate within specific temperature ranges (typically 0°C to...
Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs), servo drives, and DC drives are the workhorses of motion control in industrial automation. Their internal semiconductor junctions, IGBTs, power diodes, and electrolytic capacitors, are thermally sensitive. Empirical data from semiconductor reliability models (Arrhenius equation) indicate that a 10°C rise in junction temperature reduces component life by approximately 50%. Conversely, proper thermal management can extend drive life beyond the manufacturer’s 10-year design horizon. This article provides a quantitative framework for cooling and enclosure design specific to drives, focusing on heat load calculation, airflow dynamics, ingress protection (IP) trade-offs, and active versus passive cooling strategies. For engineers responsible for specifying, installing, or maintaining drives, understanding these principles is not optional, it is the difference between a 5-year service life and a 15-year one. To extend drive life, one must first understand...
Industrial control systems built on legacy Modicon PLC platforms continue to operate at the core of production, utilities, and process industries worldwide. Systems based on Modicon 984 , Quantum (140 series), Premium (TSX series), and Momentum platforms remain in active service despite approaching or exceeding their intended lifecycle. While these systems are often stable and well-understood, the challenge is no longer purely operational reliability, but rather long-term sustainability under hardware obsolescence, diminishing vendor support, and shrinking spare parts availability. Many of these systems were engineered for deterministic control and robustness, which explains their longevity, but they were not designed for indefinite lifecycle support in modern industrial environments. Join us today as we go over a technical approach to spare parts management, lifecycle risk mitigation, and long-term support planning for aging Modicon PLC systems. Source Modicon M580 PLCs Here A...
Allen-Bradley is one of the most trusted names in industrial automation worldwide. From manufacturing plants, Building Management Solutions, and oil refineries to water treatment facilities and food processing lines, Allen-Bradley drives and PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers) power critical infrastructure across virtually every sector of modern industry. Yet even the most reliable industrial systems encounter faults, trip events, and communication errors. When an Allen-Bradley drive trips unexpectedly or a PLC fails to execute logic correctly, production lines can halt within seconds, resulting in lost output and costly downtime. The ability to diagnose and resolve these issues quickly is not just a technical skill; it is an operational necessity. This guide walks through the most common Allen-Bradley drive (focusing on the 525 , 700 , and 750-series ) and PLC (CompactLogix and ControlLogix ) faults encountered in real-world environments. For each issue, you will find an...
Programmable logic controllers process two fundamental categories of field signals: analog inputs and digital inputs. Each signal type has distinct electrical characteristics, wiring requirements, module architecture, and failure behavior. When faults occur on either input type, the diagnostic approach differs significantly. Engineers and technicians who understand the behavior of analog vs. digital input systems are better positioned to identify faults quickly and implement corrections. This article provides a structured technical framework for troubleshooting analog input vs digital input errors in PLC systems. A digital input signal is binary in nature. The field device, such as a pushbutton, proximity sensor, limit switch, or relay contact, produces either a voltage-present or voltage-absent condition. The PLC digital input module interprets this as a logic-1 or logic-0 state. Most digital input modules operate at 24VDC. The module contains optical isolation circuitry that...
The technical and visual interaction between industrial processes and the operators who are working on them is provided by Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs). HMIs are crucial for maintaining productivity and process reliability because they provide real-time data, alerts, help in control, and diagnostics. However, HMIs always face issues that can significantly shorten their service life if they are not protected in harsh industrial environments, such as manufacturing plants, oil and gas facilities, fertilizer plants, mining sites, water-treatment plants, and outdoor installations. Allen‑Bradley PanelView HMIs, commonly used in industrial automation, serve as a solid reference for understanding both the challenges and optimal approaches to HMI safety. PanelView deployments provide valuable insights into how environmental conditions affect HMIs and which design, installation, and maintenance strategies are most effective. This article examines the environmental hazards affecting HMIs...
Over the past two decades, Allen-Bradley MicroLogix controllers have been the backbone of many industrial automation applications. In favor of Compact Logix and Micro800, Rockwell Automation has phased out the MicroLogix product line; however, a large worldwide installed base continues to rely on MicroLogix controllers for daily operations. MicroLogix controllers automate countless OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) panels, commercial HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) equipment, packaging lines, agricultural machines, and municipal water systems. The majority of MicroLogix installations are now over a decade old, with most of these controllers having been in continuous operation for 10 to 20 years. As such, to ensure operational continuity and reliability, their regular and effective maintenance is vital and no longer an option. Power fluctuations, component wear and degradation, harsh industrial environments, communication errors, and aging/obsolete electronics...
If you work as a maintenance tech or plant engineer, you know the Allen-Bradley MicroLogix PLC. It’s everywhere in industrial automation, and for good reason; though, even the best equipment needs some care. Troubleshooting and regular maintenance help keep it in working condition. Here’s a guide that cuts through the jargon and turns those official specs into real-world advice you can actually use. The first and by far the most effective ‘line of defense’ against sudden system failures is good old proactive maintenance; after all, a well-maintained MicroLogix controller is just much less ‘likely’ to develop those catastrophic faults that cause so much production loss. All maintenance tasks must be carried out by a qualified technician familiar with the dangers of industrial control systems. Conduct pre-work maintenance when the power of a MicroLogix system is off and disconnected from all sources. Shop for MicroLogix 1000 Series PLCs and Accessories Here! The operating environment...
