Oh, the pain..the misery…the teeth gnashing and, oh yeah, the cursing!  Your drive just alarmed out, your equipment has stopped, production has ceased, and you are wasting time and money.  Can the drive be saved?  The good news is…probably! 

Before it comes to that scenario, consider this:  We all know HEAT is the root of all evil when it comes to electronic equipment.   Add some MOISTURE and DIRT and you have the electronic axis of evil and disaster!

So, practice prevention first by:

-  keeping your electrical cabinets CLOSED

-  keeping your FANS  in good REPAIR

-  making sure those cabinent FILTERS are always CLEAN

LED light bulbs for household and general use are, relatively speaking, right around the corner.  Supposedly the light they will emit will not only save energy, but also look more like incandescent bulbs.  We can only hope.  You might already know that a few months ago the U.S. Department of Energy announced funding of more than $37 million to support high-efficiency, solid-state lighting (SSL) projects.

Lighting accounts for nearly 24% of the total electricity generated in the U.S. today.  That’s huge!  The DOE’s goal is to lower U.S. electricity costs by 33 percent by 2030, and at the same time, reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

If you are like me, you are always looking for an incredible steal …the sale of the century…AND, you never pay full price for anything!  A major exception to this rule is the purchase of a CNC machine or any component you add to it.  You truly get what you pay for in CNC equipment – new or used.

If you don’t pay up front, you will pay down the road.  Again and again.  And you will be kicking yourself in the a– every time you call the repair guy.

The bad news is the U.S. lost it’s number one spot on the annual competitiveness survey bySwiss based IMD Business School for the first time since 1993 to Singapore and Hong Kong, ranked 1 and 2 respectively.  The good news is the U.S. has survived the risk of financial and economic crises, in part, thanks to the sheer size of its  economy, leadership in business, and unrivaled supremacy in technology, reports Manufacturing.net.

That’s no surprise to me.  The U.S. is an amazing melting pot of resourcefulness and determination.  True grit! 

Not surprisingly, reliability ranked the most important criteria in purchasing industrial electronics according to a recent survey by Plant Engineering & Maintenance. 

Reliability was followed, in descending order, by quality, safety, maintenance, service, price, throughput, technology, noise, speed, and “green”.

Maintenance ranked 4th out of 11 so we know it’s pretty high on your list.  Nobody wants equipment that is difficult or excessively expensive to maintain.  Downtime is lost time and lost time is lost money.  

Save money in the long run by purchasing quality industrial electronic equipment with a good warranty.  And when that warranty runs out, or the OEM does not provide responsive service, send your repairs to a reliable expert. 

It was just a few months ago that I wrote a blog on how to make a decision whether to repair or replace your industrial electronic equipment.  It’s a question many of you probably face every day. 

With the economy just beginning to climb out of the basement, saving money is a  high priority for all of us.  The pain of this recession will stick with us for a long while (I promise I will not get political here! That would be a whole ‘nother conversation.  LOL).  

There are a million and one iPhone apps out there but this one by Baldor Electric Company, www.baldor.com  is way cool.  Those smart cookies at Baldor have converted their BE$T desktop program for calculating and comparing motor efficiencies to an Apple iphone app. 

By calculating a motor’s annual electricity usage based on its nominal efficiency and comparing it to the annual electricity usage of Baldor’s Standard-E and Super-E premium efficiency motors, it can then recommend, by catalog number, the appropriate Baldor motor for the application as well as information on the payback period for replacing the existing motor. 

In a word, it’s all about … automation.  Now that the economy is beginning to recover, most manufacturing companies report that they are planning to invest in more automation. 

For more than 30 years we have been using our trusty PLC’s because they are simple and reliable, if a bit quirky.  PLC’s have practically merged with PC’s in recent times. 

Then, more recently, the PLC sprouted wings and emerged as a PAC.  If you’re not already familiar with a PAC – that’s a Programmable Automation Controller.  These units combine the sturdy reliability of the PLC with the programming language of a PC.

Did you know that many modern control systems are now designed for a minimum 30-year lifespan?  Hmmm. 

Many early systems are still going strong that were installed in the ’90s, ’80s and even some from the 1970s.  But you probably already knew that since so many of you send us your controllers for repairs.

The weaker links in these older systems are the operator terminals, disk drives, power supplies, keyboards, and CRT’s as they often have mechanical or electrical parts that simply wear out.  Many of these units can be repaired and if not, replaced with refurbs or updated, drop-in replacements. 

Plant safety, work site safety, worker safety -  it seems we are hearing this daily now from plant engineers around the country. 

It would appear that a cultural shift is in the wind and that safety attitudes and practices are changing – for the better.  There is a realization that a safe working environment is beneficial not only to employees but to the bottom line.

The concern is there on the part of  many CEO’s and managers but the question they often have is, “Where do we start?”