Friday, August 14, 2009

Prevent Shorts in Automation Controls at the Hot Mix Asphalt Plant

From your AsphaltPro Staff and Participating Members of the Automation/Controls Industry

For the August/September issue of AsphaltPro Magazine, we included an informational article on cleaning and maintaining automation controls for minimum downtime and maximum safety. Here are some extra tips from the folks at Systems Equipment, Waukon, Iowa, for preventing shorts or malfunctions in automation controls:

1) Purchase controls that are pre-fabricated, documented units, such as a burner control or silo control.
2) Have your equipment installed by a qualified technician with knowledge of both the control and your equipment.
3) Be sure that all of the old equipment and wiring are removed as part of the installation process.
4) Replace all questionable cables and components. Remember the new controls are only as good as the equipment and cables they are controlling. A new control panel will not correct a bad limit, meter or probe.
5) Have your equipment serviced by a qualified technician with knowledge of both the control and your equipment.

We’d like to thank the automation controls manufacturers who participated in bringing our readers useful, how-to information in the automation article. They are, in alphabetical order:
ADM contact Steve Shawd
B&S Light contact Richard Young
Libra Systems contact Ken Cardy
Systems Equipment contact company
Thermal Cable and Wire contact Joe Dougherty

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