Some people are lucky enough to live where it’s 75ºF and sunny year round. Most of us, however, live in a place with different seasons. Some people love it when the weather turns, but changes in temperature, humidity, and precipitation can affect your factory machinery. You can simply put a sweater on when you get cold, but you have to take some extra measures to prepare your motion control system for sweater weather. Here’s how cold weather affects your factory, and what you can do to prepare.
Cold weather can still be dangerous for your machinery.
The dangers of hot weather and factory machinery are obvious. Heat failures, overtemperature warnings, and overheating shutdowns are more common when it’s hot out than when it’s cold. Still, cold weather affects your factory machinery.
The biggest danger of cold weather is that people let their guard down. They decide to take advantage of lower temperatures and let the outside air cool their factory. This is a big mistake, though. Simply put, do not let the outside air cool your servos.
Your motion control system needs a controlled environment, not just a cold environment.
It’s true that you want to keep your system cool, but that’s not the only thing that matters. You need to keep your servos cool, but you need to do so safely. You can’t control humidity and moisture in the air when you expose your machinery to the elements.
Differences in temperature leads to condensation. Think of a cold glass of iced tea in the summer, or a warm window against the cold of winter. Moisture and electronics do not mix. Control the climate around your servos to prevent damage.
Dry air and low humidity is the recipe for static buildup. Think about those dry, zero-humidity days when you shock yourself on a doorknob after walking around your house in your socks. Again, controlling your servo environment is key in preventing electrical buildup and discharge during.
Always control the environment. This is true in the summer, winter, and shoulder seasons. Regulate the temperature in your factory, and make sure that your climate control cabinets for your servos are in good working order.
Let us help prepare your factory for cold weather.
A change in seasons is the perfect time to give your motion control system a thorough check and run through routine maintenance. This is the best way to make sure that your system is prepared for the cold months ahead.
Call 479-422-0390 for Indramat support. We can assist with repair, reman, error code troubleshooting, and preventive maintenance and inspection. Call today or contact us online.