Written by Rachel Boyd, E-Marketing Specialist
The Machine Building industry is extremely competitive and, as a result, manufacturers are increasingly looking for ways in which to save costs and increase their competitive advantage- whether it is reducing production time, preventing machine downtimes, or enabling remote communication with the machine, anywhere in the world.
Phoenix Contact offers an extensive portfolio of products that address these issues, and help you to gain and maintain that competitive edge.
Machine availability
If machines break down, it can be a costly exercise to get them back up and running quickly. Preventing downtimes is something that Phoenix Contact can ensure is addressed with many different products- from uninterruptible power supplies, device circuit breakers, surge protection to CONTACTRON motor starters that last up to 10 times longer than conventional contactors.
Shorter production times
Customers demand ever shorter lead times, but increasingly complex machines. To help meet tighter deadlines, quick and error-free wiring can be achieved with the use of devices with push-in connection technology, allowing you to wire quickly and easily without the need for tools.
Other solutions such as SPEEDCON connection technology, VARIOFACE system cabling and a wide range of professional tools are also available to speed up the production process.
Standardised parts
Often, accessories can only be used on a single corresponding part, meaning you need to stock thousands of different articles. Not with Phoenix Contact’s solutions! You can use our standardised parts across several different product groups. For example, accessories from the CLIPLINE complete range can also be used for RIFLINE or Axioline F.
Not only does this reduce storage costs, but the uniform design and operating concepts make life quicker and simpler for maintenance and installation engineers.
Worldwide communication
With the ability to send data across the world in the blink of an eye, it is no longer viable to send engineers on expensive on-site service visits. Remote communication solutions enable you to access data and monitor your systems from anywhere in the world, ensuring downtimes are prevented before they occur and reducing or even eliminating the need for costly site visits.
Of course, with the increased use of the internet, it is more important than ever to protect your machines or networks from attacks by people or malware. The FL MGUARD does this via a VPN encrypted connection and by allowing firewall rules to be set to prevent unauthorised access.
Functional Safety
The safety of your customers and engineers is paramount, so shouldn’t be somewhere that costs are cut. However, Phoenix Contact has a wide range of options for the quick and cost-effective implementation of safety-related applications. Just some examples include:
SafetyBridge technology: this enables you to easily integrate functional safety into your machine, without the need for a Fail Safe PLC. Standard PLCs can be used, which saves both hardware and software costs.
PSR-TRISAFE: these modules monitor different safety functions with a single device, as well as offering the ability for expansion to meet future requirements. SAFECONF is an intuitive software that is free to download from the Phoenix Contact website.
MXF safety relays: these multifunctional safety relays save on costs by having 3 safety functions in one device, as well as saving space in the control cabinet.
To help you stay abreast of everything that you need to know about machinery safety standards, we also offer a free Electrical & Functional Safety Explained Workshop. These workshops run at different locations through-out the year. We also have four planned for 2015, so keep your eyes out for the new dates and locations.
For more information about any of our solutions for the machine building industry, contact us by email: marketing@phoenixcontact.co.uk or telephone 0845 881 2222
