Switches News

There is a growing demand for electronic switches in industrial plants. Operations, maintenance, and instrumentation personnel are attracted to how electronic switches combine the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of a mechanical switch with the comparative intelligence of a transmitter.  types of efficiencies There are 3 types of efficiencies that can be realized from this: Cost efficiency Equipment manufacturers (e.g., skid builders) that use mechanical instrumentation are often l...

Boilers are a critical asset in many commercial and industrial facilities (e.g., factories, refineries, and power generation plants) and play a vital role in many industrial and production processes.  Unexpected issues arising with boilers can cause significant disruptions to a plant’s operations, leading to unplanned downtime. Facilities that have wisely chosen to implement robust boiler upgrade and maintenance programs have witnessed improvements in their overall process uptim...

To build on innovations that advance intelligence at the edge, Texas Instruments introduced a new family of six Arm® Cortex®-based vision processors that allow designers to add more vision and artificial intelligence (AI) processing at a lower cost, and with better energy efficiency, in applications such as video doorbells, machine vision and autonomous mobile robots. Arm Cortex-based vision processors This new family, which includes the AM62A, AM68A, and AM69A processors, is supported...

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (Mitsubishi Electric) announced that it will double a previously announced investment plan to approximately 260 billion Yen, in the five-year period to March 2026, mainly for constructing a new wafer plant to increase production of silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductors. Under the plan, Mitsubishi Electric expects to respond to rapidly increasing demand for SiC power semiconductors for electric vehicles, as well as expanding markets for new applications that...

Prysmian Group, the globally renowned company in the energy and telecom cable systems industry, increases its focus on seizing growth opportunities stemming from ever-increasing electrification processes. Shifting to renewable energy sources is a sweeping transformation that the world is undergoing, with power transmission grids playing a key role in the dispatching over longer distances and at higher voltage, and power distribution grids proving to be equally and increasingly crucial for integ...

Following the announcement of its One Europe strategy in late 2022, a global provider of modular power, temperature control, and energy solutions, Aggreko, has confirmed a £150m investment into its European fleet this year. The majority of this investment is centered on the business’s ongoing Greener Upgrades portfolio, comprising new boilers, Stage V generators, batteries, and chillers. efficient and sustainable solutions Greener Upgrades is Aggreko’s commitment to hel...

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (Mitsubishi Electric) has announced that it won the contract from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) to build the nation's newest geostationary meteorological satellite, known as the Himawari-10, which will be the fourth straight such satellite to be built by Mitsubishi Electric, going back to the Himawari-7 satellite built nearly 20 years ago. Himawari-10 The Himawari-10 is a successor to the Himawari-8 and Himawari-9 satellites The Himawari-10 is a success...

RECOM's R-78E series of three-terminal switching regulators has been a very popular high-efficiency replacement for three-terminal, TO-220 style linear regulators, saving energy, board space, and cost, by eliminating heatsinks and their assembly overheads. For 2023, they are announcing an upgrade to the series, denoted R-78Kxx, with improved specifications. Features of the R-78K series  Versions rated at 0.5A, 1A, and 2A are available, with fixed outputs now including 1.2V, 1.5V, 1.8V, 2...

Devices with wireless communication using proprietary radios have been installed in tough industrial applications for several decades. With the modernization of industrial networks and the rapid adoption of technologies related to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), there has been an increasing demand for non-proprietary (i.e. open) wireless communication technologies. Proprietary protocols Proprietary protocols are those designed and created by a single manufacturer. One of the advanta...

Iskra are pleased to announce that they have signed a cooperation agreement with JIS Electrical Trading LLC in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This partnership will enable Iskra to expand their reach and offer their services to a wider range of customers in the United Arab Emirates. Iskra and JIS Electrical Trading LLC sign cooperation agreement Iskra are confident that together they can offer their customers unparalleled service and support JIS Electrical Trading LLC is a well-established c...

Siemens is investing 30 million euros to expand its switchgear plant in Frankfurt-Fechenheim. A smart, fully automated high-speed warehouse and a 1,200 square-meter extension to an existing hall are being built on the 160,000 square-meter site.  For years, the plant has been experiencing steady growth in incoming orders and is working at its capacity limit. The additional production area will support a third assembly line for switchgear, boosting the site and creating new jobs in the regio...

Gas detection is a key part of a modern plant’s safety and asset monitoring system. Most plants likely have a permanent gas detection setup to alert operators, when there are critical issues. Temporary systems can help, when a permanent solution isn’t needed. What isn’t thought about as often is areas that may not need gas detection all the time, or that may need additional gas detection at certain critical junctures for extended periods and potentially at a moment’s not...

In the latest expansion of its battery storage capacity, Axpo will build a 20MW/20MWh facility in Sweden to deliver services to the grid in 2024, it was announced. Axpo acquired the project from developers - RES, a global renewable energy company, and Scandinavian Capacity Reserve (SCR). The lithium-ion based facility will be built in Landskrona, Sweden and connected to the grid by local energy company - Landskrona Energi. New lithium-ion based battery storage facility Axpo will build a 20MW/...

Volta Trucks, the pioneering and disruptive all-electric commercial vehicle manufacturer and services provider, has appointed Dr. Martin Hofmann as its Chief Technology and Information Officer, effective from May 1. Martin Hofmann brings a wealth of experience to Volta Trucks, most recently as Senior Vice President at Salesforce, with previous roles at the Volkswagen Group as its Group Chief Information Officer. Under Martin’s leadership, the Volkswagen Group started its digital transform...

As users get bombarded with daily reminders to wear sunscreen by the pool and posters with cliché sayings, keep in mind the meaning behind them is vitally important. As an active participant on the company’s safety committee, it can be easy to turn a safety project into a long term, high investment project that will be as safe as possible. But it can often come at the expense of a simpler solution that can start making the front line worker safer NOW rather than tomorrow. Optimi...

Using wireless communication for tough industrial applications is not a new concept. The technology has been around for more than 30 years, with the use of proprietary radios. modernization of industrial networks However, with the modernization of industrial networks and the emergence of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), there has been an increasing demand for secure standardized industrial wireless technologies, or open wireless technologies, such as...

Industry pioneer - AEI Cables is supplying its low voltage power, control and fire performance cables to a new major public housing project developed by the Hong Kong Housing Society in the Kai Tak Development Area of Kowloon City. The development of this part of the Kai Tak Area site will consist of five commercial and residential towers providing approximately 2,050 residential units expected to accommodate 5,800 people. The cables being supplied by AEI Cables will help provide power to the d...

As one of the common switching devices, relays belong to the category of controllable switches. Relays have a wide range of applications, especially in electrical control. Since there are more than one or two types of relays, they are sometimes often confused, so let's learn about the various relays together next. In general, there are three types of relays that we use most often: general-purpose relays, control relays, and protective relays. General purpose relays These relays are divided...

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation announces that it ranks fourth globally and first among Japanese companies in terms of international patent applications filed in 2022 according to the Switzerland-based World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). A high level of both ranking and the number of patent applications reflect Mitsubishi Electric's strategy to actively promote international patent applicants along with the globalization of its business. In 2022, the company has ranked within the...

C&S Electric has successfully exhibited at the Oil Gas and Power World Expo 2023, in Mumbai, India, from March 1st to March 3rd, 2023. The expo aimed to bring together stakeholders from the energy industry ecosystem across the Up, Mid & Downstream hydrocarbon sectors and the Power Generation, Transmission & Distribution industry to explore business opportunities and engage in real-time discussions across different time zones.  Improving operational efficiency The C&S boo...

C&S Electric celebrated their Foundation Day with great excitement and enthusiasm at all their marketing offices and manufacturing plants. The central event of the grand celebration was held at their Noida Phase 2 plant, which was attended by more than 2100 employees who participated with joy. The gathering was addressed by the company’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Mr. Manav Adlakha and Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Prakash Chandraker. C&S Ele...

Iskra calls on all attendees of the Middle East Energy Dubai 2023 event in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), to come and meet with them and discuss how they can collaborate to drive progress and innovation in the energy transition. Middle East Energy Dubai 2023 Middle East Energy Dubai 2023 (MEE2023) brings together energy professionals, businesses, and leaders worldwide to discuss the latest trends, technologies, and opportunities in the energy sector. Attendees will discover Iskra intellig...

Schneider Electric, the globally renowned company in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, announced that it is working with Camston Wrather, a sustainable mineral recovery company, to increase efficiency and control within their industry-renowned e-scrap recycling operation. Smart technology is rapidly evolving, leading to increasing rates of obsolescence for computers, cellular phones and other devices, resulting in more than 8.3 million metric tons of e-scrap in the...

Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. has expanded the product lineup through the development of new applications for the S-band and L-band by extending the normal C-band range of the FRL1441U Series pump laser of high output power, low power consumption for Raman amplifiers. Furukawa Electric will start shipping product samples from April 2023 and begin mass production from September 2023. Development of a pump laser for Raman amplifiers The development of a pump laser for Raman amplifiers that suppor...

Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. has developed an 8-channel TOSA (Transmitter Optical Sub-Assembly) for CPO ELS employing a blind mate optical connector. Data traffic has been increasing to support many kinds of IT services such as cloud services and 5G mobile networks. Hyperscale data centers that process big data and edge data centers that realize the low latency for Beyond 5G are faced with the challenge of expanding bandwidth and reducing the power consumption of a network switch server. CPO -...

When thinking of gas detector calibration and how often it must be performed, it is dependent on many variables. First and foremost is determining if a gas sensor is out of calibration. The best way to establish this is through a 'bump' or functional test using a certified standard gas mixture of known concentration. If the device is functioning properly and still measuring gas within tolerance, calibration is unnecessary. Bump testing should be performed as regular maintenance on any gas det...

Franklin Electric Co., Inc. announced the formation of a new employee resource group (ERG) dedicated to providing an avenue for women to grow both professionally and personally through education, networking, and advocacy. Known as Franklin Women’s Network (FWN), the Group’s promise is to, “Build a welcoming, inclusive community, provide professional alliances, equip Franklin women with relevant development tools and resources, and guide Franklin women to identify and achieve...

Switches are no longer the blind, ‘dumb’ electromechanical devices of a generation ago. Signals from sensors in critical safety loops (e.g. protecting against high temperature or pressure) are typically integrated with the plant control system via a discrete or analog input channel. A switch provides a binary (on/off) input, while transmitters provide a continuous (4 to 20 mA) analog input. Both signal types have a role to play in Safety Controls, Alarms and Interlocks (SCAI) inclu...

Volta Trucks, the disruptive all-electric commercial vehicle manufacturer and services provider, has confirmed that the European Investment Bank (EIB) is engaging with the company for €40 million venture debt financing. The funding from the EIB would support the rollout of Volta Trucks’ Truck as a Service (TaaS) infrastructure over the period 2023-2026. electrification of the road transport sector The aim of the European Investment Bank’s funding support for Volta Trucks is t...

Many industrial plants use our standard "blue" product line, the One Series Smart Electronic Switch. This product has been tested for stringent environmental conditions and harsh workplaces and it has achieved the most rigorous certifications in the market. However, some production plants may have a higher standard. Field Safety Transmitter ONE Series field safety transmitter became popular due to its cost-effective and more rigorous instruments for installation The "yellow" ONE Series is the...