Standard

Control Panels

FREQUENTLYASKEDQUESTIONS

Q: What are my control panel options?

A: Many applications need control panels to enable operator
or automatic control of electric thermal systems and other
powered components. Until recently, if you needed a control
panel, youd have to specify a custom panel that would be
designed from the ground up to meet the exact needs of
your application.
Another option is to specify a standard, off-the-
shelf control panel that meets the requirements
common to a wide range of applications.

Q: What are the benefits of standard control panels?

A: The most obvious benefit of standard control panels
is shorter delivery time. Engineers who choose a standard
panel skip the long process of drawing and bill-of-materials
(BOM) development and the even more time-consuming
process of drawing revision and approval. These processes
can account for up to 80% of the time between order and
delivery for custom-designed control panels.
On the other hand, standard control panels are available
off the shelf without design iteration, so manufacturers can
ship them right away. Watlow, for instance, can ship these
standard units within 10 working days of order receipt.
Manufacturers of standard control panels also benefit by
avoiding the design stage: they need less design overhead.
And standard designs let them take advantage of volume and include only the components they need.
pricing on components like circuit breakers and circuit One trade-off of standard control panels, then, is that
boards. Both kinds of savings translate to significant they cannot be so specific. In order to keep down design
cost savings for standard panels over custom ones. costs and take advantage of bulk pricing on common
Standard control panels can also be more flexibly components, manufacturers source components based
deployed. Since they are designed to work for a on rated capability and certifications instead of brand.
range of loads and with a variety of I/O formats, these Standard control panels are also less streamlined
panels will still fit the bill as application requirements because they meet a range of needs. So the standard
change. Inclusion of a set of commonly used I/Os in a control panel may well come with several types of I/Os
standard design adds little to the overall panel cost. the engineer will never use. For instance, some typical
Engineers can also easily find the documentation I/O functions for heater control panels are digital out
they need to make the most of their standard control signals for Heater High Limit Status, Heater Enabled
panel purchase. Panel manufacturers make BOMs, Status, Common Alarm, and Purge Loss; digital in
dimensions, and comprehensive operator manuals signals for Remote Shutdown or Heater Permissive;
available electronically for ease of access. analog signals for process temperature transmission
and remote set points; and RJ45 Ethernet Jacks.
Q: What are the trade-offs?
A: The obvious advantage of custom control panels is that Q: What can I specify when ordering a standard
they exactly meet engineers specifications. Engineers can control panel?
even choose the brand or part number of a circuit breaker A: Although the term standard control panel might give
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 A D V E R T I S E M E N T

the impression of a single panel meant

to meet all needs, there is actually a
wide variety to choose from.
When choosing a control panel,
youll want to make sure it can
handle your total heater wattage.
A typical product range has panels
that can handle powers up to a
Watlows New
megawatt and larger. Youll also
have to choose a voltage120, 208,
240, or 480V in North Americaand

Control Panels are Quickly

one- or three-phase operation.
You may also be able to choose
a type of control module. Process

Configured for Standard

controls typically range from on/off
mode to full PID control. Limit controls
can usually handle a wide variety of
input signals including thermocouples,
RTDs, and process signals.
Physical specifications will
Two-Week Delivery
include standards for wiring and
hazardous environments. For
instance, control panels in the U.S.
need to meet UL 508A standards
> Standard control panels quickly configured
to comply with OSHA rules. to your specific application requirements and
Depending on the environment
where youll use the control panel, delivered within two weeks
you might also have to ensure
that it meets NEMA enclosure > Integrates Watlows high-quality heater,
requirements. Control panels are
commonly supplied with NEMA
sensor, temperature controller and power
Type 4 watertight enclosures, but controller products for a complete thermal
enclosure ratings are available for
all installation environments. solution
Sizes are often standardized. A
typical product offering, like Watlows, > Panels are flexible,
might have around six different scalable and available
enclosure sizes to choose from,
although not every load capability in thousands of
is available in each dimension.
configurable,
Q: How can I ensure Im getting pre-engineered
the right control panel?
A: Even though standard control solutions
panels reduce the engineers design
burden, there are still a number
of options to wade through.
Manufacturers of standard control
panels, like Watlow, have already done
all the design work for you. Those
manufacturers websites and engineers
can be resources to guide you to the
right standard control panel for your
application.
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For more information visit our

website at www.watlow.com
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