Every industry sector and operating environment includes its own distinct electrical challenges. For many of these situations, maintaining productivity and a competitive edge requires more than an off-the-shelf automation solution. If you require flexibility or specialized functionality to streamline controls, a customized system is the best option.
An experienced fabrication panel shop can help you achieve cost-effective, tailored solutions that enhance performance, ensure quality and reliability, and provide an advantage over the competition. Let’s peek into our shop capabilities and share how Winn-Marion engineers can help you solve even the most complex operational challenges.
The Perks of a Made-to-Order Panel Shop Partner
Every automation project has specialized requirements based on your facility’s precise operational needs, environmental conditions, and objectives. Custom fabricated components and systems (such as industrial controls and electrical panels) can be designed to meet these unique specifications, ensuring optimal performance and integration.
By outsourcing tailored engineering solutions to skilled engineers, you can ensure yours is more efficient and effective than premade options. Something specially designed can also be more easily adapted to changes in project scope, design modifications, or updates in technology.
While partnering with an expert team to build custom industrial control systems is more expensive up-front, the investment is often more cost-effective in the long run. Bespoke solutions mean you can avoid the inefficiencies, modifications, and compromises associated with adapting existing systems, thus improving the return on their investments.
Because we are much more than just a fab shop, Winn-Marion also provides comprehensive technical support and maintenance services to minimize downtime and maximize both productivity and the service lifetime of equipment we build.
Exploring Winn-Marion’s Fabrication Capabilities
At Winn-Marion, the Panel Projects portion of our fab shop specializes in the design, assembly, and wiring of electrical control panels, motor control centers, and other industrial control systems.
We build custom automation solutions tailored for specific applications in a variety of industries. This instrumentation and electrical (I&E) work includes the fabrication and installation of variable frequency drives, switchgear, and custom industrial controls to meet the unique requirements of any client, no matter their sector’s demands.
Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs)
VFDs control the speed, torque, and direction of electric motors by varying their frequency and voltage. These devices can significantly reduce energy consumption by adjusting the motor speed to match load requirements, rather than running the motor at full speed all the time. Precise speed control allows for better regulation of processes, and VFDs can provide a smooth start and stop, reducing mechanical stress on the motor and connected equipment. This minimizes wear and tear on mechanical components and prolongs their lifespan.
Our technicians design and construct VFDs with custom enclosures and control features to meet specific environmental and operational conditions. Unlike off-the-shelf products, custom VFDs from our shop can be programmed and integrated with your existing systems to allow for greater efficiency and energy savings.
Motor Control Centers (MCCs)
An MCC is one or more enclosed cabinets that share a common power bus and principally contain motor control units. They provide an efficient, organized way to manage and protect motor-driven equipment.
Winn-Marion electrical experts build compact housing for multiple motor control units that save space and make it easier to monitor, maintain and control various motors in a centralized location. Our designs include safety features like arc-resistant construction, isolated power bus, and grounded enclosures, providing protection for personnel.
Switchgear
In our shop, we design and construct low-voltage (up to 1kV) switchgear configurations that manage, protect, and isolate electrical equipment in your specific industrial settings, ensuring that the electrical systems are safely controlled and can be easily maintained or upgraded as needs change.
Customization for switchgear can include specific voltage ratings, configurations (such as arc-resistant designs), integration with monitoring systems for enhanced operational safety and reliability, and the design for specific spatial constraints within a facility or particular environmental conditions.
Custom Electrical Panel and Industrial Control Design
Industrial electrical panels and controls are essential elements of a smart automation solution. These panels house and organize the electrical components that control your industrial machinery and processes.
Winn-Marion has a panel shop and a fab shop under the same roof, allowing for seamless integration of electrical and mechanical fabrication processes. Partnering with us ensures more efficient and streamlined control over your systems than with off-the-shelf solutions while ensuring safety, efficiency, and ease of maintenance. Custom industrial controls can integrate specific components, such as PLCs, relays, and operator interfaces, tailored to your requirements and designed to meet industry-specific standards and certifications.
Understanding Industrial Electrical Panel Standards
A fabrication shop must meet specific standards for designing and manufacturing industrial panels to ensure its solutions can legally be used in commercial and industrial settings. As a UL 698A and UL 508A panel shop, Winn-Marion’s capabilities adhere closely to high standards to ensure that construction and performance meet rigorous safety standards and guidelines for various applications.
What are UL 508A Standards?
The UL 508A Standard for Industrial Control Panels set by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) sets the construction, safety, and performance requirements for industrial control panels and assemblies in various industrial and commercial automation applications.
When a UL 508A panel shop adheres to these standards and maintains a UL 508A certification, it provides a third-party verification that its commercial and industrial control panels meet recognized national safety standards and comply with insurance policies and local electrical codes.
What are UL 698A Standards?
Another set of standards for panel shops, UL 698A relates to control panels used in hazardous environments. UL 698A certification guarantees that panel shops can produce control panels suitable for use in environments where explosive gases, dust, or fibers may be present.
In hazardous environments, improperly designed control panels can ignite flammable materials in the atmosphere and cause a fire risk. The UL 698A Standard holds panel shops responsible for building control panels with specific configurations and protections to avoid these scenarios, such as sealing, encapsulation, and using intrinsically safe barriers.
Winn-Marion is also a UL 891 listed panel shop, which is the standard for switchboards.
Build Better Industrial Control Panels with Winn-Marion
Winn-Marion has provided heavily customized end-to-end automation solutions for over half a century to help clients streamline their processes and stay on the cutting edge of technology.
Our team of engineers are ready and able to bring simple, elegant, automated solutions to your most complex power control challenges and keep you at peak performance. From drives and switchgear to custom industrial electrical panels and controls, we design, build, install, and keep it running smoothly.
Get started today by telling us what you need.