Environmental Monitoring inside a Machine Control Panel

Problems inside a machine control panel can often go unnoticed. Excessive heat or humidity can be indicative of potentially serious problems and may lead to a complete shutdown of equipment. Even the slightest rise above acceptable levels can have detrimental effects on the performance and longevity of components inside the cabinet and the entire machine. Over time, small problems can become major issues that impact machine performance and uptime.

M12 Temperature and Humidity Sensors are used to monitor conditions inside each control panel. Each sensor is directly connected to a Q45TH, a self-contained, battery powered wireless node that easily integrates into a robust, scalable Sure Cross® wireless network.

Environmental information from inside each control panel is transmitted from the Q45TH Wireless Nodes to a DXM100 Wireless Controller, which logs the data and communicates status updates to other devices on the network. Using either the internal cellular module or a direct wired connection to the local area network (LAN), the DXM100 can send the collected data to a Cloud Webserver or PLC for remote monitoring and analysis.

If conditions inside a panel are outside of operator-established parameters, the DXM100 will send an alert to the operator and support staff via text or email. Local indication of the problem is provided by the LED light on the Q45TH, which will flash yellow as a warning and red as an alert if the problem persists or accelerates. A network-connected TL70 Wireless Tower Light in a central location receives status updates from the DXM100 and will provide high-visibility indication of any change in condition for each machine.