Sponsored by Altech.
(Image: Altech Corp.)
Industrial automation continues to increase the number of connected devices inside control cabinets. As wiring density rises and available space becomes more limited, routing and terminating conductors becomes more difficult. Over time, this increases the complexity of installing, modifying and maintaining control systems.
Traditional fixed terminal wiring can be slow to assemble and offers less flexibility when designs change. Therefore, control engineers need wiring solutions that maximize wire density while still allowing system modification throughout the system lifecycle.
To address these concerns, Altech offers pluggable DIN-rail terminal block architectures. In this approach, the terminal block base remains fixed on the DIN rail with screw (or spring) clamp connections, while wiring for field devices or subassemblies is completed separately using plug-in connectors. Rather than terminating every conductor inside the cabinet, pre-wired plugs are connected as complete harnesses.
“Instead of hard wiring everything on-site, engineers can simply plug a prewired assembly into the base, without needing tools like screwdrivers,” says Markus Kraess, product manager at Altech Corporation.
Solving space and wire density constraints
Wiring high-density control cabinets has largely remained a manual process. Engineers often complain that the installation effort scales with the number of conductors. Therefore, they must manage tighter layouts and frequent changes during commissioning and operation.
For instance, connecting a modular I/O unit, multiple valves and a machine subassembly can involve 10, 15 or even 20 conductors at a single interface. With traditional terminal blocks, each wire needs to be terminated and verified individually, which increases the installation time and the risk of swapped connections. However, leveraging the Altech pluggable DIN-rail terminal block, the same conductors can be pre-wired into a single multi-pole plug as a harness.
This shifts wiring effort from repetitive on-panel termination to controlled harness preparation. “Pre-wiring reduces confusion, saves time and makes future changes much easier because you can unplug and reconnect without rewiring each individual conductor,” says Kraess.
The pluggable design also reduces installation errors. “Plugging in a multi-pole connector takes only seconds compared to wiring and unwiring dozens of conductors. It also reduces the chance of wiring errors. With coding strips, the plugs can only be inserted in one orientation, which helps prevent miswiring during installation or maintenance,” Kraess explains.
Terminal blocks in real-world control panels
These benefits are reflected in an industrial application from a German-based textile machinery manufacturer. To address complex wiring systems within their machinery panels, the manufacturer adopted the Altech CP2.5 push-in terminal block series.
The change enabled wiring preparation to be performed more efficiently and significantly reduced on-panel termination work. As a result, installation time was reduced by up to 90 percent while simplifying maintenance and reducing downtime.
Altech approaches control cabinet wiring as a complete system. Their portfolio includes DIN-rail-mounted base units that form the fixed wiring interface, pluggable connectors that support modular and pre-wired connections, and accessories for safe and error-free installation.
These accessories include pull-out tabs, coding strips and keying elements that prevent incorrect insertion or reversed connections. “This solution is about simplifying panel wiring while maintaining flexibility,” Kraess concludes.
Visit Altech to learn more about pluggable DIN-rail terminal blocks.
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