Thirty years ago most industrial control systems (ICS) were hardwired. Often sensors and actuators came with long wires already attached or individual wires that weren’t even jacketed together. Those wires would be threaded through conduits and then wired into the system. This was a time-consuming process that required the services of an electrician, costing organizations significant time and money.

Ten years ago, buying a glossy magazine and reading it was a self-indulgent treat that I allowed myself from time to time. Today, with a much lower per magazine cost, I read a wide variety of magazines on my iPad. In particular, I have gone back to National Geographic. Its digital cost is affordable, its photos and videos are spectacular, and I don’t have to make agonizing decisions about storing or recycling a great-looking document.

VFD cables are used to connect Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) to motors and, when specified correctly, they play a large role in mitigating harmful electrical noise. This noise can disrupt production and lead to downtime or quality control  issues, which can be a major drawback to VFDs that otherwise have a quick payback.

Earlier this year I published our first article on the Smart Factory of the Future. It described a vision of manufacturing where systems are more intelligent,  flexible and dynamic.  In the future  machinery and equipment will have the ability to improve processes through self-optimization and autonomous decision-making. This is in contrast to running fixed program operations, as is the case today.

VFDs, or Variable Frequency Drives, are used by manufacturers to control motors at variable speeds, thus matching the speed of the motor-driven equipment to the load requirement. For example, to operate a long conveyor system, of let’s say beer production, a motor is used to turn the drive pulley and move the conveyor belt forward.