Mechanical Limit Switches in Mobile Equipment Electromechanical Limit Switches in Mobile Equipment7/27/2016
Back in the 1990’s, construction equipment manufacturers were filled with talk about completely eliminating switches with contacts by the year 2000. Concerns over environmental sealing, failures due to contact contamination or degradation over time due to arcing in high-endurance applications drove this optimistic school of thought.
Unsealed, appliance grade limit switch... And indeed, switch Innovations in the last decade have been plentiful. They include wireless switches, RFID transponders, and a reduced price point for inductive sensors. For many applications and industries, these new technologies were an appropriate, economical alternative to self contained, field proven but relatively expensive electro-mechanical limit switches. But for a certain class of users and equipment, experiments with remote sensors and control systems in place of proven electromechanical limit switch technology, took a long and expensive road to nowhere. Most pointedly, in applications requiring a high level of electromechanical endurance in moderate or extreme environmental conditions. In applications from forklifts, to backhoes, to front loaders, to fire engines, electro-mechanical limit switches continue to be an economical and robust design approach, and in many cases are the ONLY approach that makes sense. CPI Can Upgrade the Electrical Systems in Your Mobile Construction EquipmentElectrical system designers for mobile equipment have a pretty short tolerance these days for the high in-warranty failure rates of so many improperly sealed switch components. Appliance-grade limit switches with screw terminals, or poorly sealed limit switches top the list for in-warranty claims on everything from commercial turf equipment to large commercial wheel loaders. Benjamin Franklin called this being "penny wise, and pound foolish". When manufactures are done nickel and diming their limit switch solution, they generally turn to CPI for the "final" solution. Over the past four decades however, CPI has created reliable, sealed component options that have expanded every year. Something as simple and common as a ball switch for example, is now offered with a patented ball-carrier design, which prevents contaminates from jamming the ball. These and other CPI designs have been qualified to as much as 5 million cycles of electromechanical endurance, with none of the current carrying limitations of technologies like magnetic reed whose need for precise magnet placement all but disqualifies them for use in the high vibration job site environment of your 10 ton Backhoe-loader. Call CPI today to discuss your waterproof limit switch needs or visit www.cpi-nj.com. This content was originally published at https://www.cpi-nj.com/blog/electromechanical-limit-switches-in-mobile-equipment/. In the world of material handling equipment, operator safety is probably one of the more critical design considerations. With Forklifts and Telehandlers that are moving tons of sheetrock, cinder-block or other materials you don't really want that to land on somebody. Or run them over while you're moving it around. That would be bad.
Switch Applications for Forklifts and TelehandlersThere are a number of safety systems present in Forklifts and Telehandlers for which CPI waterproof switch products often get selected. Since these specialized vehicles often operate outdoors in less than ideal conditions on construction sites, a tough and durable switch is essential to both equipment uptime, and job safety. Neutral Safety Switch The job of a neutral safety switch is to insure that you can't start a vehicle be it an automobile or a forklift, while the vehicle is in gear. If you allowed that, the vehicle could suddenly lurch forward causing instability of payload and injury to anyone standing too close. On a forklift or telehandler, the neutral safety switch is typically screwed into the valve body on top of the transmission. As such it can be subject to the hot temperatures of the transmission block and valve assembly. For this application our J4001 ball switch is often used owing to its highly robust all stainless steel design, and its qualification for extreme electromechanical endurance. At the heart of the J4 is a patented ball carrier design which prevents contaminates such as mud, dirt, ice, sand, dust, etc. from jamming the ball. Furthermore the switches are completely submersible and are unaffected by water, salt spray, humidity, dirt, dust, sand, icing, oil, shock and vibration. Back Up Alarm Switch If you've ever spent any time in a warehouse or on a construction site, you've for sure heard that loud annoying beeping sound whenever a lift moves backwards. That doesn't happen without the engagement of a switch like our E1078 Waterproof Limit Switch. Our switch is mechanically enganged when the lift moves backward and handles the full current load required by most horns, up to 15A rated load available. Stop Switch An emergency stop switch is a staple of the non-automotive vehicular class of equipment providing immediate cessation of power to key drive systems in an emergency. CPI switches like our B2003 Normally Open pushbutton are 100% waterproof solutions that can be mounted in panels or dashboards anywhere on the vehicle. These pendant style switches come in a full assortment of styles to fit any set of engineering requirements. Electrical ratings, pole configuration, current rating, button height and more can be specified. Electromechanical endurance ratings up to 5 million cycles has been achieved. CPI Waterproof Switch Customization CPI solutions for the non-automotive vehicular market are widespread but share a common desire by manufacturers for tough, reliable and long lasting solutions. All our switches are designed and built in the USA and can be customized to your specific needs. Call us today to discuss your application. This content was originally posted at https://www.cpi-nj.com/blog/safety-switches-for-forklifts-and-telehandlers/ Manufacturers of dump bodies, lift gates, cranes, municipal and emergency vehicles, mobile construction equipment, and utility vehicles are some of CPI's best and most loyal customers for our waterproof switch product line.
But it often doesn't start that way! It's easy for manufacturers to fall into the trap of thinking that inexpensive offshore-made switches that claim to be waterproof will do the job in their application. However common problems includes loss of seal integrity, mounting problems, and short electromechanical endurance under real-world conditions leading to expensive in-warranty repair issues. Its that kind of frustration which generally leads engineers to our door. Read more about how common work-vehicle systems have been improved after the other guy's waterproof switch didn't cut it.
For more information on all our waterproof switch products visit us on the web at http://www.cpi-nj.com/waterproof-switches This content was originally posted at https://www.cpi-nj.com/blog/work-trucks-work-better-with-cpi-switches/ Outrigger supports are a critical part of the safety proposition on all kinds of commercial vehicles. A short list of trucks and vehicles that employ outriggers includes:
One Customer’s Story – Versalift Outrigger Switch Solution Last year we spoke with Versalift East (http://versalifteast.com ) who is the largest east coast distributor for Versalift Utility trucks, in particular their bucket loader trucks. Versalift East provides the trucks primarily to utility company’s and acts as an integrator of the various major parts of the final vehicle. For instance after installing the Boom / Bucket kits on the trucks, Versalift East then personalizes each truck for the specific customer with such things as paint schemes, logos, and any specialized equipment that the customer may require for their fleet. The Boom /Bucket kits are supplied with outriggers to fit to the trucks as well as outrigger safety limit switches. The original switches used in these kits were not made by CPI and Versalift East had excessive warranty replacement issues on the non-cpi switches mainly due to weather resistance as well as physical damage to the switches during operation. This is because they were forced to mount the stock outrigger limit switches in a vulnerable area that is exposed to the elements because of their fairly large size. Additionally, the stock outrigger switches were overly labor intensive for Versalift East to install. They also were not robust in typical utility truck usage scenarios CPI’s Solution to the Outrigger Switch Challenge Versalift East approached CPI to see what alternatives we could offer them. Versalift East settled on CPI's E1127 for some applications and E1092 for others. The CPI switches have a number of characteristics that made them perfect for this application.
In addition to these qualities, CPI limit switches present one of the most robust switch designs in the world, surviving repeated operation in harsh conditions and over a very wide temperature range, with models available that are guaranteed to operate down to -40F without freezing up. Flexible stock mounting brackets and compact size complete the value proposition. Can we solve your outrigger switch problem? We’re pretty darn sure we can. Call us today, lets talk. For more information, visit www.cpi-nj.com. This content was originally posted at https://www.cpi-nj.com/blog/outrigger-switches-for-utility-trucks-and-boom-loaders/ Once again CPI switches have made it into an application that we couldn’t have envisioned in a month of Sunday’s… This time our switch is lighting up the construction industry, both literally and figuratively, in an application that poses a creative solution to a real world problem.
As anyone who drives a car can tell you, highway and roadside construction crew’s often work at night, and all through the night. For years crews used traditional light towers to illuminate their work, causing an almost unnatural radiance that motorists could not fail to notice miles down the road. But while these fixed tower stations could illuminate large area’s they also can have a tendency to create washed out visibility, effectively blinding oncoming motorists leading some states to pass laws restricting their use in construction areas adjacent to active traffic. Minimum road setbacks are defined and angling of the fixed lights is critical to prevent these and other issues. Enter the light balloon: In this creative solution, diffused light is provided through, well… a balloon which typically emits 360 degrees of non-blinding light that is both safe for drivers and alerts them to oncoming roadwork. Because the light is not point sourced, it can be positioned directly on the shoulder of the road closer to the actual work site. And unlike light towers, some designs can actually be attached to construction vehicles to go where they go as work proceeds, keeping the light source where its needed without constant repositioning. In this technology, our client 8:12 Illumination uses a high temperature HID lamp is used that can emit almost 500,000 lumens and there is a fan that inflates the balloon and runs continuously to cool the bulbs. Care must be taken that any deflation of the balloon does not allow the balloon to come in contact with the active lamps or a fire could result. In this application our E1134 Switch was chosen to provide the safety shutoff in cases of sudden puncture or deflation to insure that the balloon never touches active lamps. If the bag deflates due to high winds, motor failure, or for any other reason, the bag falls on top of our switch thereby shutting off power to the bulbs. The CPI Limit Switch Solution for all Occasions The CPI E1134 Roller Lever Flush Mount Limit Switch is in fact ideal for this application. As shown, it has a straight lever actuator with a hard Nylon roller and the switching mechanism is completely sealed in neoprene. All parts are completely made of high grade stainless steel and the neoprene seal is both 100% waterproof and affords an operating temperature range up to 185F. This can be extended even further by using our santoprene sealed switch with an operating temperature up to 220F. For electromechanical safety applications, there is no more reliable or versatile limit switch product line in the world today than CPI’s E-series limit switch. Off the shelf configurations come in a wide variety of mounting and electrical specifications with many actuator types to choose from. And of our course our 60 years in limit switch design means that if you need custom, we have the deep engineering know how to do that. To discuss your application, contact a CPI representative today or visit http://www.cpi-nj.com This content was originally posted at https://www.cpi-nj.com/safety-limit-switch-balloon-light While many of the most demanding applications for our waterproof switches exist in military vehicles, planes, offshore drilling equipment, naval vessels, and mining and drilling equipment, it turns out that our switches have found a home in wide range of specialty vehicles, recreational vehicles, and farm vehicles too. Switch uses in these vehicles vary, but the common thread is the requirement for reliable operation and longevity under potentially abusive environmental conditions.
Back Up Alarm Switch – Anyone who’s worked in construction or walked through a Home Depot has heard that high loud beeping sound as a dump truck or Forklift operates nearby. Construction Vehicles, Forklifts, delivery trucks, dump trucks and farm combines are just a few of the places you will find our E1 series limit switches activating a variety of audible alarms. Since this equipment usually needs to operate outdoors it is important for this application to have a truly waterproof switch capable of driving a variety of current loads. Cab Closed Interlock Switch – Originally designed for the Military, our J4 plunger switch has seen operation in a variety of Safety Interlock applications on a wide variety of vehicles. Our rugged design comes with a wiper seal and a plunger that can withstand 50 psi to overcome hardened-sand, complete operation underwater, or ice buildup. Start Switch – Whether its your Jet Ski, Snowmobile, or your Quad, you need a start switch which won’t fail in a saltwater, or outdoor environment. These are vehicles that are designed to be abused, and the switches in them better be designed that way too. Our D1040D is a panel mount version of our waterproof plunger switch which is pretty much ideal for this purpose. Kick Stand Down Detection – Communication systems used on police motorcycles rely on our E1092 series switches to provide seamless flow of communications to police dismounting their vehicles. Our switch is mounted to the kickstand using a custom bracket and reliably detects tell them when the kickstand is down so that helmet audio sources can be rerouted instantly. Our switch replaced a competitors limit switch that failed constantly due to the high vibration environment, and its inability to handle the actuator overtravel common to real world use. Contact CPI Today There are dozens of other non-automotive vehicular applications for our waterproof switches. To find out more information visit www.cpi-nj.com. This content was originally published at https://www.cpi-nj.com/blog/waterproof-switches-for-specialty-vehicles/. People who work for a living on Commercial Fishing boats tend not to mince words…
I mean really, why should they. The fact is that commercial fishing is one of the most dangerous jobs in America. The bureau of Labor Statistics ranked commercial fishing as the job with the highest fatality rate in the country with 141.7 deaths per 100K, almost 75% higher than the fatality rate for pilots and flight engineers. (the next highest on-the-job fatality rate). The injury rate for crews is nearly 100% due to weather conditions, working on heavy machinery on a rolling deck. In other words if you work long enough on a commercial boat you will get injured, its virtually a guarantee. That’s why commercial boat manufacturers aren’t interested in messing around with the reliability or operational toughness of their onboard electronics and machines. Their clients wouldn’t stand for it. Sitting in a gale, 100 miles offshore in the dead of an Alaskan Winter with half a million dollars of King Crab on board, is a bad place for your electronic control systems to take a vacation. Here at CPI we believe our waterproof marine switches were simply made for the commercial marine world. Consider the following real world switch failures and you’ll understand how critical a robust, truly waterproof marine switch can be. And incidentally, all these applications are places CPI switches have already proved themselves. Waterproof Marine Switch Panels Flexible mounting options for our many switch types include a standard panel mount variety. But unlike the switches used for recreational boats, our waterproof switch panels contain completely sealed switch electronics which have been qualified to 5 million cycles and can meet almost any electrical, mechanical, or endurance requirements. Typical examples of these switches include panel mount versions of our momentary and maintained pendant switches and our D1040 Panel Mount Waterproof Plunger switch. Winch or Crane End of Cable Safety Limit Switch Winches and/or cranes are standard on most commercial boats and a limit switch typically manages end of cable detection. It is all that stands in the way of a snapped cable, lost payload, or a dangerous and dynamic on-board crane failure The CPI J4-Series Limit switches have been designed into dozens of land and sea based cranes for exactly this purpose due to their environmental hardness and endurance. Both lever type limit switches and our robust roller limit switches can be used depending on the design. Flow Control Systems One of the less glamorous jobs of a good limit switch is monitoring valve position for onboard bilge systems or lavatory system holding tanks. Failure here is more foul than fatal but our J4 Series Ball series often get the job owing to their solid steel construction, double seal design, and overall electromechanical endurance. Hatch Open/Closed Detection Another application for CPI J4 Plunger Switches is to reliably detect the status of watertight hatches. We have it on good authority that a few of these switches are responsible for telling US Navy submarine commanders whether their torpedo doors are fully open or closed. Either ball or plunger switch variations of our J4 Limit Switch are used for this depending on design constraints. Custom mountings can be fully specified for the basic switch assembly which is small, tough, and extremely reliable. About Control Products, Inc. Control Products, Inc. (http://www.cpi-nj.com) has been manufacturing a broad line of high quality waterproof and thermal switches since 1946. The company acts as an extension of its customers’ engineering departments providing full compliance testing and certification as required. CPI waterproof switches are designed to operate reliably when exposed to water, oil, humidity, sand, dirt, vibration, and shock. A building block system of basic switches, mounting brackets, and actuators provides a broad array of application solutions, perfect for marine switch applications. This content was originally published at https://www.cpi-nj.com/blog/waterproof-switches-made-for-the-commercial-marine-industry/. |
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