Control Cabinet White Paper - English Version by Norgren

IMI Norgren

WHITE PAPER

Solving Pneumatic Reliability Challenges in Harsh Industrial Environments

Customised Control Cabinets for Enhanced Performance, Safety, and Efficiency

Breakthrough engineering for a better world

We create solutions for our customers which enable smarter, safer, more productive and sustainable factories, production lines and warehouse operations. Our pneumatic and electric motion systems help machine builders and end users around the world automate and optimise manufacturing and warehousing processes.

We have partnered with customers in industrial automation for over a century, applying our experience and innovation to create lasting value for their businesses. Our solutions support critical industries such as automotive, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals and even the space industry. We support the automation of precision manufacturing, product assembly, testing and packaging.

We use the latest digital technologies in our automation products and constantly innovate in close partnership with our customers. By applying our deep expertise, we can solve their toughest automation challenges, today and tomorrow. Through increased productivity, efficiency and safety, our customers can serve their own customers better, creating sustainable competitive advantage and delivering growth.

Our world-class product portfolio includes IMI Norgren, IMI Bimba, IMI Bahr and IMI Buschjost.

Addressing Environmental Challenges in Pneumatic and Fluid Control

In modern industrial automation, maintaining operational reliability, safety, and efficiency is paramount. However, many sectors face challenging environmental conditions—such as extreme temperatures, high vibration, moisture, and contamination—that can compromise the performance of standard pneumatic control systems. This leads to costly downtime, increased maintenance, and potential safety risks.

This white paper explores these challenges and presents customised electro-pneumatic control cabinets and panels as a robust, effective solution. By consolidating complex pneumatic and electronic components into a single, protected enclosure or secure to a panel, these systems offer improved reliability and performance, even in the most arduous conditions.

We will examine how these integrated, plug-and-play solutions streamline design and procurement, reduce installation complexity, and enhance operational safety. Through an exploration of specific needs in the Food Processing, Material Handling, and Mobile Pneumatics industries, we demonstrate the tangible benefits of this approach. Finally, case studies will illustrate how our deep engineering expertise and collaborative approach have helped customers overcome their toughest motion control challenges, delivering measurable improvements in productivity, safety, and total cost of ownership.

The Challenge: Achieving Reliable Pneumatic Control in Demanding Environments

Industrial Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and end-users across numerous sectors rely on pneumatic systems for their power, simplicity, and cost-effectiveness. However, the integrity of these systems is frequently tested by the operational environment. Factors such as dust, corrosive chemicals, wash-down procedures, extreme temperature fluctuations, and vibration can severely degrade component performance and system reliability.

The consequences of system failure are significant:

Unplanned Downtime

Component failure leads to immediate production halts, resulting in lost output and revenue. This is costly in any manufacturing environment but may also impact Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) requiring a potentially global aftersales technical support infrastructure. For mobile vehicle applications the pneumatic controls often enable the functional capabilities of the vehicle, returning to depot for repairs can hit productivity hard.

Increased Maintenance Costs

Reactive maintenance, troubleshooting complex point-to-point pipework, and frequent component replacement drain resources.

Safety Risks

Inconsistent system performance can compromise critical safety functions, potentially endangering personnel, equipment, and processes.

Reduced Efficiency

Air leaks from ageing or damaged fittings and tubing increase compressed air consumption, leading to higher energy costs. Environmental challenges can stress wearing parts like seals, resulting in premature failure or internal leaks that are difficult to detect and resolve.

Process Contamination

In hygienic or sensitive environments, a compromised pneumatic system can introduce contaminants, leading to product spoilage and reputational damage. Aggressive cleaning with chemicals or highpressure water or steam may cause damage to electrical components such as valve solenoids or process sensors.

Business Challenges

For OEMs, assembling control systems from individual components adds complexity to the supply chain, increases assembly time, and makes it difficult to guarantee consistent quality. For end-users, maintaining these disparate systems is a constant challenge. The core problem is clear: how can organisations achieve consistent, reliable, and safe pneumatic control when operating in environments that are inherently hostile to standard components?

The Solution: Integrated Electro-Pneumatic Control Cabinets and Panels

The most effective way to protect and optimise a control system is to house it within a purpose-built solution. Customised control cabinets, panels, and manifolds integrate pneumatic and electronic components into a single, pre-tested, and protected unit. This “think inside the box” approach offers a powerful solution to the challenges of demanding industrial environments. These solutions are more than just protective enclosures or robust mounting systems; they are engineered systems designed to meet specific application requirements. By partnering with an experienced engineering team like ours you can develop a solution that delivers multiple strategic benefits.

Key Features and Benefits

Enhanced Reliability and Protection

Cabinets are available in materials like stainless steel and rated up to IP65, protecting sensitive components from dust, water, and aggressive contaminants while mounting discrete components on a panel can reduce the impact of shock and vibration. This dramatically reduces premature failure and ensures consistent operation from a system that is functionally tested and leak free.

Plug-and-Play Installation

Solutions arrive fully assembled, tested, and documented. This transforms a complex, multi-day installation process into a simple ‘plug-and-play’ activity, freeing up valuable engineering resources and accelerating machine and equipment commissioning.

Simplified Supply Chain

By consolidating dozens of individual part numbers into a single order number, you streamline procurement, reduce inventory holding costs, and simplify logistics.

Improved Safety and Compliance

Custom panels can be designed to meet specific safety standards (e.g., DIN EN ISO 13849, ATEX) and can incorporate features like lockable enclosures, safe exhaust valves, and emergency stop functions, ensuring the protection of personnel and machinery.

Optimised Performance and Efficiency

Integrated design eliminates numerous potential leak points common in traditional piped systems. By using high-quality, matched components, we ensure your system operates at peak energy efficiency, reducing compressed air wastage.

Ease of Maintenance

Thoughtful design, clear labelling, and features like duplex filtration systems or hot-swap valve manifolds allow for maintenance to be performed quickly and safely, often without shutting down the entire process.

Tailored Solutions for Key Industry Segments

While the core benefits of integrated control panels are universal, their application is highly specific to the challenges of each industry. We work closely with our customers to understand their unique needs and develop truly customised solutions.

Food Processing & Packaging

• Challenge: This industry demands hygenic conformity. Equipment must withstand frequent, high-pressure chemical wash-downs while preventing any risk of contamination. Components used close to or in contact with food must be hygienically designed and made from food-grade materials.

• Solution: We design and build stainless steel control cabinets with special hygienic designs that eliminate ‘dirt trap’ geometries where bacteria could grow. These sealed enclosures protect internal components from corrosive cleaning agents, ensuring long-term reliability. All pneumatic circuits are engineered to prevent contamination of the process, and we select products suitable for use in these demanding environments.

Material Handling

• Challenge: Automation in warehousing and logistics relies on speed, precision, and uptime. Control systems on conveyors, sorters, and robotic palletisers must be compact, reliable, and easy to integrate with centralised control systems. Footprint size is often a critical constraint.

• Solution: For material handling applications, we design compact back-plate assemblies and control cabinets that optimise space. Adding filter-regulators, flow control and pressure sensors directly to the supply port may save space and remove potential leak points. By integrating valve islands with IO-Link capability, we simplify wiring and provide valuable diagnostic data back to the main PLC. This also reduces troubleshooting time and supports predictive maintenance strategies, maximising uptime in these fast-paced environments.

Mobile Pneumatics

• Challenge: On-board pneumatic control systems are found on a wide range of commercial vehicles from brush head and vacuum control on road sweepers to tire inflation systems on agricultural vehicles. All face a common set of challenges: constant vibration from long-distance travel, wide temperature shocks (from -40°C to +85°C), and exposure to hostile road conditions and corrosive media. System failure can lead to unsafe conditions or costly vehicle downtime.

• Solution: Our engineering team understand that vehicle manufacturers may have in-house expertise relating to cabinet fabrication, whist we are ready to design and manufacture control cabinets that are engineered for exceptional robustness, our teams can just as readily supply back plate fitted panel solutions for optimised performance and hassle free assembly. We can use stainless steel enclosures with reinforced welding to withstand vibration up to 50 Hz—a significant competitive advantage. Inside, we select components proven to perform reliably across extreme temperature ranges, and challenging working environments. These pre-assembled, leak-free, plug-and-play cabinets and panels provide vehicle body builders with a complete, reliable, ready-to-fit control system.

Details Matter

Building an optimised solution depends on managing the details at every stage of development. Decades of expert design experience and a thorough understanding of customer specifications play a critical role in the quality of every control cabinet supplied.

Expert Design Value:

There is a significant difference between simply assembling a panel and designing a cabinet grounded in deep expertise. Enhanced functionality and seamless integration ensure systems are engineered, not just constructed. Understanding the nuances of each application and turning requirements into best-in-class control solutions is key to success.

Component Selection:

Choosing the right components is essential. Features such as panel-mount capability, mounting brackets, and captive exhausts should be carefully considered to optimize integration and boost cabinet performance. The selection process matches each component to the specific needs of the application, ensuring reliable operation and easier maintenance.

Plug-and-Play Installation:

Detailed planning and documentation are the foundation of a successful plug-and-play approach. Solutions with clear mounting dimensions and comprehensive instructions enable confident installation—reducing errors, saving time, and accelerating operational readiness.

Custom Labelling and Software Integration:

Accurate labelling and precise terminal mapping are critical for smooth integration with software and control systems. Aligning physical connections with machine programming allows for faster commissioning and easier diagnostics.

Maintenance Accessibility:

Smart design choices extend beyond the initial build. Prioritising layouts that allow for straightforward access and component replacement, including modular options like ISO valves on bases and intentional internal clearance spaces, simplifies ongoing maintenance, limits downtime, and supports a proactive service strategy.

Safety and Isolation:

Supply shut-offs mounted to the exterior of cabinets make isolation safer and more convenient during maintenance. These features protect both personnel and the system, fostering a safe working environment.

Modularity and Quick Service:

Modular cabinet designs with quick clamps and adapters allow components to be swapped rapidly without disturbing fixed pipework. This approach results in faster servicing, reduced leak risk, and less unplanned downtime.

Comprehensive Documentation:

Full sets of drawings and schematics with every solution support error-free installation commissioning and efficient ongoing service. Clear and usable documentation is essential for success on the shop floor.

Application-Specific Design:

Every detail should be considered based on where and how the cabinet will be used—from component accessibility and air quality to recommended service intervals. Tailoring design choices to the environment helps achieve optimal reliability and lifetime value.

Leak Prevention:

Reliability and cost control benefit from near-zero leaks. In leak critical environments, compression fittings can prevent leaks at every connection, ensuring efficient system operation. All cabinets and panels are supplied fully tested for pneumatic leaks.

A Holistic Approach:

Creating a highly effective cabinet or panel assembly requires more than just assembling parts. Considering the entire lifecycle and operational context ensures solutions are efficient to assemble, easy to install, simple to maintain, and troublefree to service. Attention to these details results in a solution that delivers long-term value and performance.

Expertise in Action: Case Studies

Our deep engineering expertise and collaborative approach are best demonstrated through the real-world problems we have solved for our customers.

Case Study 1: Modernising a Refinery’s Safety System

• Problem: A major refinery was operating with a 30-year-old system of 27 control cabinets. The systems were obsolete, inefficient due to air leaks, and no longer guaranteed fail-safe operation in their ATEX Zone 2 environment. Ad-hoc repairs had led to inconsistent functionality, posing a significant safety risk.

• Our Approach: Our technical team conducted a full risk assessment and re-evaluated the fail-safe requirements. We worked with the customer to understand their operational needs and site standards.

• Solution: We designed a modern solution that consolidated the 27 old cabinets into just seven new, highly efficient stainless steel control systems. The new design simplified the system, eliminated leaks, and reduced air consumption, delivering significant energy savings. Each cabinet was ATEX-certified, built with site-standard fittings to simplify maintenance, and fully tested before delivery. We provided a complete documentation pack, including maintenance schedules, to ensure proactive upkeep and long-term safety and reliability. The customer benefited from improved safety, reduced running costs, and simplified maintenance.

Assembly supplied fully tested and ready-to-fit

Case Study 2: Enhancing Reliability for a Tanker Manufacturer

• Problem: A leading tanker manufacturer needed a control system for fuel loading and unloading that could withstand the severe vibrations and temperature shocks of longhaul transportation. Performance issues with their existing systems were leading to vehicle downtime and potential safety hazards.

• Our Approach: We collaborated closely with the client, understanding that robustness and reliability were the highest priorities. A key customer testimonial highlighted the value of receiving “pre-assembled components, safe and efficient in terms of wiring.”

• Solution: We developed a complete, plug-and-play cabinet solution housed in stainless steel. Crucially, we subjected the cabinet to in-house vibration testing up to 50 Hz to prove its durability—a service not commonly offered by competitors. The cabinet features high-quality components, including metal subbase valve manifolds and pressure switches tested from -40°C to +85°C, ensuring reliable performance regardless of conditions. The result was a leak-free, robust, and easy-to-install system that prevents vehicle downtime, optimises maintenance, and improves overall performance and safety for the manufacturer.

Conclusion: Your Partner in Breakthrough Engineering

In an increasingly competitive industrial landscape, optimising for reliability, safety, and efficiency is not just an advantage—it is a necessity. The challenges posed by aggressive operating environments require a more sophisticated approach than simply assembling individual components.

Customised electro-pneumatic control cabinets and panels provide a strategic solution. By integrating complex systems into a single, robust, and pre-tested unit, we empower OEMs and end-users to overcome their toughest application challenges. The benefits are clear: reduced downtime, lower total cost of ownership, simplified logistics, enhanced safety, and improved operational performance.

With over 50 years of experience in building system solutions, a global network of engineering experts, and a world-class product portfolio, we are more than a supplier. We are your collaborative partner, ready to help you design and implement the perfect solution for your motion control needs.

Do you have an industrial automation challenge you would like to discuss? Contact our Application Engineering team to start the conversation.

Our Industrial Automation sector operates four global centres of technical excellence and a sales and service network in 50 countries, as well as manufacturing capability in Europe, Americas and Asia Pacific.

Supported by distributors worldwide.

For further information, scan this QR code or visit www.imiplc.com/industrial-automation

Industrial Automation

IMI Norgren IMI Bimba

IMI Bahr IMI Buschjost

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