Digital solid-state relays right for machine builders

Controls and automation specialist Carlo Gavazzi has enhanced its existing product offering of the NRG series of solid-state relays with a new range of digital solid state relays offering phase angle and soft start switching – meeting the needs of machine builders, as well as Industry 4.0.

The digital revolution demands more from IIoT. “The NRG system transmits field level data to the PLC via a communication interface, which can then be processed in a Cloud environment. “By offering phase angle switching, Carlo Gavazzi ensures the power to the load can be controlled accurately to ensure a fast response to process changes, reducing flickering and ensuring a quicker response, while the soft start switching reduces the inrush current on start-up of infrared heaters,” says the company.

Inrush current limited

Soft start switching limits the inrush current on start-up by applying the power to the load smoothly and can be utilised with all the switching modes available (ON/OFF, Burst, Advanced full cycle, Distributed full cycle and Phase Angle) and Phase angle control.

There are two types of soft start available on the RGx1P..N:

Soft start with time – where the power output of the SSR shall be varied linearly with time set by the user

And Soft start with current limit an adaptive soft start mode whereby the output of the SSR will increase in the shortest amount of time, ensuring that the current limit set by the user is not exceeded.

New parameters

A list of new parameters related to the soft starting functions are available either as Modbus registers for the Modbus version of the NRG or as start-up parameters and acyclic/explicit commands for the ethernet variants.

The NRG platform was developed specifically for industry 4.0 and is focused on optimising manufacturing operations. “The NRGC main controller makes it possible to exchange data with the solid state relays to provide the user with more efficient processes, real-time data monitoring, prevention of machine breakdown and accurate troubleshooting,” adds Carlo Gavazzi.

“These features make ease of typical machine applications, such as plastic and rubber, industrial ovens, printing, semi-conductor, glass and ceramics and photovoltaics or any heating application where reliable and precise maintenance of temperatures is crucial to the quality of the end product or when unplanned machine downtime can result in a considerable loss of revenue.”