Industrial automation is a very sought after goal in the manufacturing sector these days. Cost reduction was a key objective when most of the production was moved out of North America. Now most companies have realized that maintaining global supply chains can be a very complicated issue.  On the other hand, supportive technologies like robotics and high-speed data links have evolved to quite an extent.

Now industrial automation is not a pathbreaking approach but a rational approach. However industrial automation needs a lot of groundwork including proper management of radio frequency interference. Proper steps and measures need to be taken to ensure that the site where industrial automation will be deployed is well prepared including shielding and other measures to properly manage RFI interference.  

Laying the Groundwork

You should start by conducting a proper survey of the site in question. A comprehensive site survey will allow you to identify potential sources of RF interference. Experts should be called in to analyze the frequency spectrum in the industrial environment to understand the types and strengths of interference signals. The basic electricity supply infra on the site should be properly studied for grounding and bonding.

Proper grounding and bonding will ensure that the equipment and components share a common reference potential. Effective grounding can help minimize the impact of ground loops and reduce the risk of RF interference. Further, the power lines also need to be prepared. Install EMI filters on power lines to suppress conducted interference. These filters can help reduce electromagnetic noise generated by electronic equipment and power supplies.

Preparing the Platform 

Before you start deploying any of the industrial automation infra, you need to deploy proper frames, stands and mounts for the machines and industrial robots. These should be prepared to prevent radio frequency interference by coating them with conductive material using physical vapor deposition. Further it is important that proper shielding is provided for the equipment to be deployed. Use electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials and enclosures to protect sensitive electronic components from external RF interference. Enclosures made of conductive materials can help contain electromagnetic emissions and prevent interference.

Next you should ensure that connections between these industrial robots and other automation and control equipment are also properly shielded and protected from RFI interference. If you have the budget for it, you may consider using optical fiber cable for interconnect purposes, but they cost a lot by themselves and bring in their own set of issues. A more pragmatic approach is to use filtered connectors and cables with built-in ferrite cores to attenuate high-frequency electromagnetic noise. These components can help prevent unwanted RF signals from affecting communication networks and sensitive equipment.

Launch Sequence

Finally, when you are ready to start the actual deployment of automation equipment, you need to coordinate and manage the frequencies that will be used by different wireless communication systems.  This will be key to preventing any RFI interference or overlap within close vicinity of all the sensitive equipment. All the important equipment must be protected with electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials and enclosures to protect sensitive electronic components from external RF interference.

Enclosures made of conductive materials can help contain electromagnetic emissions and prevent interference. Systems must also be deployed with double, wherever possible triple level redundancy. Once the machines are up and running, you need to be careful about software and firmware. Keep industrial automation equipment, including programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and communication devices, up to date. Manufacturers often release updates that address known issues, including those related to radio frequency interference.

With careful planning and proper groundwork, your automation efforts will render great results. Just be careful and do all the necessary due diligence!