What is the most popular plc and component combination?

What components doe you use. What do you really like in pilot devices and contactors? When I was at GE in Illinois, everything was GE. At the Burlington, IA plant, perhaps 50% was GE.

I know several people who buy EVERYTHING from Automation Direct, or a single distributor.

We use Fanuc plcs, Square D relays and starters, Allen Bradley switches and lights, Micron transformers, Hoffman and Wiegman enclosures, Ge circuit breakers, Sola power supplies, andsome off brand contact blocks.

We can buy the plcs and circuit breakers from the same distributor. we can get enclosures from several places we buy other things. All of the rest comes from specialized sales or manufacturers reps. No single sourcing for us. It's kind of rough on us and purchasing, lots of paper work. Poor coordination getting everything in together.

No volume pricing or package deals. But we get to use what we like.

m
a
r
y
b
e
t
h

In the distant past I was partial to Furnas contactors. I really like their PB and SSW operators as well. They're heavy duty, but I didn't like their contact blocks. I like AB's contact blocks. AB would have been my choice there. Control xformers I didn't really care, whatever we had. BUT that was about 5 or 6 years ago. I've been working for companies that use strictly european components since, so it's Moeller contactors, push-buttons,relays, etc... and Siemens PLC's.
Lenze and SEW drives. I've also used about every other drive known to man I think. The only ones I really DON'T like are the little Yaskawa/Omron 2.2kW drives. You can't even look at the parameters in the drive without taking it out of RUN mode. Danfoss and Eurotherm are really good drives as well.

I find the list interesting not for what is in the list but what is not.

I do not use any of the listed items except Idec (Izumi) pilot devices.

What happened to Schneider and Sprechur & Schuh for example?

US list obviously and not pertaining to Ozz at all.

Had to vote other for everything but there is no other for contactors/starters. Did not vote at all in that category.

BobB

After I got started and realized that 15 choices wasn't going very far, I groaned.

I have never seen Specher and Shuh. When I was at the GE plant on contract, we made some stuph for them.

Perhaps I need to do this over, by component.

IDEC seems to be regional in the US, depending on distributor or local mfg rep.

CT782

I used to use a lot of Furnas stuph, GE was really worried about them as competition. I even interviewed there several years ago, but decided not to go for some reason, probably strange hours or low pay. All my regional sources for furnaced dropped them and carry C-H now.

Anyway

Post some suggestions and we'll try to improve the poll.

regards.....casey

Sprecher & Schuh are owned by AB It is probable that any AB DIN contactors and overloads would be S & S. Push buttons and lights too.

I know some of the AB soft starters are the S & S ones.

We have a different name for Sprecher & Schuh... But to sum it up we have been replacing them as fast as we can. What I didnt see on the list was ArrowMat. They seem to be reliable, and we get good pricing from our distributer.

Mike..

S+S doesn't have a good reputation around here. Known as the cheapest stuph around.

GE was supplying them with sheet metal, breakers, and maybe lighting contactors at one time.

Never heard of ArrowMat. But then, that's reason we have forums for an exchange of information.

Well, let's get some names up here and who knows, maybe some manufactureres will offer some samples.

I've built complete panels from samples, and even wired a couple of houses with samples (less wire).

regards.....casey

Square D is a brand of Schneider Electric along with Merlin Gerin and Telemecanique. Square D is also the name of the United States marketing division for Schneider Electric. For those of you keeping track Modicon is now a family name of the Telemecanique brand of Industrial, Automation and Control products offered by Schneider Elctric.

This is similar to the situation with Allen-Bradley, Reliance, S+S, and Rockwell.

Strangely enough, S & S and Telemecanique hold most of the market in Ozz for contactors and control devices. They are way in front of everyone else.

We hardly ever see any NEMA contactors here. CANNOT AFFORD THEM. I really do not have any problems with either brand. Just do not overload them.

We do see heavy duty type control devices in many factories, for obvious reasons.

Schneider have owned Square D, Modicon, April etc etc for many years now. They have also bought out one of the major bakelite manufacturers in Ozz. They already owned the bakelite mob from the Shaky Isles, who had a big part of the market in Ozz anyway. They must control 2/3rds of that market now.

They have also been buying HV board builders, have their own Systems Integration division and compete with their customers. They manufacture and sell distribution boards. So do their main opposition with Terasaki circuit breakers.

Bakelite, interesting.

As I think back, GE stuph was full of it, came from their plants in Puerto Rico, to Bloomington, IL for assebly into combination starters, etc.

Strangely enough, next town over is (overlooking tornado ravaged Utica) is Ottawa, IL, currently home of B+B Electronics that many here know of, and formwe home of "Bakelite". Plant is now empty, 100's, maybe 1000;s of jobs gone. Dozens of plants like that around here.

Ah yes, memories of trying to super glue contactors back together on third shift becuase there are no spare parts, and tons of pumpkin needing to be canned, and hundreds of people standing around, and a dozen "white hats" screaming at the only "red hat" in the place. One year in a cannery is enough for anyone, but a good education. Bakelite, a neccessary evil.

Things are different down under, but you knew that already Bob, and are probably greatful for it.

regards.....casey

Casey
Perhaps I should explain - bakelite in Ozz means power points and light switches - they USED to be made from bakelite.

We call bakelite stuff (distribution gear and circuit breakers) "grey box" equipment.

WOW!

AB seems to be the component leadwe!

I really like AB pilot devices, specially when somw one else is footing the bill.

If they really made their own breakers...

I think at one time they were even buying breakers from GE.

If they only made a good 24 volt 2 amp supply for??? $49?

My favorite over the years has been Sola power supplie. Most of my old customers used Square D starters and GE breakers. These components seem to cost a little more, but seemed to be more universal when I went from plant to plant doing contract control engineering.

Wish there was still a market for that is this region. Lots of fun, but wages ALL over the place. Maybe $40 hour this week, $18 next week.

Learned to love Micron transformers while at GE. GE used o make their own CPT's, then farmed out the assembly to a guy in Arizona or New Mexico with a 2-car garage. Then in 1994 they started switching to Hammond's, made to match the GE footprint. Hammond quality was mediocre for thes, plus the terminal screws were so tight, they broke the barrier strips when loosened, plus cuased a lot of OTJ injuries. GE needed a special xfmr, possibly a multitap input, so I called several reps, and they ALL recommended Microm. Seems to me the xfmr was 120, 208, 240, 480 input, with 24 and 120 output. 500 va for well under $100.

Anyway, keep them votes a comin' !

regards.....casey