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Keep Your Motors Running
A manufacturing supervisor’s worst nightmare is when a machine goes down. The unscheduled time and cost to troubleshoot and repair can be devastating to productivity and safety, ultimately affecting the company’s the bottom line. Leviton’s extensive LEV Series of Pin & Sleeves IEC devices are designed to keep motors running while promoting safety in all environments and for all machines – both stationary and portable. The Pin & Sleeve line is made up of two product types: the core devices that include IEC 60309-1 and 60309-2 connectors, plugs, inlets and receptacles; and the mechanical interlocks, which are enclosed ON/OFF switches that contain an internal mechanism to aid in preventing disconnection under load.
We recently interviewed Maria Acosta, Sr. Director of Product Management for Leviton, to give us a deep dive into the specific applications focusing on the unique challenges and solutions for this product line. “Harsh conditions exist in almost every industrial manufacturing environment – from food production to mining. These conditions can range from high-temperature, high-pressure washdowns, extreme temperature ranges, severe impact, or even exposure to contaminants and corrosive chemicals,” she explains. She further explained that Leviton targets the LEV Series Pin & Sleeve products to address the following markets: |
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OEM: One of the key issues in OEM manufacturing is assembling in volumes. Successful and profitable assembly plants depend on deployment speeds since assembly time is tied directly to their bottom line, and for OEMs, “time is money.” Leviton’s Pin & Sleeve connectors and interlocks are designed to easily assemble so set up time is almost negligible, which saves in time and labor costs. There are other environments where speed of assembly is key, such as in mining, where down time is critical, it is not well-lit, and safety is paramount. In these locations using our LEV series devices there is less worry about replacement parts or assembly because there are less screws to drop in a dark environment and less work to put the products together. In addition, this is significant for promoting safety resulting in fewer injuries, all while increasing production time.
Entertainment: Entertainment includes a lot of temporary power applications. Think about amusement parks, traveling fairs or concert venues that are constantly moving locations. Reliable and fast portable power hook-up is critical. In addition, these applications are conducive to being in wet and dirty environments, as well as temperature fluctuations for both indoor and outdoor environments. Lev Series’ full offering of Pin & Sleeve devices meet any environmental challenges and have the most comprehensive watertight ratings on the market: IP66, IP67, IP68 and the highest rating of IP69K. These ratings assure the connections are safe and secure.
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| Extreme Climates: Extreme climates, particularly very cold environments such as ski resorts, especially located in northern Canada and the U.S., pose risk if the products powering motors, like snow machines, can’t withstand the rigors of temperature swings. Because of the carefully selected materials that are engineered and incorporated into the line, our products are tested to stand up in areas where competitor products may crack, break and fail. |
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Food and Beverage: This industry has changed drastically over the years. In the past, machinery in these facilities tended to be larger, and were mostly stationary, each built for a specific process – such as grape crushers or conveyor belts or box assembly. These machines are now getting lighter, as well as being mobile and versatile, so smaller facilities can be used. This is where the Lev Series Pin & Sleeve products really stand out. Because of the constant connecting and disconnecting, as well as strict washdown requirements, the watertight ratings are essential. Also, food and beverage facilities are very noisy, so for worker safety the LEV Series connectors with Inform™ technology provide visual power indicators. This way employees can tell at a quick glance if a connection is energized. One of the other big advantages of the LEV Series line is predictive maintenance. Pin & Sleeve mechanical interlock devices equipped with the unique Inform™ capability constantly monitors conditions and can actually alert supervisors and maintenance teams of changes inline or load status, ground connections, switch status and other critical information. This helps maintenance teams stay ahead of possible device failures and avoid costly shutdowns. |
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Manufacturing: In general, manufacturing trends are constantly evolving, processes and machines are being upgraded, making this segment very demanding. Much of the modern, sophisticated manufacturing equipment is built internationally and imported from overseas. This means that quite often the power connections are not compatible with the U.S. connectors. Leviton’s Pin & Sleeve solutions offer all types of connectors to meet U.S. and international requirements and form factors. In addition, international precision equipment may vary in voltage and amperage requirements. Leviton offers a variety of international amperages to include 16A, 32A, 63A and 125A in watertight and splashproof versions, all while meeting international IEC 60309-1 and 60309-2 requirements for environmental challenges.
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Data centers: Data centers use a lot of power to keep all equipment running 24/7. Many data center equipment and networking systems are redundant to prevent downtime because downtime in data centers is exceptionally costly. Therefore, the capability of providing indicators of any issues before problems arise is critical as it can avoid downtime, as well as support ongoing predictive maintenance. |
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Safety and production are top of mind when it comes to Leviton engineering experts, especially in the commercial and industrial space. The LEV Series is ever-evolving in technology with new products, new features, and new benefits that come from customer feedback. Rely on Leviton to minimize unplanned downtime while maximizing productivity and safety.
Visit: Leviton.com/LEVSeries for more information. |
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| Leviton Mfg. Company Inc. |
201 North Service Rd.
Melville, NY 11747
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