Thinking outside the blocks

London – Operators in the UK process and manufacturing industries can thrive despite the current economic downturn, if they take proper advantage of the technologies on offer to them, believes James Haigh, general manager, low voltage products/automation products at ABB. “There are a lot of opportunities out there. It is all about innovation and continuous improvement and thriving rather than just surviving,” he said at a press conference in London.

Haigh said ABB aimed to support and educate panel builders, industrial distributors, contractors, wholesalers and OEMS to find new application opportunities. For example, he said, smaller cabinet designs mean less stock, quicker construction, shorter lead times and, ultimately, improved cash flow, the ABB chief argued.

Haigh’s comments came during the launch of a new range of DIN rail terminal blocks, which he predicted would help ABB to double its current 10% share of the UK market for terminal blocks by 2012. The £40-million market, he said, is currently led by Weidmuller, with Wieland, Wago, Rockwell and Siemens among the other significant participants.

The new SNK range, claims ABB, could revolutionise the screw clamp terminal block market. With just 220 terminals – about 75% less than most other companies – the new range is intended to simplify the process of terminal block selection and stockholding whilst still providing a suitable option for each requirement.

As many large sites having thousands of terminal blocks installed, the new range makes it easier for users to quickly select the correct variant for their requirements, said ABB. This is in part achieved through the development of a single version which meets all of the main conformity assessment standards, including ATEX, UL, UL94 V0, Gost and CSA, as well as being RoHS compliant.

According to ABB, the design eliminates the need for separate blocks for each standard and makes it easier for users to ensure they have the correct device installed. Products are available in sizes from 4mm2 to 95mm2 as feed through terminals, accepting cables down to 0.2mm, with double deck and disconnect versions are also available in both 4mm2 and an optional 6mm2 size if required.

Another feature of the SNK terminal range is a reduction in terminal by up to 3mm. This, said ABB, could add up to a total space saving of up to 25%, enabling users to reduce the overall size of their enclosures. The terminals also feature a computer-designed cable guide to ensure cables are properly inserted, with up to two cables able to be fitted to each terminal.

The design offers users a wide choice of marking options, ranging from pre-printed markers through to blank markers that can be either printed on a normal desktop printer or handwritten. A patented flat marker space has also increased the available marker area by 20% to further aid identification of terminal functions.