Woodhead’s machine wiring is NFPA compliant

Northbrook, IL— Woodhead Industries Inc. reports that it’s Brad Power flexible wiring systems comply with new National Electrical Code (NEC) standards from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). The recently approved wiring code, NFPA-79, governs electrical power distribution for industrial machinery. Woodhead manufactures network and electrical infrastructure products engineered for harsh, demanding, and hazardous environments.

The company says users are implementing Brad Power in an increasing number of applications to distribute power in industrial equipment and coordinate it among multiple machines. Brad Power’s pre-wired, molded components can be installed safely without raceways or conduit, allowing faster and easier installation, minimal maintenance, and elimination of wiring errors.

Brad Power’s modular wiring consists of connectors molded onto cables for line voltage, communications, and low-voltage machinery applications. Woodhead offers trunk/feeder and drop/branch cordsets, receptables, tees, and reducing adapters. Woodhead’s dual-rated STOOW and TC/Open wiring-rated, quick-connect cordsets allow a trunk/feeder line to be installed along a machine’s structure with convenient access points for power to be dropped to field devices, such as motors, lights, heaters and other electrical components. Brad Power systems also meet UL direct support requirements that enable code-compliant installations.

In equipment manufacturing, plant engineering and MRO applications, deploying Brad Power connectors instead of traditional hard wiring typically produces lower cost of ownership during installation and in actual day-to-day use. While traditional wiring methods require tools and skilled labor for wire routing and termination, Brad Power systems require no tools, conduit or raceways to install, and no wire pulling. This can reduce installation costs by 80-90%, minimize troubleshooting, and prevent wiring errors.

The firm adds that Brad Power connector systems also provide:

• Faster time-to-market and commissioning of industrial machinery;

• Fast disconnection for speed, and easier equipment maintenance, resulting in less downtime;

• Optimum scalability and flexibility to configure and modify as operations dictate, or to accommodate plant floor redesign;

• Configurable and repeatable wiring topologies for multiple machine hook-ups;

• All the UL-listed components required to build a trunk-and-drop wiring topology for feeder and branch power circuits; and

• Full NFPA-79 code compliance and built-in safety features.

Woodhead adds that Brad Power has become increasingly popular among designers, builders, integrators and end-users of large, complex machinery which is used in conveying, material handling, packaging, food and beverage processing, chemical processing and printing operations. Other early adopters include automotive OEMs and suppliers, machine tool and injection molding equipment producers, electrical component and device manufacturers, and factory systems designers and integrators.

Control Engineering Daily News Desk
Jim Montague, news editor
jmontague@reedbusiness.com

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