Problem solved: clogged filter damages industrial electronics

Control boxes have a fan to prevent overheating of industrial electronics. If the fan filter gets clogged with dirt, the flow of air will be restricted. The electronics will overheat and eventually wear out faster, potentially resulting in unforeseen downtime. The solution, however, is very simple!

Grease, dust, grindings, sawdust, exhaust fumes: they can all be sucked into the control box filter by the fan and get stuck there. After a while, the filter becomes saturated and no longer allows air to pass through. A clogged filter is disastrous for the operation of industrial electronics.

Cooling is necessary

A control box has a fan for a reason. The electronics produce their own heat and must therefore be cooled. If there is no supply of fresh air due to a clogged filter, the temperature inside the box can increase significantly. The electronics then wear out faster, eventually overheating and causing damage, which can lead to unexpected downtime.

Air will always find its own way. If air cannot enter from one direction (with the filter), it will try to get through another way. And there is no filter there to purify the air, so dust and dirt is also sucked in and ends up on or in the electronics. It also clogs the fan with dirt, causing it to malfunction and break down.

Short circuit or fire as a result

Remove the filter then? Not a wise choice. Without a filter, all the dirt ends up directly in the control box and eventually even in the electronics. Dust in industrial electronics can cause short circuits. If dirt gets between the connections of sensitive electronics components in a module (such as the legs of an IC), they may even stop working. The various ports of the IC may then become closed. In the most extreme cases, dust in a control box can lead to fire.

A clogged filter must be replaced, it's as simple as that. How often to do so depends on environmental factors. Any maintenance plan should include how often filter replacement is necessary. In fact, the most annoying thing about a clogged filter is that you don't initially notice it in production. The control box keeps running until it suddenly gets too hot inside and the electronics fail all at once.

Replacing filters in a maintenance plan

During an inventory, our field service engineers regularly find clogged filters. The moment they encounter this, they replace the filter immediately (if possible) or make an appointment to clean the box. The latter is usually necessary. Our engineers do this using ESD safe tools, such as a vacuum cleaner.

These tasks can also be easily picked up by technical service during periodic maintenance and then included in the maintenance plan. If that is not possible, our field service engineers can always provide support. They would be happy to help you.

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