UPS Backup Systems for Plastic Extrusion Power Issues

Share this article:

The plastics industry has a history of complicated manufacturing processes. The procedure to melt plastic stock, transfer it to a die, then hardens to form the product is a process that cannot really be paused or interrupted.

 

This article discusses ways to correct power interruptions for plastic extrusion manufacturing processes.

Power Issues Affecting the Plastic Extrusion Process

Various power anomalies affect the plastic extrusion process in different ways. Below are some different power issues affecting today’s plastic extrusion facilities.

Power Outages

A complete power outage will absolutely interrupt the plastic molding process. Regardless of which state the mold is in, once it is past melting should you interrupt the power, your process material will harden and will need to be cleaned and re-started. These are major events for plastic extrusion companies. A company will spend many hours if not shifts cleaning out the faulted process, and ready it to re-start.

Voltage Spikes

Uneven voltage situations, sags on the grid and voltage swells or spikes can also affect the plastic extrusion process in the same way a power outage can. Voltage spikes whether from lightning, stray voltage, or ramping up and down of larger equipment loads can also wreak havoc on plastic forming processes. Each time the voltage spikes the amperage will dip, and vice versa when the voltage sags the amperage spikes. This will wear on all pieces and parts of mechanical equipment, also very much wears process controls equipment until failure. You will not always see these event with the naked eye.

Voltage Sags

The increasing tax on our electrical grid and power demand continues to cause brownouts and sags. Rolling brownouts and sags are not derived at the electrical utility, however, they come about along the distribution line. You are always subject to the affects of these power issues, and it is not that the utility company can necessarily do anything about it for you. Sags can be quite long in durations, again not visible to the naked eye. But pro-longed voltage sagging will directly raise amperage and burn on equipment, boards, processors, and controls. Sags and spikes may not always knock equipment offline, however, the changes in voltage directly affect the operation and life of your plastic extrusion process equipment and controls.

Ways to Correct Power Interruptions for Plastic Extrusion

 

The following are different technologies that may correct or “fix” facility issues that are facing power related problems in the plastics industry. There is no magic bullet, but there are definitely measures that can be taken to prevent downtime.

 

Industrial UPS Systems

An Industrial UPS System is specifically made for mechanical environments such as plastics industry. Typically made with internal transformers and capacitors sized for taking on larger industrial or high inrush current loads. A typical data center or IGBT type UPS system built for computer processors is not usually a good fit for the harsh environment of a plastic extrusion plant or other manufacturing loads.

(AVC) Active Voltage Correction System

99% of power issues affecting process controls and manufacturing are associated with sags, surge and spiking voltage events. A properly designed AVC – Active Voltage Correction System can provide 100% protection against all these issues. An AVC system can correct a single-phase sag that may dip 30% of nominal voltage. It can correct all 3 phase sags up to 30% of nominal. It is an absolute must for plastic extrusion process environments.

(AVR) Active Voltage Regulator

Much like an AVC system, the AVR holds a tighter input voltage window it is willing to accept. Much like a Voltage Conditioner, the AVR system will take a varying voltage and tighten it up to within +/- 5% nominal voltage. It will not take care of larger sags or swells. If power in your facility is not the worst, but you wish to tighten the voltage and operational window for all your plastic process controls and equipment, then and AVR is an inexpensive solution to provide that type of operational integrity.

About Voltage Correction

Voltage Correction is a provider of power correction services globally. Please contact your Voltage Correction representative to discuss power correction options for your facility and plastics operation. Call 855-240-6776

Connect with Us:

by Tyler Marks 20 February 2025
Using Medium Voltage (MV) with Power Distribution for Industry provides an efficient delivery of High Capacity Power to Manufacturing Facility and Industrial Production Floors. A higher voltage provides a more “efficient” path for “AC Current” to travel to equipment. Large Motors and high inrush starter loads require much more Startup Current, medium voltage power distribution within a plant will provide an efficient capacity of Amperage for this high demand equipment. If production equipment in a Plant operates at lower voltage (LV), the delivery mechanism of higher voltage, closer to the equipment seeking the higher amperage, makes for more capacity available to the loads. This is achieved by the installation of step down function transformers, allowing the medium voltage (MV) to deliver higher capacity amperage “near” the loads. Then step down voltage at or near the equipment to the usable voltage. Benefits of Medium Voltage in a Facility -Higher Amperage Capacity delivered closer to Equipment Seeking Current (Amps). -Less “Current” loss during distribution through plant to various loads. -Lower “Pipe and Wire” costs as higher voltage requires smaller wire size to transmit. -More reliability in overall plant equipment: ie. Affects of power anomalies from lower voltage, sags, surges, failure of Machine Equipment Components. Disadvantages of Medium Voltage in a Facility -Higher cost to Utility for setup -Specialized Maintenance at higher voltage levels -Potential first costs higher for substation and distribution equipment up front, but lower cost of ownership over time. Low Voltage for Industrial Loads Low voltage distribution in a Plant can be installed successfully with a very constant load profile and demand. If there is larger equipment such as motors and processing that cycle on and off with large inrush current demand, this will affect the other areas of the Plant. These “surges” in demand for Current in these high demand inrush devices, can starve or pull down overall voltage in the other areas in the plant electrical distribution, or the entire plant. This will cause Power Supply failures in other equipment which seeks a constant voltage, or will burn components of other equipment due to variable voltage events. Over time this greatly affects a Plant’s Maintenance budget. Benefits of Low Voltage in a Facility -More Familiar Installation and Voltages for most Electrical Contractors. -Immediately available equipment, shorter lead times. -Simpler design and operation of electrical distribution and Electrical One Line. -Less step-down transformers within Facility and Electrical One Line Disadvantages of Low Voltage in a Facility -Exposed to more “Load” created anomalies that may affect other equipment -Limited amperage “Choke Points” for distribution and installation of larger equipment -Current loss from LV distribution through plant. -Susceptible to Inrush Current affect on immediate area or entire facility. -Higher “Pipe and Wire” costs as lower voltage requires higher amperage and larger wiring. Description and Uses of Low (LV) and Medium Voltages (MV) Low Voltage: 1kV - 15kV Typical City Use Power Grid Activities -Residential Use: (120v, 240v) -Commercial Building Use: (120/240v Single/Three Phase, 480v Three Phase) -Manufacturing and Industry: (480v Three Phase) -Localized Utility Distribution: Transformer to Load Medium Voltage: 13.8kV-34.5kV -High Density Data Center Uses -Large Manufacturing, Semiconductor -Motors, Compressors, Large Use Industrial Process -Electrical Utility Distribution, Long and Short Line distances High Voltage: 35kV and larger, 138kV -Long Transmission Lines Substation supply lines from Power Utility Sources -Industrial Processing Facilities, Steel, Mining. -Large transit requirements such as Railways and Commuter trains See your Voltage Correction Specialist to discuss Medium Voltage Power Distribution Options and Corrective Measures for your Facility Power Issues.
by Tyler Marks 20 February 2025
High Density AI compute performance chips like Nvidia Geoforce and now Blackwell B200 chips are requiring up to 300 watt, 400 watt, and 1200 watts. New rounds of chip development are considering up to 3000 watts of power per chip and requiring MEP Engineering design to consider bringing higher voltage closer to the Rack Loads. Why Medium Voltage UPS Systems Higher voltage carried over distances is more efficient than lower voltages carried over the same distance. Medium Voltage (13.8kV, 34.5kV) requires lower current (amps) to achieve the same capacities as low voltage (480v/208v), which exponentially changes the amount of power you can move from Point A to Point B, point B being the Rack loads. 480V Power Distribution for Data Centers In a legacy data center, medium voltage would be delivered to a substation or switchboard on-site. Transformers then step down medium voltage to 480V, which is widely used in data centers for the last 35 years. The typical legacy larger data center delivers 480 volts through the input switchgear, Uninterruptible Power System (UPS) via it’s Maintenance Bypass Switchboard route, and on to a Floor Power Distribution Unit (PDU). At the PDU, the load is stepped down via a internal PDU Transformer to usable 120/208V and 120/240V, which panels of breakers, or sub-feed breakers on the PDU support the actual breakers for servers. Low Voltage UPS Systems are limited to certain capacities to accumulate kW output for larger 2500kW or 5000kVA capacities. See Diagram 1.1
12 August 2024
Explore power backup solutions for Bitcoin mining operations. Learn how to protect your mining equipment from outages and ensure continuous, reliable power.
21 June 2024
Learn how heat domes cause rolling brownouts and affect power stability. Explore strategies to protect your facility from voltage sags and disruptions.
23 May 2024
The ABB PCS 100 Active Voltage Conditioner helps industrial facilities prevent voltage sags and surges, ensuring stable power and equipment protection.
A close up of voltage regulators.
15 April 2024
Understanding Voltage Regulation: Exploring Its Significance in Electrical Systems for Stability and Performance Optimization.
More posts
Share by: