Safety Interlocks
NK Technologies’ Current Operated Switches are available in models that will 
switch at measured currents from just a few milliamps (mA) to over 100 amps. Detecting current flow is the definitive measurement to determine if equipment is on or off, a motor is running or not, a heater is on or off etc. NK’s Current Switch products are installed for interlocking for operational and safety purposes.
Drill/Tool Status
Automated drilling machines usually provide fast and accurate holes, that is until 
the drill bit breaks. The last thing a high production furniture manufacturer wanted to do is to keep drilling parts with one hole missing! NK Technologies’ Current Operated Switches were installed over the current carrying conductor feeding the drill motor and when the amperage dropped below a preset level a signal was sent to the controller to stop operation so that the drill bit could be changed. NK’s range of current transducers are used in a variety of applications on machine tools to detect status.
Welder Tip Dressing
Motor-driven tip dressers are used in conjunction with robotic resistance 
welders in a manufacturing area like an automobile body assembly plant. Essentially they are like large pencil sharpeners and they require regular maintenance. After maintenance the dressers are not always switched back on, so that when the robotic welder requests tip sharpening, the tips are not dressed and poor quality welds result, which in turn produces poor quality panels. By installing an NK Technologies’ Current Operated Switch on the tip dresser the status is signaled and an alarm is generated to warn if the dresser remains un-powered and offline. NK’s unique split-core packaging is ideal for retrofit installation and the compact solid-core unit is well suited for OEM applications.
Equipment Ground Fault Monitoring
As we become more aware of occupational health and safety so the need for 
protection against ground faults is growing. Industrial electrical equipment is fed via a distribution system which in turn is connected to a main feed. Ground fault protection may be installed, for instance at a main breaker, protecting the branch circuit but not necessarily a valuable or critical piece of equipment. Industrial Ground Fault Sensors from NK Technologies are designed to be installed in individual pieces of equipment or their electrical feed. The sensors provide an on/off output that may be used to operate a circuit interruption device like a shunt trip breaker or feed into an alarm system. With over 100 models to choose from, there’s sure to be one to fit your application.
Ground Fault Monitoring on Heat Trace Systems
Heat trace cable is used to keep pipes or their contents from freezing, or to keep 
the contents at a constant temperature while being transferred from one location to another. The most common type of heat trace cable is the self-regulating type. Self regulating cable contains two conductors and is usually physically attached to the pipe and is therefore is subject to mechanical damage. NK Technologies’ Ground Fault Sensor are frequently installed to monitor heat trace circuits and systems. When a ground fault is detected, a circuit interruption device, like a contactor or shunt-trip circuit breaker, is used to automatically disconnect the faulty circuit. In many situations NEC and/or local electrical codes require the installation of ground fault interruption devices. However ground fault sensors are commonly installed, even if not required by code, in order to monitor the condition of the heat trace cable and installation and maintain safety. Faulty circuits can be identified and then repaired or replaced at a convenient time.
Insulation Breakdown
Industrial electrical heaters are prone to ground leakage due to the breakdown or
contamination of insulators. The use of NK Technologies’ Ground Fault Sensors enables early detection of leakage Currents as small as 5mA. The on/off output of the sensor can be used to trigger a circuit interruption device (for example a shunt-trip breaker) or a monitoring device like a PLC to determine the required action. Latching and auto-reset models are available in both normally energized and normally de-energized configurations suitable for most applications.
Pump Load Monitoring
NK Technologies’ Current Transducers are used to monitor motor current and 
therefore motor load. The output from the transducer may be fed to an analog or digital indicator or a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) for more sophisticated monitoring and control.
NK Technologies’ Power Transducers provide load monitoring in more critical applications where the addition of voltage measurement and the determination of the phase relationship between current and voltage (power factor) provides more control.
NK Technologies’ Ground Fault Sensors keep the pumps safe by measuring ground leakage currents as low as 5mA. This also provides an alternative to moisture sensors used with submersible pump motors.
Also see these other articles:
Pump Jam & Suction Loss
Moisture Ingress on a Submersible Pump Motor
Closed Loop Control
Normal linear AC induction motors have a current characteristic that increases with 
load. Thus a measurement of current is proportional to the motor load. NK Technologies’ True RMS Current Transducers are designed to work in conjunction with variable frequency drives (VFD) and measure the current in the leg of the motor.
At an engine block manufacturing facility NK Technologies’ Current Transducers provide the input to a PLC used to position the rotating wire brushes in order to clean away burrs and debris after machining. As the current, and thus the load, changes so the brushes are positioned for optimal clean-up. Similarly Power Transducers are used to control the position of wheel wash brushes in a carwash. Power measurement provides a more linear relationship for motors and other loads with non-linear current characteristics. Current Operated Switches are used to co-ordinate operations between conveyor, washing and drying systems.
Conveyor Jam Protection
When conveyors jam and the drive motor continues to run, expensive mechanical damage to the drive components often occurs. By installing an NK Technologies’ Current Operated Switch an overload condition, detected by higher than normal running amps, can be used to switch off power to the motor before mechanical damage results. The switch setting can be adjusted so it is not affected by normal changes in conveyor load. Current operated switches are the modern day equivalent of less reliable electromechanical jam relays that have been in use for many decades.
In situations where there may be large variations in load an NK Technologies’ Current Transducer may be used to feed motor amps to the conveyor control system, commonly a PLC. The PLC may be programmed to accommodate different setpoints for different mechanical loads so that jam protection is provided from light to heavy loads. In situations where the conveyor is not able to accept analog signals NK Technologies has developed a patented transducer with a frequency output suitable for the Digital Inputs of most PLCs.