Six video lessons
The website, "Designing and building electrical control panels," features 14 videos and text lessons on cutting holes, mounting components, power wiring, mounting panels in enclosures, testing and finishing, environmental ratings, shielded cable, short-circuit rating calculations, identifying components and panel layout.
The Automation Store - TW Controls
Panel chapter in PLC book
This 51-page book, "Planning the panel," comes from a larger text about PLCs by Prof. Ted Evans, and covers temperature and humidity, terminals, surge suppressors and bleed-off resistors, I/O wiring, layouts, tap rules, PLC I/O loading, relays and regulations.
University of Toledo College of Engineering
DIN rails and wire ducts
The 25 short videos in this Education Series begin with "Purposes of DIN rail and wire duct" presented by Josh Bloom of RSP Supply. Other topics include panel basics, planning, circuit breakers, solar power, enclosure selection, I/O, PLCs, communications, labeling, accessories, testing, power distribution and best practices.
Schematics and standards
The landing page, "Industrial control panel design guide: schematics, standards, design considerations and more," covers requirements, drawings and functional diagrams; includes an extensive table of regulatory standards and links; and describes a variety of design considerations, such as space requirements, wire size and components, controls and circuits, power supply conductors, over-current protection, operator devices, labeling, and front panel faceplates.
Five optimization keys
A 12-page whitepaper, "Control panel optimization," covers space optimization, noise mitigation, environmental protection, security and safety. The company also has a three-minute video, "Best practices for laying out a control panel" presented by Mike Berg, who includes a review of the elements of a robust, space-optimized panel.
Related topics website
This website, "Control panels for equipment manufacturers," consists of definitions and links to numerous panel building-related topics. They include manufacturers, design basics, controls for beginners, UL 508 third-party safety approval, guide for OEMs, troubleshooting, NEMA enclosure ratings, labels and nameplates, and three-phase vs. single-phase power.
Automation Controls - OEM Panels
Wiring, heat, optimization
These three videos, "The art of panel building" presented by Hank Bovene and René Heijma, European product specialists at Omron, use a discussion format to cover wiring, heat and optimization during design. The first here, and it includes links to the other two.
Omron Industrial Automation EMEA
Build for brewing series
The four videos, "Electric brewing supply—panel build" presented by Brian Huntley of Short Circuited Brewers, cover panel layout, wiring, door wiring, merging front and back panels and other issues.
Basic design articles
An online article, "Control panel design starts with the basics" by Dave Perkon, technical editor, Control Design, contains advice on design and using CAD programs, but it also includes links to four related articles. Topics include panel design for maintenance, best practices from experts, custom panels for a system integrator and electrical manufacturer,
and building in-house.
