Motor control selection
VFD vs. Soft Starter: Why a VFD Can Be the Better Choice, Even at Full Speed
When planning a new pump installation or upgrading an existing motor control system, a common question is whether a variable frequency drive is worthwhile when the motor is expected to run at full speed. The answer depends on more than the start sequence.
The common question
Soft starters and variable frequency drives are often compared because both can reduce the electrical and mechanical shock associated with starting a motor. For a simple application that only needs controlled acceleration and then runs directly across the line, a soft starter may be a suitable and economical option.
A VFD, however, does not stop adding value once the motor reaches 60 Hz. Even in constant-speed operation, the drive continues to manage the motor, monitor operating conditions, and provide information that can support troubleshooting and long-term system planning.
Mechanical stress still matters
Smooth acceleration and deceleration can reduce stress on pumps, bearings, couplings, belts, gearboxes, and piping systems. Even when the normal operating point is full speed, a controlled ramp can help reduce shock loads during starting and stopping.
Control system integration
Modern facilities increasingly depend on PLCs, HMIs, SCADA systems, and remote monitoring. A VFD can provide more than a run status bit. Depending on the drive and network options, operators may be able to monitor speed, current, power consumption, drive temperature, fault history, and operating status.
That information helps maintenance and operations teams see how the equipment is performing, not just whether it is running.
Practical selection checks
Which one is right?
There is no universal answer. If the application is simple, has minimal monitoring requirements, and is unlikely to require speed control, a soft starter may be the most economical choice.
When long-term flexibility, diagnostics, equipment protection, and integration with modern automation systems are priorities, a VFD often delivers greater operational value, even if the motor spends most of its life at full speed.
How can BEA help?
BEA can help evaluate the application, motor, pump curve, control requirements, available power, enclosure needs, communication options, and maintenance expectations before a starter or drive is selected. The best choice should account for today's operating requirement and the changes the system may need to support later.
For additional manufacturer context, see Rockwell Automation's overview of PowerFlex low-voltage AC drives and SMC-50 soft starters.
BEA Blog
Why proper grounding is the foundation of a reliable control system
When an operator sees intermittent communication faults, unexplained PLC issues, inaccurate instrumentation, or nuisance VFD trips, it is natural to start with the device that appears to be misbehaving. In many facilities, the better first question is more basic: does the grounding system still provide a stable reference for the controls equipment?
Grounding does more than provide safety
Most people think of grounding strictly as a safety requirement, and that remains essential. For automation systems, grounding also gives sensitive electronics a stable electrical reference. PLCs, HMIs, VFDs, flow meters, level instruments, and industrial networks all rely on clean signals. When the grounding system is weak, noisy, corroded, or poorly bonded, those signals can become difficult to trust.
Common symptoms of grounding problems
Poor grounding can look like several different failures at once: intermittent PLC faults, random communication losses, erratic level readings, unstable flow measurements, drifting analog signals, nuisance VFD trips, Ethernet errors, or equipment resets after nearby lightning events. The frustrating part is that these symptoms are often sporadic, so replacing one component at a time may not solve the real problem.
Modern equipment is more sensitive
High-speed processors, Ethernet/IP networks, precision instruments, remote monitoring hardware, wireless devices, and VFDs all increase the importance of noise control and reference stability.
Ground resistance matters
Soil conditions, corrosion, damaged conductors, and aging ground rods can raise resistance over time. Routine testing helps catch changes before they become operational problems.
Good grounding is a system
Bonding, conductor sizing, low-resistance connections, surge protection, shield termination, and manufacturer-recommended installation practices all work together.
Do not chase symptoms without checking the foundation
When automation faults repeat, replacing sensors, PLC modules, drives, or network hardware may only hide the issue temporarily. If the underlying grounding problem remains, the same behavior can return later. Reviewing grounding health can reduce unnecessary part replacement, shorten troubleshooting time, and improve long-term system reliability.
A strong foundation for reliable automation
Reliable automation starts before the PLC program is written and before the first motor is started. A properly designed and maintained grounding system supports stable signals, safer installations, and longer equipment life. Whether a team is commissioning a new facility or maintaining an existing one, grounding deserves the same practical attention as controls programming, panel design, network layout, and instrumentation selection.
How can BEA help?
BEA can help review grounding-related symptoms in the context of the full control system, including PLCs, VFDs, instrumentation, networks, surge protection, bonding, panel practices, and field wiring. When the problem is intermittent, a structured review helps separate a failed device from a system condition that is affecting multiple devices.
Industrial Communications | Long-Term System Design
Why Open Protocols Matter in Industrial Automation
The way devices communicate can shape the cost, flexibility, and useful life of an automation system just as much as the hardware itself.
The overlooked design decision
Hardware choices matter. Communication architecture lasts longer.
When designing an industrial automation system, most people focus on PLCs, HMIs, variable frequency drives, instrumentation, and network equipment. Quality hardware is important, but the protocols connecting those devices often determine how easily the system can be maintained, expanded, and modernized.
What is an open protocol?
An open protocol is a publicly documented communication standard supported by multiple manufacturers. Rather than requiring one vendor's proprietary hardware or software, it lets equipment from different suppliers exchange information using a common language.
Widely used examples include Modbus RTU, Modbus TCP, EtherNet/IP, OPC UA, MQTT, and DNP3. Each serves different applications, but broad industry support gives facility owners more choices when designing, expanding, or servicing a system.
Choice
Reduce vendor lock-in
Proprietary communications can require specialized hardware, licensed software, or service from a single source. An open architecture gives owners access to multiple qualified suppliers and service providers, allowing decisions to be based on performance, availability, and cost.
Growth
Plan for future expansion
Industrial facilities rarely remain unchanged. Open standards can make it easier to add instrumentation, increase production, expand treatment processes, and upgrade equipment without redesigning the entire communications architecture.
Fit
Select better equipment
Engineers should be able to select a device because it meets the operational requirements, not because it is the only product capable of talking to an existing system. Open protocols broaden the field of proven industrial options.
Easier troubleshooting, less downtime
Standard protocols are familiar to technicians, engineers, and system integrators across the industry. Documentation, diagnostic software, and training resources are more widely available, making communication problems easier to identify and replacement equipment easier to source.
Service teams are less dependent on proprietary diagnostic tools, which can shorten troubleshooting time and help restore operations faster.
Protecting a long-lived investment
Automation systems often remain in service for twenty years or more. During that time, computers, operating systems, servers, networking equipment, and software platforms will continue to evolve.
A system built around open communication standards is better positioned to adapt without complete replacement. Individual components can often be modernized while preserving the overall architecture, extending useful life and reducing future modernization costs.
Building systems that last
Long-term value should not create long-term limitations
Open communication protocols help facilities remain flexible, maintainable, and prepared for future expansion. They reduce dependence on proprietary solutions while giving owners greater control over how their systems are serviced and upgraded.
A well-designed automation system should continue serving the facility for decades. Choosing open standards during design is one of the best ways to help make that possible.
Rittal | Industrial Enclosures
VX Hybrid Double Door: Strength That Can Move with the Job
A new U.S.-built enclosure system combines rugged construction, modular flexibility, and practical two-person portability.
New from Rittal
A hybrid approach to demanding installations
Announced in April 2026, the VX Hybrid Double Door applies Rittal's modular enclosure philosophy to a standalone, closed system. It is designed for operations that need dependable equipment protection without turning every move or field deployment into a heavy handling project.
Made in Ohio for tough industrial environments
Rittal produces the enclosure in Urbana, Ohio. The company positions it for mining and construction, utilities, oil and gas, water and wastewater, food and beverage, outside plant, energy and energy storage, agriculture, and pulp and paper applications.
Carbon-steel versions provide a NEMA 4 option, while stainless-steel versions provide a NEMA 4X option for applications that need added corrosion resistance.
Portability
Two-person handling
The streamlined frame is designed so two people can reposition the enclosure without the extra handling demands associated with traditional heavy systems.
Installation
Faster panel access
A single-footprint frame minimizes on-site assembly, and the removable center mullion simplifies adding the mounting panel.
Flexibility
VX25 compatible
Compatibility with the VX25 accessory platform supports customization and future changes as field requirements evolve.
Rigid protection without unnecessary handling weight
Rittal uses a rigid, fold-over frame engineered to provide strength comparable to traditional heavy-gauge steel construction while remaining manageable for field teams. The combination is intended to protect critical components in harsh locations while improving mobility, installation, and service access.
Read the official announcement: Rittal launches the VX Hybrid Double Door enclosure system.
Plan the complete enclosure
BEA can help match the enclosure to the application
Britton Electronics & Automation can help evaluate enclosure material, environmental rating, dimensions, internal layout, mounting, climate control, power distribution, and accessories as part of the wider controls package.
Contact BEA to discuss a new panel build, field installation, or enclosure upgrade.
Tolomatic | Extreme Force Electric Motion
RSX50: 50 Tons of Precise Electric Force
The newest RSX actuator doubles the force capacity of the RSX25 while keeping a remarkably similar footprint.
New from Tolomatic
Hydraulic-class power, electric control
Built around Tolomatic's high-precision planetary roller-screw technology, the RSX50 is designed for high-force, high-cycle work where manufacturers want measurable motion and force without hydraulic leaks, fluid handling, and maintenance complexity.
A major jump in power density
Tolomatic rates the RSX50 for maximum force of 100,000 lbf (445 kN), twice the 50,000-lbf rating of the RSX25. Maximum published stroke is 25 inches (630 mm), and maximum speed is 17 in/sec (432 mm/sec).
Its compact high-force package opens an electric path for pressing, punching, stamping, timber processing, injection molding, and other demanding industrial processes traditionally served by hydraulics.
Force
100,000 lbf
Up to 50 tons of controlled linear force for heavy industrial duty.
Stroke
Up to 25 in
A published maximum of 630 mm, with extended options available by request.
Speed
Up to 17 in/sec
Electric motion with repeatable positioning and measurable force control.
Built for demanding production environments
The RSX family uses Type III hard-coat anodized aluminum housings and offers an IP67 option for protection against dust and water ingress. Tolomatic positions the platform around precision, ruggedness, lower energy use, simplified maintenance, and consistent performance across industrial temperature ranges.
Read the official announcement: Tolomatic launches the RSX50.
Bring us the application
BEA can help turn force requirements into a practical motion solution
Britton Electronics & Automation can help evaluate the load, stroke, speed, duty cycle, environment, mounting, motor and drive, controls, and safety requirements behind your application. We can also help compare an RSX electric solution with an existing hydraulic approach and coordinate the automation components needed around it.
Contact BEA to discuss a new high-force machine or a hydraulic-to-electric conversion.
Fortress Safety | News & Insights
Why ISO 14119:2024 Calls Them Interlocks, Not Safety Switches
A machinery-safety perspective from Fortress Safety, summarized for BEA customers.
Vendor perspective
Interlocks are engineered safety controls
Fortress Safety describes an interlock as a mechanical, electrical, or other device that prevents hazardous machine functions from operating under specified conditions. Interlocked guards help bring hazards to a safe state before a person enters a safeguarded area.
The 2024 standard recognizes five interlock types
According to Fortress Safety's article, ISO 14119:2024 classifies interlocking devices by their operating and actuation principles. The notable addition is Type 5 for trapped-key interlocking devices, expanding the previous four-type classification.
Fortress notes that trapped-key systems can enforce an access sequence or control energy sources. Selection still begins with the machine's risk assessment and must account for the environment, required reliability, probability of failure, control-system integration, and measures that discourage defeat.
1. Assess the task and hazard
Identify how people interact with the machine and where motion or hazardous energy creates unacceptable risk.
2. Select the interlock type
Match the device and actuation principle to the application, required safety function, and operating environment.
3. Integrate and validate
Consider the complete safety-related control system, resistance to defeat, applicable standards, and application-specific validation.
Why the terminology matters
The phrase safety switch remains common in industry, but Fortress explains that it is broad and can be ambiguous: a switch is a component inside a device, while an interlocking device has defined safety functions, design requirements, and performance expectations.
Using the standards-based term helps engineers, machine builders, operators, and suppliers discuss the complete protective function more precisely.
Why listen to Fortress
Machinery-safety experience behind the article
Fortress Safety says it has specialized in machinery safety and interlocking since 1977 and participates in standards-development work involving BSI, ANSI, and ISO. The source article is written by Stefano Tommasone, PhD, Fortress Content Manager and a B11 Licensed Machinery Safety Specialist.
Read the full vendor article: Interlocks in Machinery Safety and the Role of ISO 14119.
Bring the application to BEA
Britton Electronics & Automation can help connect machine-safety requirements with practical control, electrical, and automation choices. Final device selection, required performance, and validation must be based on the specific machine and the standards and regulations that apply to it.
Functional Safety as a Performance Strategy for Automotive Machines
Machine safety | Build protection into automotive automation from the start
✓ Safety belongs in the machine concept
Festo's recent functional-safety article argues that automotive machine safety should not be added after the core design is complete. When safety is integrated early, engineers can address protection, machine availability, energy use, validation, and future changes as parts of one architecture.
That is especially relevant in automotive and e-mobility production, where high throughput, flexible layouts, controlled motion, valuable processes, and interaction between people and machines must coexist.
1. Assess the real application
Start by identifying where the actual process creates risk. A precise, application-specific assessment helps establish the required safety level and reduces guesswork later in the project.
2. Match functions to architecture
Define the needed safety functions around the machine's motion profile, layout, and operating modes. This helps balance protection, flexibility, and complexity without automatically overspecifying the system.
3. Implement for performance
Circuit design and component selection affect response time, diagnostics, restart behavior, fault handling, and output. Good implementation protects people while supporting reliable production.
✓ Put the safety function closer to the motion
Festo highlights a shift from exclusively centralized safety concepts toward functions located closer to the actuator. Depending on the application, this can enable faster, more precise responses, simplify modular machine sections, increase layout flexibility, and improve machine availability.
Electric and pneumatic safety functions can both contribute. The right combination depends on the risk assessment, required behavior, machine architecture, and applicable standards. Safety decisions must be validated for the complete application.
Modernize without rebuilding everything
Existing equipment may need to meet updated safety requirements or internal standards. Festo notes that scalable concepts can support targeted retrofits, such as modernizing selected safety functions, improving diagnostics, or aligning specific machine sections with current requirements while preserving useful equipment.
Read the primary source: Festo's functional safety article for automotive machines.
How BEA can help
Britton Electronics & Automation can help evaluate machine-safety needs alongside controls, electrical, pneumatic, and motion requirements, then support practical component selection and system integration.
Contact BEA when planning a new machine concept or a focused safety upgrade for existing automation.