The Hidden Brain Behind Manufacturing Performance
At Trola Industries, Inc., we’ve been helping manufacturers optimize performance and uptime for over 55 years. Whether you’re an end-user managing complex production lines or an OEM building high-performance equipment, your control panels are the “brains” of your operation. But even the smartest brain fails under heat stress.
That’s why UL508a-certified control panel design and build is more than a service for us—it’s a discipline. Every panel we build integrates decades of experience and industry best practices to maximize reliability, operator safety, and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).
And now, we’re launching a new campaign called “Facts & Hacks”—bite-sized insights to help you improve panel performance, minimize downtime, and get more value from every automation dollar.
FACT #1: Control Panel Overheating May Be Killing Your Plant Production
According to Fluke and Schneider Electric, nearly 1 in 3 electrical failures in automation systems are caused by excessive heat inside enclosures. Even worse:
- IEEE studies show that for every 10°C rise above rated temps, component lifespan is cut in half.
- A Control Design survey ranked temperature control in enclosures among the top 5 reliability concerns for automation engineers.
- Enclosure temps above 35°C (95°F) can significantly degrade Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF).
HACK #1: How to Beat the Heat – Cooling Solutions That Work
Want your control panels to live longer, perform better, and give your techs fewer headaches? Here are some proven ways to cool things down:
🔍 Common Heat Triggers:
- High ambient factory temperatures
- Dense component layouts
- Inefficient drives and power supplies
- Lack of ventilation or active cooling
- Improperly sized enclosures
✅ Cooling Remedies by Scenario:
| Cooling Method | When to Use | Pro Tip |
| Fan Kits | Mild heat, low dust | Must pair with filters |
| Air-to-Air Heat Exchangers | Sealed panels, moderate temps | Works well if outside temp is cooler |
| Air Conditioners | High heat loads, dusty environments | Great for drive-intensive systems |
| Thermoelectric (Peltier) Coolers | Small panels, light cooling | Silent & compact, no moving parts |
| Vortex Coolers | Rugged settings, fast cooling | Requires compressed air, no electricity |
💡 Design Tips for Heat Prevention:
- Select components rated for high temps
- Derate electronics for real-world heat
- Use thermal modeling tools during design
- Clean filters & fans regularly
- Add thermal alarms or temperature sensors
🚑 FREE CONTROL PANEL HEALTH CHECK
Got a panel that’s causing headaches or downtime? Let us come out and give it a FREE “Check-Up”. We’ll identify overheating risks and give you a customized “prescription” to improve safety and uptime.
👉 Talk to Sales at (717) 848-3700
📧 Or email us: sales@trolaindustries.com
🌐 Learn more: www.trolaindustries.com
Stay Tuned – More Facts & Hacks Coming Soon!
This is just the first of many mini-lessons we’ll be sharing in our Facts & Hacks series. Each one is designed to give you practical takeaways that protect your people, your product, and your production line.
Let’s keep your operation cool, compliant, and consistently running.