Why relays are used in industry? Benefit and Application

Relays are electrical switches with electromagnetic coils, contacts, and armatures. They use electromagnetism to generate magnetic fields. When the coil is energized, the magnetic field attracts the armature to push the contacts to close or open, thereby controlling the current between two or more circuits. In industrial production, it is impossible to manually operate all switches to control the opening and closing of circuits. Especially in precise industrial systems, manual operation will also produce large errors. Therefore, relays use their characteristics of rapid response, accurate control, automation capabilities, and strong reliability to quickly occupy an important position in the industrial field and become an important electrical component in the industrial field.

This article covers the benefits of relays and their unique uses in industry, and it explains why relays are utilized in industrial systems from two perspectives.

What benefits does the use of relays bring to industrial production?

1. Control and isolation: In industrial production, many devices and circuits are often used to achieve control and production, and relays can isolate the working circuit from the control circuit. Especially in the circuits of large mechanical equipment, the working voltage is often very large, while the voltage of the control circuit is relatively small. Relays can isolate the circuits between them to ensure the safety of the entire system.

2. Signal amplification: In some circuits, the control signal is too weak to directly control the device, so the relay can amplify the low signal to achieve control of high-power devices, effectively solving the problem that the device control signal is not strong enough to achieve effective control.

3. Protective circuits: In industrial systems, relays can also detect abnormal conditions in the system and protect the circuit from voltage and current shocks. When an abnormality is detected, it will automatically cut off the circuit, reducing the risk of equipment damage and protecting the safety of operators.

4. Automatic control: Relays can also work with PLCs and sensors in industrial systems, providing a powerful and precise control platform for industrial automation, making industrial production more automated and intelligent.

5. Time control: The relay can also realize delay control or periodic control by programming or configuring time delay parameters, which can greatly meet the repetitive processes and timing operations in industrial production.

6. Reduce energy consumption: The relay has high durability and fast response ability, and can automatically control the opening or closing of the equipment, avoiding the energy consumption of the equipment for a long time. This not only reduces the operating energy consumption of the equipment, but also reduces the wear of the equipment and improves the efficiency of the equipment.

7. Fast response: Compared with manual control, relays have very high switching speed and efficiency. They can respond within microseconds or milliseconds, which is very suitable for the efficient operation requirements of industrial automation systems. These are all unattainable by manual operation.

Application of relays in industry
1. Power relays can not only be used as safety circuits in industrial production to prevent unexpected large currents from flowing into the circuit, but can also be used to control circuits, turn on or off motors, lights and other equipment. For example, in the application of industrial packaging machines, items are transported to the designated packaging area on a packaging machine. When the sensor detects that the item has arrived at the designated location, the controller will immediately send a signal to the power relay, and the power relay will immediately respond to cut off or connect the power supply, thereby accurately controlling the machine’s actions to package the items. If it is manually operated, it may lead to untimely control, resulting in blockage of the packaged items and affecting subsequent work.
2. Time relays are widely used in industrial automation production lines. On some automated assembly lines, materials need to be sent to each workstation via a conveyor belt at regular intervals. Time relays can control the interval time and sequence of material transmission on the conveyor belt by setting time parameters. For example, it takes about 40 seconds for a workstation on an automated assembly line to complete an action before the next item can be operated. At this time, we can set the delay time through the time relay and set the material transmission device to start the transmission every 40 seconds. This can improve the automation level and production efficiency of the production line, avoid material accumulation or shortage, and ensure the smooth operation of the assembly line.
Conclusion

In summary, the application of relays has greatly improved industrial production efficiency, can effectively protect industrial circuits, and can work with sensors to improve and change the production mode of industrial production lines. Therefore, this is why industrial production cannot do without relays, and relays are widely used in industrial production.
FAQS

Q: What types of relays ?

A: Relays can be divided into power relays, PCB relays, PCL relays, solid-state relays, time relays and electromagnetic relays according to different working principles and usage environments.

Q: How to choose a suitable industrial relay?

A: Shenler Relays is a world-renowned relay brand. Based on years of industry experience, we know that when purchasing relays, we generally need to consider factors such as load requirements, working environment, and control requirements. For details, you can refer to our “How to Choose the Right Industrial Relays?“, which can provide you with a detailed answer.

Q: In the industrial industry, why are relays more suitable than switches?

A: Because relays have functions that switches cannot do, while switches have all the functions of relays, such as signal amplification, time delay, circuit protection, and automatic control.

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