Sending Best Thoughts and Prayers

Maybe now, Texas will look at regulations, and maybe building and electrical codes. When I was working for a month in Austin about six years ago, we were appalled with how the electricians were wiring the machinery. Were setting up 140 CNC machining centers, and they were wiring the grounds to the building frames, and not ground rods for each machine. This led to many arguments until the ground loops caused after forty machines were online started frying controls. They still wouldn't believe us, and called in outside inspectors, who told them to use ground rods for each machine.

And, like Mike said, it's an antiquated grid system that needs someone from the outside to say "Wake Up Stoopid!"
 
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Maybe now, Texas will look at regulations, and maybe building and electrical codes. When I was working for a month in Austin about six years ago, we were appalled with how the electricians were wiring the machinery. Were setting up 140 CNC machining centers, and they were wiring the grounds to the building frames, and not ground rods for each machine. This led to many arguments until the ground loops caused after forty machines were online started frying controls. They still wouldn't believe us, and called in outside inspectors, who told them to use ground rods for each machine.

And, like Mike said, it's an antiquated grid system that needs someone from the outside to say "Wake Up Stoopid!"

I hear you but the last two times we wired machine shops the Haas techs did not want a driven rod at each machine.

Edited to reflect that machines should never go directly to the building frame but back to main system ground.
 
Sounds like they could learn a lot from ship builders. We installed a 3 MW radar on Navy Ships. 480V 3 phase, lots of issues controlling sneak paths.
 
I hear you but the last two times we wired machine shops the Haas techs did not want a driven rod at each machine.

Edited to reflect that machines should never go directly to the building frame but back to main system ground.


I was working for Mazak at the time. Japanese machines want a definite ground. They are not as fussy as German or Swiss machines which tend to look at the US power grids as third world, and we always need to add external transformers. American made machines like the Haas mills, are more receptive to +/- 20% fluctuations. Just don't be fooled by Haas grinders, which are made in Germany and a completely different company. They are just as fussy as any other German made machine.
 
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