Temperature Switches
You've got a busy day ahead of you with company coming and a ton of housework to do before they arrive, so you are hoping to get the vacuuming done and over with quickly. After a few minutes of tough vacuuming, getting the breakfast cereal crumbs out of the shag rug, the vacuum cleaner cuts off. Clicking the power switch on and off does nothing, neither does trying different outlets around the house. A quick check of the owner's manual lets you know the thermostat in the device is designed to cut power if the engine gets too hot; now you have to wait a good half an hour for the cleaner to cool down enough to use. Frustrating, yes, but that smart application of a temperature switch just saved your vacuum cleaner, a hit to your pocket book, and worse, a potential house fire. This is just one of hundreds of applications that temperature switches are used for, both in the home and for industrial uses.A temperature switch is a devices that is used to not only monitor the temperature of a device, substance or process, but also to create a reaction when a key temperature is reached. The reaction, the key temperature, and the material or process being monitored are all key elements that, when combined, make the temperature switch and incredibly useful tool, for convince, cost savings, quality control and safety.
Industrial temperature switches are typically created with setpoints, the range of temperatures that can be reached before the switch triggers, and one device can handle ranges from negative 40 degrees to 750 degrees and even greater. The reaction that occurs when the switch is triggered will vary on application; monitoring the heat of chocolate in a confection machine could let the operator know when it is the right consistency to pour into molds, the switch triggering an alert, for example. Or a temperature switch can trigger a conveyor belt to move factory parts along once the ambient air temperature indicates the freshly applied paint is dry. Or, as in the case of the vacuum cleaner, it could cut the power to an appliance, preventing the engine from heating up to the point that damage is done. The same idea that can prevent fatal explosions in sensitive work areas may delay your housewarming preparations, but it is nice to know you won't have to live with a dirty house or be forced to spend a few hundred dollars on a new vacuum.