Resources
Power Guide
A power guide for South African production floors, focused on supply, plugs, breakers, earthing and machine load.
How Power Guide is used in a production week
The Power Guide helps South African production teams check site power before an SMT machine arrives or is moved. It covers supply type, plug and breaker requirements, earthing points and the load each machine will place on the floor.
Record the incoming supply first, then note the machine involved and the point where power enters the bay. Three-phase versus single-phase, plug pattern, breaker size, and earth position matter before any feeder, oven, or conveyor is moved. Conditions differ between Gauteng inland sites and coastal plants where corrosion on terminals appears sooner.
Take clear photos of the DB board, wall socket, plug top, and machine rating plate before a relocation or installation starts. Add outage times, generator changeover behaviour, and any tripping history seen on that line. Those notes help separate a site power fault from a machine fault when production stops.
Power points to capture
Log supply type, breaker details, earthing checks, and the expected load from each SMT machine. Include measured values where available, especially voltage stability during start-up of ovens and compressors. A short written record is more useful than a vague report that only says power is available.
Link the Power Guide to the matching machine note and fault history before any wider site changes are approved. Confirm labels on plugs, breakers, and isolators, then write in through the contact form if power-related failures need review. Keep the wording plain, with the line name, machine name, and site location.
- Supply type logged before machine movement
- Breaker and earth points photographed clearly
- Outage times and trips written down
South African power checks
Across Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, and smaller industrial areas, site power can vary more than teams expect. Older units may have mixed socket standards, undersized breakers, or earthing that was acceptable for light equipment but not for a reflow oven. Load-shedding schedules and generator practice should be written into the same note, not left to memory.
Coastal air can affect exposed terminals, plug pins, and distribution hardware, so visual inspection matters before blaming the SMT machine. Inland dust builds up around vents and electrical panels, which can raise temperatures during long production runs. Where a compressor, oven, and placement machine share one supply, startup sequence should also be recorded.
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What to note on site
Use this Power Guide to note supply photos, outage timing, and power-related failures already checked on the SMT line. Keep the subject line plain and accurate.
Capture the machine model, rated current, plug type, breaker reference, and the nearest verified earth point while you are standing at the installation area. Add photos of any extension leads, adapters, or temporary connections that are still in use. That gives production, maintenance, and purchasing one record to work from when a move or new arrival is planned.