Industry · manufacturing
Manufacturing plant arc flash study that keeps up with your retooling
US arc flash studies, PE-reviewed, quoted in 24 hours. Every new line added to the model, not left off it.
- PE-reviewed
- Built on current NFPA 70E-2027
- IEEE 1584-2018
- Field engineers travel to every US state
- Written quote in 24 hours
A manufacturing plant arc flash study covers the power that feeds production: service switchgear, busway and plug-in units, motor control centers, drives and the control panels on each machine. AFSC calculates incident energy at each one and labels it, scheduled around shifts and shutdown weeks, so new lines and retooling never leave gear unassessed.
Why now
What usually triggers the study in a factory
A new line or retooling
New machines bring new panels and drives that the old study never saw, and they change fault levels upstream.
A planned shutdown week
Shutdown weeks are when panels can be opened safely. Booking the study into one avoids a second outage later.
An insurer or corporate EHS audit
Group-wide safety audits can ask for a current study, labels and training records at every site.
Hazards and governing standards on the factory floor
| Reference | Why it matters here |
|---|---|
| NFPA 70E-2027 | Risk assessment, labels and PPE for every energized task |
| IEEE 1584-2018 | Incident energy at switchgear, busway, MCCs and panels |
| NEC (NFPA 70) Article 409 | Short-circuit current rating marking on industrial control panels |
| NFPA 79 | Electrical standard for industrial machinery and its control panels |
New line coming? Label it before it starts.
Send the one-line diagram and the line start date. A fixed price and a plan that fits your shutdown calendar arrive within one business day.
Typical scope in a manufacturing plant
| Equipment | What we model and label |
|---|---|
| Service switchgear | Main breakers and transformers, at 480 V or medium voltage |
| Busway and plug-in units | Each tap point where crews connect and disconnect machines |
| Motor control centers and drives | Process motors and variable frequency drives |
| Machine control panels | Robot cells, presses and conveyors, with SCCR checked |
| Welding and compressed air | Large intermittent loads and the panels feeding them |
What a typical project looks like
Illustrative scenario, no client named and no figures claimed: a plant adding an automated line books its study into the summer shutdown. Engineers survey the existing system the week before, add the new line from its design drawings, verify it during commissioning, and label every panel before the first production run.
Busway plug-in units, a hazard factory studies often miss
Busway plug-in units are where electricians connect and disconnect machines, often energized, and they sit close to large upstream breakers. A study that stops at the main switchboard leaves these taps unlabeled. We model the busway along its length and label each tap point that crews actually use.
Frequently asked questions
Question not here? Ask an engineer
Does every machine control panel need a label?
Equipment likely to be examined, adjusted or serviced while energized needs an arc flash label under NFPA 70E-2027. In a factory that usually includes machine control panels, drive enclosures and busway plug-in units. We walk the floor with your maintenance lead to agree which panels crews really open.
How do we keep the study current as lines change?
Treat every new line or major machine as a change to the study. We add it to your existing model, rerun the affected part of the system and relabel only what moved. Planned that way, the study stays current between full reviews at a fraction of the effort of starting over.
Can the field work happen during production?
Mostly, yes. Engineers read nameplates and settings from outside enclosures with equipment running, and work zone by zone around your shift pattern. Only items that need a cover removed wait for a planned shutdown or weekend, which your production team approves in advance.
What about control panel short-circuit ratings?
The study confirms the available fault current at each control panel. Panels marked with a short-circuit current rating under NEC (NFPA 70) Article 409 must be rated at least as high. Where a rating falls short, we flag it with the change that fixes it before it becomes an equipment failure.
Do you train our maintenance team too?
Yes. NFPA 70E-2027 training can follow label installation, using your own panels and labels as examples, so maintenance staff learn the new values on the equipment they service. One team handles study, labels and training, which keeps the message consistent from the report to the shop floor.
How fast can we get a price?
Within 24 hours. Send your one-line diagram, or a list of switchgear, busway runs and motor control centers with your shutdown dates, and an engineer returns a fixed written price with a dated field plan. You do not need a site visit to receive the quote.
Get your arc flash study quoted
Tell us about your facility. An engineer replies within one business day with scope, timeline and price.
- IEEE 1584-2018 and NFPA 70E-2027, PE-reviewed
- Labels and training in the same scope
- Field engineers travel to any US state