What’s up, fellow maintenance folks, plant managers, and anyone who’s ever dealt with wonky machinery that just won’t play nice? If you’re here because your auxiliary machines are throwing weird electrical glitches, or you’re trying to figure out why they’re messing with other gear on the floor, you’re in the right spot. Full transparency here: I’m not a PhD holding a binder full of jargon (though I’ve probably read my fair share of those). I’m the guy who runs an auxiliary machines supply company, and I’ve spent the last decade troubleshooting these exact headaches with clients across manufacturing, food processing, and even data centers. Auxiliary Machines
Today we’re breaking down electromagnetic interference (EMI) with auxiliary machines – not the textbook version, but the real-world stuff that actually shows up on your line’s PLC screen, lights up your diagnostic tools, and makes your entire shift longer than it needs to be. Let’s start with the basics that actually matter: what makes auxiliary machines different from, say, a big primary motor driving the entire production line? Auxiliary machines – think conveyor belts, pump units, compressors, small hydraulic systems, even those compact industrial fans that keep parts cool – are often overlooked when it comes to EMI, but they’re everywhere, and their unique design traits make EMI way more likely to sneak through, unlike those larger, more robust primary systems.
First up, let’s talk about the core EMI characteristics specific to these workhorses. The big one I see all the time is their tiny, power-dense components. A lot of auxiliary machines are built to be compact – you need a pump that fits under a food processing tank, a conveyor that slides between two assembly stations, right? So manufacturers cram a lot of electronics and switching parts into a small space. Those high-speed switching diodes, relays, and variable frequency drives (VFDs) that are used to adjust speed on pumps and conveyors? They generate rapid current and voltage spikes that radiate electromagnetic waves – that’s EMI. Unlike a big primary motor that’s often grounded and shielded by its own bulky frame, these small auxiliary parts don’t have the same level of built-in shielding. So that EMI doesn’t just stay inside the machine – it leaks out.
Another key trait: most auxiliary machines are hardwired to the main power grid, not powered by their own isolated system. That means the EMI they generate doesn’t just radiate through the air (that’s radiated EMI, by the way) – it also gets conducted right back through the power lines to every other device on the same circuit. I had a client in a bottling plant last year whose auxiliary pump for the filler line was causing the label printer 20 feet away to misapply stickers randomly. Turns out the pump’s VFD was spiking so bad, every time it cycled, the current on the shared power line dropped just enough to mess with the printer’s timing board. That’s conducted EMI in action, and it’s way more common with auxiliary machines because they’re usually connected to the same power source as sensitive control gear, not their own dedicated circuit.
Wait, let’s not forget about switching noise from on/off cycles. A lot of auxiliary machines – especially smaller ones used in batch processing – turn on and off dozens of times an hour. Every time a relay switches the machine on or off, there’s a momentary surge in current. That surge creates a burst of EMI, and if that happens hundreds of times a day, it adds up. Compare that to a primary motor that runs non-stop for weeks at a time – it doesn’t have those frequent switching events, so it generates way less of that burst EMI. I’ve seen this show up in woodworking shops, too: their auxiliary dust collection fans cycle on and off with each machine tool, and the EMI from those cycles messes with the shop’s temperature control system.
Now, here’s the part that makes this personal for me: a lot of clients reach out thinking “all EMI is the same” when their auxiliary machine is causing issues, but it’s not. There are actually two main types of EMI we deal with here, and auxiliary machines are especially prone to both. First is the high-frequency radiated EMI I mentioned earlier – that’s the stuff that messes with wireless devices, like Bluetooth scanners used for inventory in a warehouse, or even the Wi-Fi on a plant floor. A client in an e-commerce fulfillment center had their portable scanners dropping connections left and right, and after testing, we found the auxiliary conveyor’s motor was emitting high-frequency waves right at the 2.4 GHz band that most scanners use. That’s not the primary conveyor driving the line – that’s the little auxiliary conveyor that moves empty boxes from the stack to the main line. Makes sense, right?
The other type is low-frequency conducted EMI, which is even sneakier because you can’t see it, but it breaks your gear. This is the current spikes and noise that travel through power lines, communication cables, and even the ground connections between machines. Auxiliary machines often use lower-voltage control signals (like 24V DC for their sensors) that are way more sensitive to these voltage spikes than the higher-voltage power used on big primary motors. So a spike that’s just a blip on a main motor’s power line can fry a sensor or a PLC input on an auxiliary machine, or on a device nearby.
But wait, it’s not just about the EMI coming from auxiliary machines – they’re also really susceptible to EMI from other sources. I see this all the time when clients install new auxiliary equipment next to older gear. For example, if you put a new, high-speed auxiliary pump next to an old welding machine, the welding machine’s high-frequency EMI can mess with the pump’s control board, making it run erratically. The thing about auxiliary machines is that their control systems are often cheaper, less shielded, and not rated for the same EMI environment as primary systems. So they’re like the canary in the coal mine for EMI problems on the plant floor – if your auxiliary machines are glitching, it’s often a sign that your entire facility’s EMI is out of balance.
Now, let’s talk about why understanding these characteristics matters, especially if you’re buying auxiliary gear (hi, that’s my team’s wheelhouse!). When we supply auxiliary machines, we don’t just hook them up and walk away – we test their EMI output and their immunity to incoming EMI on every unit, because we know how much of a headache it causes when they don’t meet standards. A lot of cheaper auxiliary machines on the market skip basic EMI mitigation to cut costs – things like adding shielding to the control cables, filtering the power input, and using soft starters instead of hard relays to reduce switching surges. Those little additions might add a few bucks to the price tag, but they save you from downtime, lost production, and repair bills that add up way more than that upfront cost.
I had a great client in a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility last year who learned this the hard way. They bought cheap auxiliary mixers from a random supplier, and within three months, half their mixers were throwing errors because their control boards were being fried by EMI from a nearby compressor. They reached out to us, and when we replaced those cheap mixers with our units, which have built-in EMI filtering and shielded control wiring, they didn’t have a single glitch in over two years. That’s not a sales pitch – that’s real results from understanding the EMI characteristics of auxiliary machines.
Here’s a pro tip I’ve picked up over the years: if you’re dealing with EMI from auxiliary machines, first do a quick test to figure out where it’s coming from. Use a simple EMI detector (you can pick up a cheap one online for under $100) and walk around the plant with it when the auxiliary machine is running. Hold it near the power lines, the motor housing, the control panel, and any nearby sensitive gear. You’ll usually spot the source pretty quickly – either the motor itself, the VFD, or the control system. Once you know the source, you can fix it, whether that’s adding a line filter to the power input, shielding the control cables, or installing a separate ground for the auxiliary machine.
Another common misconception: people think that only new auxiliary machines generate EMI. But older auxiliary machines – the ones that have been running for 10+ years – have components that wear out, and their shielding can degrade over time. So an old pump that used to run fine might start emitting EMI a year or two before it fails completely, just because its internal parts are breaking down. That’s why it’s good to keep an eye on your auxiliary machines’ EMI levels, not just their performance. If you start seeing random glitches, check the older auxiliary gear first – that’s usually the culprit.
Now, let’s get into the technical stuff that actually lines up with industry standards, because I know you care about that too. The main standards we test auxiliary machines to are IEC 61000-6-2 (for industrial environments) and IEC 61000-6-4 (emissions for industrial equipment). Auxiliary machines have to meet both: they can’t emit too much EMI that messes with other gear, and they have to be able to handle the EMI that’s present in a typical industrial plant. The key characteristics that we test for are radiated emissions in the 30 MHz to 1 GHz range (that’s the band where most PLCs, scanners, and wireless devices operate) and conducted emissions on the power lines in the 150 kHz to 30 MHz range. That’s exactly the range that most auxiliary machines struggle with, because their small components operate in that same frequency band.
Why does that matter? Because if an auxiliary machine’s emissions are above the IEC standard, it’s not just a nuisance – it can cause compliance issues for your entire facility. For example, data centers have strict EMI requirements to protect their servers, and if an auxiliary cooling fan (which is a key part of data center infrastructure) emits too much EMI, it can cause server errors, which are catastrophic for uptime. Manufacturing plants have similar requirements because their production lines have precise timing requirements, and even a small EMI blip can lead to a batch of product being ruined.
Let me circle back to my own business for a second, because that’s how you know I’m not just regurgitating textbook info. Every auxiliary machine we ship goes through a 15-minute EMI test before it leaves our warehouse. We hook it up to a power source, run it at full speed and half speed, cycle it on and off a bunch of times, and use our EMI detector to check for emissions. If a unit is even 10% over the IEC standard, we don’t ship it – we go back to our team of engineers and adjust the filtering or shielding. Why? Because I’ve seen too many clients waste money on auxiliary machines that cause more problems than they solve, and I’m not here to be that supplier. My team’s whole thing is delivering auxiliary machines that are reliable, and that means they don’t mess with the rest of your gear.
Now, let’s talk about what you can do if you’re dealing with EMI from your current auxiliary machines, even if they’re not from my company (no hard feelings, I get it). First, check the power source: is your auxiliary machine on a dedicated circuit, or is it sharing a line with sensitive control gear? If it’s sharing, installing a line filter on the auxiliary machine’s power input can cut conducted EMI by 80% or more. Second, check the control cables: are they running parallel to power cables? That’s a big one – if your sensor cable is running next to your pump’s power cable, the power cable’s EMI can couple into the sensor cable and cause glitches. Separating those cables by at least a foot, or using shielded control cables, fixes that 9 times out of 10. Third, make sure the auxiliary machine is properly grounded – a lot of EMI is caused by poor grounding, and adding a separate ground rod for the auxiliary machine can reduce radiated emissions a lot.
But if you’re at the point where you need to replace your auxiliary machines, don’t just grab the cheapest option. Ask the supplier about their EMI testing and mitigation. Do they use line filters? Shielded control wiring? Soft starters instead of hard relays? Those are the things that make a big difference. And if you work with a supplier that actually understands auxiliary machines (not just generic industrial gear), they’ll ask you about your facility’s specific EMI environment – like if you’re in a data center, a food processing plant, or a warehouse – and adjust their machines accordingly.
Wait, let’s wrap this up with a real quick example that drove this home for me. A client in a meat processing plant had three auxiliary conveyors next to each other, and every time two ran at the same time, the third would stop randomly. They tried everything: replacing PLCs, changing wiring, even rewiring the entire circuit. Nothing worked. We showed up, ran an EMI test, and found that the two conveyors’ VFDs were emitting EMI that was exactly at the frequency of the third conveyor’s control board. The solution? We added small line filters to each VFD, and the problem was gone. Total fix time: 2 hours. Total cost: way less than what they would have spent if they’d just guessed and replaced gear randomly. That’s the power of understanding the EMI characteristics of auxiliary machines – it’s not rocket science, but it does require knowing what to look for.
So, to sum up what we covered today: auxiliary machines have unique EMI characteristics because they’re compact, use switching parts, often share power lines with sensitive gear, and have less built-in shielding than primary systems. They generate both radiated high-frequency EMI that messes with wireless devices and conducted low-frequency EMI that messes with control gear. They’re also more susceptible to outside EMI than larger primary motors. The good news is that with simple fixes like line filters, shielded cables, proper grounding, and machines that are tested for EMI, you can eliminate almost all of these issues.
If you’re dealing with EMI headaches from your auxiliary machines, or you’re in the market for new ones that won’t cause those headaches, reach out. My team can help you test your current setup, find the source of the EMI, and supply auxiliary machines that are built to handle your facility’s specific needs, no hidden surprises, no weird glitches mid-shift. We’ve worked with plants of all sizes, from small local manufacturers to large national facilities, and we know how to make this stuff work for you.
Blow Mold&Injection Mold References
- IEC 61000-6-2, Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) – Part 6-2: Generic standards – Immunity for industrial environments
- IEC 61000-6-4, Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) – Part 6-4: Generic standards – Emission standard for industrial environments
- Bolton, W., "Electromagnetic Compatibility in Industrial Control Systems", Newnes, 2016
- Miller, T.J.E., "Variable Frequency drives: Selection and Optimization", Wiley-IEEE Press, 2017
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Part 15: Radio Frequency Devices, 2022
Dongguang Golden Sincerty Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
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