Knowledge hub
How control panels should be built: standards and wiring
The rules, and the reasons behind them. Useful when you are writing a specification or checking someone else's panel.
UKCA and CE marking on control panels: where things stand
Which mark a control panel sold in Great Britain and Northern Ireland needs, which regulations sit behind it, what the Declaration of Conformity is, and what a buyer should check.
10 July 2026 · 4 min read
What a control panel test certificate should include, and what to ask for
Every panel should leave the factory with a test certificate. Here is what a proper one records, what the tests mean, and the questions to ask a panel builder before you order.
3 July 2026 · 4 min read
BS EN 61439-2 for panel buyers: what the certificate covers, and what it doesn't
The standard every UK control panel should be built to, explained for the person buying the panel rather than building it. Design verification, routine verification, Forms, and the questions to ask.
26 June 2026 · 5 min read
IP ratings explained: IP55, IP65 and IP66 for control panels
What the two digits mean, which rating a control panel needs indoors, outdoors and in a kiosk, and why a rating only holds if the glands and door are right.
19 June 2026 · 4 min read
Kiosk or wall-mounted? Choosing an enclosure for an outdoor pump station
Steel, polyester or a GRP kiosk; IP55 or IP66; heater, light, generator inlet. How to choose the housing for a pump control panel that lives outside.
12 June 2026 · 4 min read
Should you gland both ends of SWA cable?
This question comes up constantly, usually framed as: "If I'm not using the armour as a CPC, do I really need to gland the load end?"
16 January 2026 · 3 min read
The dangers of emergency stops, and why they don't always do what you think
In the industrial world, the "big red button" is a universal symbol of safety. We are conditioned to believe that hitting an emergency stop (also known as an E-stop) acts as a magic wand that instantly renders a machine harmless. However, this assumption is dangerous. E-stops are complex c
19 December 2025 · 4 min read
Replacing control panel components
Choosing the right control panel components can be daunting, especially for an onsite engineer having to replace dated parts. Here is a handy overview guide and some things to watch out for. Need components? We keep £100,000's of components in stock, get in contact for pricing and availability.
2 December 2025 · 4 min read
Why are multiple earths on the same stud banned?
When building electrical control panels, wiring practices are not just a matter of neatness, they are a matter of safety and compliance. An important regulatory standard is BS EN 60204-1: Safety of machinery – Electrical equipment of machines. What BS EN 60204-1 requires:The standard states:“The con
12 September 2025 · 2 min read
Wiring diagrams: eating spaghetti for breakfast
For many engineers who haven't had formal training in controls design, wiring diagrams can look pretty daunting. The aim of this blog post is to give a basic outline so that you can take what might look like a page of spaghetti and be able to explain what's in front of you. In fact if you spend a
1 August 2025 · 5 min read
Form 4 or Form 2 enclosures, what does it mean?
When it comes to electrical control panels, one of the key considerations in design and specification is the “Form of separation.” This concept, defined under the IEC 61439 standard (adopted in the UK as BS EN 61439), outlines how live parts within an enclosure—such as busbars, terminals, and functi
11 July 2025 · 4 min read
Best switchgear enclosure options in the UK
There are a lot of different types of the best control panel (switchgear) enclosures here in the UK, let's look at the options and which ones are the best for your application.
13 June 2025 · 2 min read
Do you need surge protection in your panel? Here's what you need to know.
As a manufacturer of control panels, we frequently get asked - do we need surge protection in our control panel? The short answer is: in most cases, yes.
6 June 2025 · 3 min read
Functional Safety Training - Should you do it?
As an EC&I design engineer I work with different areas of design and regulatory standards day to day, one of those areas is functional safety – which is a hugely interesting subject area.
20 December 2024 · 2 min read
Mild steel vs polyester glazed enclosures: what’s the difference?
When selecting an enclosure for control panels, the environment, maintenance needs, and ease of use are key factors to consider. Two of the solutions offered by Schneider Electric are mild steel and polyester glazed enclosures, each with unique advantages. Here's a comparison tailored to pump panel
29 November 2024 · 3 min read
Common control panel mistakes
When working on control panels, it's important to check compliance to reduce the risk of the panel failing, including the risk of catching fire. Number one of the list for us is the neutral not terminated. We so often get sent photos of an old panel that needs replacing and in the bottom of the pa
4 October 2024 · 3 min read
The end of earth blocks in panels
(at least, in our panels)The usual solution for earthing in a control panel is an earth block. Less commonly there may be an earth stud to use, but this can be a nuisance if you have more than one earth (for example, some bonding), because no more than one connection should be made to one earth stu
29 March 2024 · 2 min read
What Isolators actually do (and installers don't know!)
You turn the isolator off to cut power to the panel. So far so good - and then it gets more interesting, because an isolator does not do everything installers assume it does.
8 March 2024 · 2 min read
Do control panel enclosures need to be metal? The law.
There's rarely a yes or no answer when it comes to electrical regulations! But in this post we try and get as close to a definitive answer as possible. Let's start with the relevant regulations, which are from the Electr
1 March 2024 · 1 min read
Wago lever terminals – a new era for control panels
Screw terminals should be done up to a specific torque given by the manufacturer. Hours are spent tracing intermittent faults back to loose screw terminals.
26 January 2024 · 1 min read
Electrical symbols: electronic filters
What are the IEC symbols for frequency regulating products such as IRF filters and EMI filters.
12 January 2024 · 1 min read
Got a project, or just need a quick answer?
Tell us what the panel has to do and we will come back with a price and a lead time. Existing accounts: reorders and spares go through the same form.