| Bus Bracing
| Material used to hold power bus bars firmly in place while high electrical current flows through them |
| Conduit
| Metallic tubing used to protect field and control wiring. |
| Contactor
| A control device that uses control current to energize or de-energize the load connected to it |
| Disconnect
| A device used to remove electrical circuits from the supply source. Can be a circuit breaker or fusible/non-fusible switch. |
| Enclosed Control
| Various types of contactors and starters that have their own separate wall or floor enclosures. |
| Fault Current
| The surge of amperage created during an electrical failing |
| Feeder Tap Units
| Plug-in units that contain circuit breakers or fusible switches. Also referred to as draw-out units. |
| Full Load Amps
| The rating of current to be expected when a motor is running at specified voltage, speed and torque |
| Ground Fault
| A condition in which current from a power line is flowing to ground |
| IEC
| International Electro-technical Commission |
| Ingress
| Entering of dust, liquid or other material into the enclosure |
| Interrupt Rating
| The amount of current a device is designed to handle during a fault current situation |
| IP
| Ingress Protection. This is a European standard that specifies what level of protection is provided from entrance of contaminants into the enclosure. |
| Isolation Barrier
| A full height barrier of glass-reinforced polyester with cutouts to allow unit stabs to engage the vertical bus |
| Knockouts
| Pre-stamped holes for the insertion of conduit into an enclosure |
| Lugs
| Connection device to clamp and hold wiring |
| Motor Control Centers
| Large floor enclosures designed to contain numerous standard motor control devices such as starters, drives and programmable logic controllers |
| NEC
| National Electric Code |
| NEMA
| National Electrical Manufacturers Association |
| Overload Relay
| A relay that is designed to sense motor heating and trips when heat exceeds preset value, thereby protecting the motor |
| Packaged Control
| A term used to describe a collection of products, such as enclosed control and motor control centers. |
| Pilot Devices
| Equipment designed to interface with operators such as pushbuttons, selector switches and indicating lights |
| Plating
| Metallic material applied to another metal to form a good conductor |
| Plug-In Unit
| The part of a motor control center that holds the starters, drives, PLCs, etc. It is also referred to as a bucket. |
| Power Bus
| Metal bars used to conduct electrical power |
| Power Stabs
| Metal clips used to connect to the power bus in an MCC |
| Service Factor
| The percentage of extra demand that can be placed on a motor without damaging the motor |
| Shunt Trip
| A device used to trip a circuit breaker remotely |
| Starter
| A contactor connected with an overload relay to energize or de-energize the motor load connected to it |
| Terminal Blocks
| Devices used to connect all control wiring to a central point |
| Transformer
| A device used to change AC voltage from one level to another |
| Trip Rating
| The point at which a circuit breaker will disconnect power |
| Withstand Rating
| The level of amperage that can be handled without severe damage |
