Control Upgrade Errors

A Bad Upgrade Can Cost You More Than the Upgrade Itself

Getting an extruder control upgrade wrong isn't just expensive — it can shut down your line, create serious safety hazards, and expose your company to liability. From NEC violations to runaway heat conditions, the mistakes we see in the field are almost always avoidable. Here's what to watch for before you trust anyone with your upgrade.

Doing Nothing Is Its Own Kind of Mistake

Every day you run on an aging control system is a day closer to unplanned downtime, a safety violation, or a failure your team can't troubleshoot fast enough to matter.

An Uncredentialed Upgrade Isn't a Shortcut — It's a Lawsuit Waiting to Happen

If the person doing your control upgrade isn't properly trained and certified, both the company and the individual can be held liable when someone gets hurt. No budget savings is worth that exposure.
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If They're Not Certified, They Shouldn't Be Touching Your Panel

Working outside UL and OSHA requirements doesn't just create code violations — it puts operators at risk and sets your organization up for serious legal consequences. Credentials aren't optional, and experience in another country doesn't always translate to US code compliance.
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A Simple Relay Swap Can Turn Into a Serious Safety Hazard

Replacing mercury relays with solid state relays sounds straightforward — until the SSR fails in a closed position and a heater band won't shut off. It's one of the most dangerous errors we see, and it's almost always the result of someone who didn't know what they didn't know.
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If Your Panel Looks Like This, Your Next Breakdown Will Be a Long One

Years of patches and quick fixes leave wiring in a state that makes troubleshooting nearly impossible — stretching every downtime event into a multi-hour ordeal. A panel this far gone isn't a maintenance issue anymore. It's an upgrade that's already overdue.
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Mercury Relays Are Hazardous — and Already Illegal in Many States

Mercury relays aren't just outdated — they're classified as hazardous material, and more states are banning them every year. If you're still running them, you're also one relay failure away from a runaway heat condition.
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Contactors Are Not a Heat Control Solution

Unlike SSRs or mercury relays, contactors are rated for a limited number of mechanical cycles. Over time they weld shut, create a shorted circuit, and produce the exact runaway heat condition you were trying to avoid. We see this in the field more than we should.
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Swapping DC for AC Without Addressing Cooling Is a Recipe for Failure

AC drives run hotter than DC. When someone drops an AC drive into an enclosure designed for DC without upgrading the cooling, the electronics start degrading immediately. Heat is the silent killer of control system components.
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"We've Always Done It This Way" Doesn't Hold Up in Court

Old habits and outdated practices don't become acceptable just because they've been in place for years. Code violations — even unintentional ones — can result in fires, injuries, and legal liability that ignorance won't excuse.
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DC to AC Is Not a Drop-In Swap — Especially for the Motor

An AC extruder conversion requires a vector-rated motor with a constant blower — not a standard VFD-rated or NEMA motor. Knowing how to sell a drive and knowing how to properly spec a conversion are two very different things.
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Fitting in the Same Enclosure Doesn't Mean It Belongs There

When converting from DC to AC, cramming the new drive into the old cabinet seems like the easy move. But AC drives generate more heat, and an enclosure designed for DC likely can't handle it — no matter how well it fits physically.
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Same Horsepower, Wrong RPM — Your Line Won't Run Right

A 300HP/1150RPM motor and a 300HP/1750RPM motor are not interchangeable. The torque difference between them is significant, and putting the wrong one in will cost you. If that's news to you, it's time to bring in someone who does this for a living.
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Extrusion Applications We Support

ICT systems are engineered for a wide range of plastic extrusion applications. Each solution is designed to modernize controls, improve operator usability, and increase production reliability.

Blown Film Extrusion

Control management systems designed for mono and multilayer blown film lines.

Popular Features
Modern PLC-based extrusion control architecture
Temperature and process monitoring across zones
Operator-friendly interface for line control
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Compounding

Control for compounding extruders handling high-performance materials.

Popular Features
Accurate temperature and torque control
Integration with feeders and downstream equipment
Process monitoring and diagnostics features
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Film & Sheet

Automation and controls optimized for multilayer film and sheet extrusion.

Popular Features
Multi-zone temperature control management
Integrated drive and motor management
Process data tracking for quality control
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Pipe Extrusion

Control systems built for high-output pipe extrusion lines.

Popular Features
Intuitive operator interface for process control
Alarm diagnostics to quickly identify issues
Process data visibility for production optimization
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Profile Extrusion

Reliable controls for profile extrusion applications across many materials.

Popular Features
Operator-friendly color-coded system status
Process protection to prevent improper startup conditions
Automated monitoring for temperature performance
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Wire & Cable

Control platforms engineered for insulation and jacketing extrusion.

Popular Features
High precision temperature regulation
Drive and motor control integration features
Process monitoring and alarm management
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Pelletizing

Control systems for pelletizing and compounding extrusion operations.

Popular Features
Integrated drive and temperature management
Monitoring of pelletizing system performance
Reliable process control for continuous production
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Get Your Extruder Out of The 70's!

Your extrusion line may still be running like it did in the 70s — but your production demands certainly aren’t. Integrated Control Technologies helps manufacturers upgrade legacy controls, drives, and automation systems with modern solutions designed for today’s extrusion operations.

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