When the grid goes down, you want to be ready—especially if you have sensitive information or patients to protect.
Some companies must ensure a steady flow of power to their facility. Data centers and large offices need backup power generators to avoid disruptions in syncing data and damage to electronic equipment. Hospitals need backup power to keep machines running and patients alive.
Custom metal fabricators design and produce enclosures and other parts for industrial backup generators and battery energy storage systems. In this article, we’ll dive into the benefits of installing a backup generator. Then, we’ll share how metal fabricators help produce much-needed generator components.
Jump to:
- Benefits of backup power generators for businesses
- How commercial backup power generators work
- Parts of a generator system
- Get custom power generator components
Why Are Backup Generators Needed?
Those connected to the electric grid know it’s not 100% reliable. Blackouts can happen if grid equipment fails or the area is faced with extreme weather.
Power outages spell disaster for data centers or offices without a backup plan. No power means losing vital information or damaging expensive equipment. For hospitals, losing power risks patients’ well-being, and it could harm temperature-controlled lab samples and supplies.
Here are a few reasons facilities need a backup power source. Diesel and natural gas backup generators do the following:
- Offer a source of power in an outage
- Maintain data collection and syncing
- Help keep records secure
- Protect electronic equipment from power surges
- Maintain heat and air
- Meet compliance requirements
Facilities can keep everything going with a backup power source. A generator provides uninterrupted power as the facility switches between the generator and the utility grid. With a generator at the ready, nothing goes down when utility power does.
How Backup Power Generators Work
Under usual circumstances, utility power from the electric grid is what supports a facility. When an emergency hits, the backup generator comes into play. Electricity flows through a transfer switch, which routes to either the utility or generator.
A system with an automatic transfer switch will turn on when the power goes out, so the facility will always have access to electricity. Manual systems must be turned on before supplying power, giving the operator more control.
When power is lost, here’s what happens with an automatic backup generator:
- The uninterrupted power supply (UPS) offers power to the facility.
- The emergency generator starts.
- An automatic transfer switch turns to emergency power.
- A switch gear sends power to critical and non-critical loads.
- The backup generator secures the power supply.
Key Parts of a Backup Generator
When backup generator manufacturers partner with metal fabricators, they can fulfill their needs with custom parts—big and small. The following are key aspects of a backup power system.
Alternator
An alternator offers the same electrical current as the utility. An alternator has a stator and a rotor—or a stationary and moving part. When these parts work together, they produce power.
Automatic Transfer Switch & Controller
An automatic transfer switch senses when power is available and chooses the proper power source for your facility. When there’s an outage, the controller starts the generator. Then, it tells the automatic transfer switch to turn from utility power to emergency power.
Once the controller senses utility power is back, it signals the automatic transfer switch to turn back from emergency power to utility once again.
Sheet Metal Enclosure
Harsh environment? Bad conditions? Custom sheet metal enclosures protect generators and remote controllers from weather and fire. Enclosures also shield electronic components from heat and moisture or safeguard personnel.
Fabricated Power Generator Components
Need power generator components? Choose Metaltech Products for custom sheet metal fabrication, from design to assembly. We’ve been in the industry for over 25 years and know what it takes to make fabricated parts last.
Our certified engineers work with you to develop components for your commercial backup power generators. After we have a part design, we bring it to life, whether you need parts for a line of small diesel generators or one that’s 2 MW.
Request a quote online, or call us at 417-426-5577. Reach out to talk to our team about producing custom components and enclosures for backup generators.
