Death by a Thousand Papercuts

Summary

A death you don’t see coming

I use the phrase "death by a thousand papercuts" when speaking with customers because it exposes a harsh reality: the slow, relentless damage that over voltage transient (surge) issues cause to automation equipment.

You already know surge protection is important. But what you may not realize is how close your surge protection—and the equipment it's supposed to safeguard—is to failing. Most surge protection technology is slow, inconsistent and degrading.

Automation is everywhere, in every industry, and all of it depends on power. But where there is power, there are power issues—most of which go unseen. Power surges, grid-switching, brownouts, blackouts, direct and nearby lightning strikes—every electrical or communication wire in your facility is vulnerable.

Why nanosecond response time matters

When it comes to surge protection, response time is everything. In the milliseconds it takes for traditional surge protectors to react, sensitive automation equipment can already be compromised. Nanosecond response times, achieved through advanced Silicon Avalanche Suppression Diode (SASD) technology, provide instant defense, preventing voltage spikes from damaging critical equipment. Unlike older methods, SASD technology activates almost immediately, ensuring no transient energy reaches your systems. In fact, it can react millions of times before you can blink an eye. To put it another way, SASD technology responds in the same amount of time it takes lightning to travel 6% of the width of your pinky finger.

The outdated protection you keep buying

99.9% of surge protectors sold today rely on outdated technologies: MOVs or GDTs.

1. Metal Oxide Varistor (MOV) MOV-based surge protectors are common in commercial and residential applications. They act as a switch to divert excess voltage away from protected devices. However, MOVs degrade over time, losing their effectiveness and requiring periodic replacement.

2. Gas Discharge Tubes (GDT) GDTs use electrodes inside of gas-filled tubes to provide an alternate path for transient surges. While they are effective at handling high-energy surges, they respond slower than SASD technology and the electrodes degrade with each surge they conduct. GDTs have been around for almost a century and are often used in layered protection strategies.



The problem? Both MOVs and GDTs degrade over time, leaving your equipment vulnerable. You won’t know just how weak your protection is until the next powers surge happens, forcing you to:

1. Repair or replace damaged equipment
2. Replace failed surge protectors
3. Absorb costly downtime

The cost of downtime and equipment loss:

• More than $1 billion in equipment claims are filed annually due to electrical surges.
• Billions more are spent replacing unprotected assets.
• 85% of electrical failures leading to downtime are caused by power surges.

Downtime isn’t just an inconvenience; it directly affects productivity, revenue and operational efficiency. Unlike a burned-out lightbulb, a failed control system or robotic arm can bring production to a standstill.

Do you budget for protection?

Many companies allocate funds for equipment replacement but fail to budget for protection against over voltage transient (surge) related failures--and the cost is minimal. Without a proactive surge mitigation plan, you’ll be left scrambling when systems go down. If you’re investing in cutting-edge PLCs, robotics and sensors, why not ensure they’re properly protected?

Peace of mind: Protection vs. reaction

No one likes to wake up to an urgent failure notification. The ability to prevent downtime, instead of merely reacting to it, can be a competitive advantage for your business. Investing in high-performance surge protection ensures your equipment remains operational, reducing both disruptions and maintenance costs.

Why buy the best protection?

You wouldn’t buy bargain-bin insurance for a $25,000 piece of equipment. So why rely on cheap surge protectors to protect industrial automation assets? Most store-bought surge protectors are designed for household electronics, not mission-critical industrial systems. SASD-based industrial surge protection outperforms GDT & MOV-based protectors, which degrade over time and become unreliable.

Avoiding equipment loss in your facility

Many believe losing equipment to power surges is unavoidable. The truth is, it doesn’t have to be.  Implementing a comprehensive surge protection strategy can significantly extend the lifespan of automation equipment and prevent costly replacements.

Your responsibility: Grounding and bonding

But even the best surge protection systems won’t work without proper grounding and bonding. While surge protection technology mitigates transient voltage spikes, electrical safety starts with a properly grounded and bonded system. Without it, even the most advanced protection can be very ineffective.

What is grounding?
Grounding provides a low-resistance path for excess electrical energy to safely dissipate into the earth. Proper grounding prevents voltage build-up that can damage equipment and create hazards. A well-grounded system ensures surges are diverted away from sensitive components.

What is bonding?
Bonding connects all conductive components within an electrical system to maintain a common electrical potential.  This prevents arcing, sparking and electrical faults.  Proper bonding ensures all equipment, enclosures and structures share the same ground reference, stopping unintended electrical currents from damaging connected systems.

Why grounding and bonding matter in automation

Ineffective or improper grounding and bonding are major causes of unexplained electrical failures and transient-related damage.  Many facilities assume that having surge protectors installed means full protection.  However, without proper grounding, even the best surge protection cannot function as intended.

Key benefits of grounding and bonding include:

• Better surge suppression–Reduces the risk of damaging over voltage transients.
• Less electrical noise–Prevents signal interference that disrupts automation processes.
• Enhanced safety–Lowers the risk of electric shock and fire hazards.
• Longer equipment lifespan–Ensures surge protectors and automation systems function efficiently.

Time to ditch the old protection

Outdated surge protection degrades over time, leaving your equipment exposed. SASD-based protection, on the other hand, does not degrade like GDT and/or MOV-based systems, making it a superior long-term investment for those in automation who are committed to protecting their assets.  Proper over voltage transient protection is the most effective step you can take to enhance equipment survivability and extend its life.

Surge protection is not optional

Well, it is if you like replacing equipment, and you enjoy operation disruptions.  Power surges are a silent but costly threat to automation systems and equipment.  Yet, many in the industry continue accepting equipment replacement as a normal cost of doing business. It doesn’t have to be this way.  With nanosecond response time, non-degrading SASD technology and proper grounding, you can eliminate unnecessary downtime and equipment failure. Investing in the right protection is not just about preventing failure—it’s about ensuring long-term operational efficiency.

Don’t let your automation system suffer from a thousand papercuts—safeguard your equipment with the right kind of protection before it’s too late.