Control Panel Cable Routing Basics

Good cable routing is one of the most important parts of a control panel, but it’s also one of the most ignored.
Power cables and signal cables should never run together in the same duct. When they do, the electrical noise from power lines can interfere with sensors, analog signals, VFD feedback, and communication lines. This leads to random fluctuations, false alarms, slow response, or devices dropping offline.

Keeping high-voltage, low-voltage, and communication cables in separate ducts is a simple habit that prevents many hidden automation issues. Clean routing not only improves performance but also makes troubleshooting and future maintenance much easier.

I agree with this completely. In our plant we faced a lot of strange issues because of bad cable routing. The sensor values used to jump randomly and sometimes the PLC lost communication with the VFD. We thought it was a software problem for weeks.
Later we found out the power cables and signal cables were running in the same duct. After separating them, everything became stable. So yes, proper routing really makes a big difference.