What is the difference between Motor Control Center & Motor Control Panel
- Thread starter TMMB
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weressl
Esteemed Member
MCP is abreviation for Motor Circuit Protector, a special, magnetic only trip circuit breaker that can be only used as part of a combination starter. When you are refering to Motor Control Panel, I think you are thinking of Combination Starter. MCC is dealt with in 430 and combination starter is any group of the 430 parts (I+II+etc.) that fulfills the requirements of a complete starter. Either of those will have a third party listing, so it is those Standards that will define the difference. In general MCC is for multimotor and other feeders, services, etc. assembly whereas Combination Starter is for a single motor control.
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- Wisconsin
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- PE (Retired) - Power Systems
Are you asking about the difference between a Motor Control Panel consisting of a multi-door electrical enclosure, containing fixed mounted motor starters and associated equipment versus a factory built Motor Control Center built with internal bussing and with individual drawout buckets for each device?
petersonra
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern illinois
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- Semi-retired engineer
MCCs are UL listed assemblies and are pretty much defined by UL (and earlier NEMA).
MCP (motor control panels) are usually actually industrial control panels and can be UL listed as such.
They both provide motor starting and OCPD for the motors and associated conductors.
They are usually built completely differently, although I have seen MCPs that look a lot like the way MCCs are usually built.
MCPs usually service a group of motors that are functionally associated with each other, while MCCs usually serve whatever motors happen to be nearby. But, this is not always true.
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