5 News from machine safety

 

A guided safety acceptance test, an assistance system for mobile machines, a new emergency stop switch as well as an economical protective door system, and sensorless standstill detection, are the safety news from January that we would like to present to you.

 

Guided safety acceptance test for Sinamics frequency converters

With the Sinamics Startdrive commissioning software, Siemens supports machine builders in validating the safety functions of Sinamics frequency converters with a guided acceptance test. With Sinamics Stardrive, Siemens offers a tool for integrating drive hardware into the TIA Portal engineering framework. The guided acceptance test of the safety functions contained therein is available for the frequency converters of the Sinamics G and S series and complies with EN ISO 13849-2 and IEC 62061.

 

The safety acceptance test is characterized by very simple user guidance. An assistant guides the user step by step through the acceptance process and checks whether the safety functions have been correctly parameterized and are being carried out correctly in the respective application. A standard-compliant acceptance report is then automatically created for the documentation. With the safety acceptance test integrated into Sinamics Stardrive, Siemens supports machine builders in performing the legally required validation of the safety functions simply and safely.

 

Safety system for mobile machines

A new driver assistance system from IFM for mobile work machines is based on the mobile 3D camera O3M, which uses the PMD time-of-flight method to determine the distance to a person in the camera's field of view. The active obstacle detection monitors up to 6 danger zones behind the vehicle and warns the driver at an early stage of impending collisions. The warning is given optically and acoustically. Also, the warning is displayed on a 7 "monitor installed in the cockpit. The system also detects reflective materials, for example on safety vests, earlier than that of objects.

 

New emergency stop switch with LED status display

With large machines and systems, there are usually many protective doors that have to be secured. In addition to monitoring these protective doors, each machine must also be protected with one or more emergency stop devices by the Machinery Directive. For cost reasons, the safety door monitoring and the emergency stop function is conventionally wired in series but still separated from one another, so that several safety relays are required. With the Smart Safety System from Bernstein, this complex wiring is a thing of the past.

 

In addition to the safety sensors SRF (Safety RFID) for monitoring the protective doors, the emergency stop devices SEU (Safety Emergency Unit) can also be wired in the same safety circuit. Thanks to the patented Daisy Chain Diagnostic System (DCD), extensive diagnostic data for each connected device can be evaluated, for example via Ethernet. With the new illuminated emergency stop SEU, this data can no longer only be visualized on an HMI ( Human-Machine Interface ), but is now also quickly visible directly on the device thanks to the large LED status display.

 

Safe monitoring of movable guards

The new protective door system PSENmech with guard locking from Pilz offers an economical basic solution for the safe monitoring of movable guards. The protective door system with head section and 3D actuator made of metal is insensitive to water, dirt, and dust. With it, the safety door is securely locked until the machine or system is stopped. An unintentional restart of the dangerous movement is thus prevented. Also, PSENmech with guard locking can be supplemented with an escape release and emergency release, which makes it ideal for use on accessible doors. The protective door system PSENmech with guard locking is suitable for personal and process protection in numerous industries. The choice between different actuators and several actuation entry directions also makes installation quick, easy, and flexible for the user. The protective door system thus ensures high availability.

 

Sensorless standstill detection of drives

 

If dangerous overtravel movements are to be expected on a machine or system, a combination of a safety locking device (on the protective door) and a standstill monitor (in the control cabinet) for the necessary security. With the SSW303HV, the Schmersal Group is now introducing a new sensorless standstill monitor that offers significant improvements compared to the previous models in the AZR and FWS series. The new device replaces fourteen variants of the previous product range. This is made possible, among other things, by the use of a wide-range power supply unit for all common operating voltages from 24 VDC / 24 VAC to 230 VAC. The increased temperature range from -25 to 55 ° C opens up additional areas of application. Another advantage is the compact design: The SSW303HV only takes up 45 mm width in the control cabinet. The pluggable and coded connection terminals create the prerequisites for quick and error-free installation. An additional signal contact provides information about the error status of the block.