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Safety: Part of Machine Design
International Standards Create More Need to Include Safety Earlier
08/06/2009
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For machine builders, compliance with U.S., EN and IEC safety standards is becoming the de facto requirement for doing business, and safety now is designed in at the early stages, says Dave Collins, manager, machine safety products, at Schneider Electric (www.us.schneider-electric.com). "That offers less potential for untrained operators to tamper with the safety equipment," he thinks.
International standards organizations are cooperating more to develop consistent global guidelines for safeguarding machines. "Within European law, the supplier/machine builder has the responsibility to deliver new machines that are 'safety-inclusive,'" explains Juergen Bukowski, safety program manager, Sick (www.sick.com). "U.S. law requires employers/users to take their new or already-operated equipment and provide a hazard-free environment, which often means users have to design safety around it."
From a design standpoint, safety standards serve as an important guideline, explains Doug Meyer, solutions marketing manager, Yaskawa Electric America (www.yaskawa.com). "The standards replace much of the subjective interpretation about what is safe with objective criteria," he says.
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Safety standards provide criteria for selecting the appropriate approved or certified components, agrees Eric Hollister, product sales engineer, Pilz (www.pilzusa.com). "They offer advice for the entire safety design process, from evaluating the overall risk of a machine or process through design, and all the way to implementation and validation," he says.
"Modern network safety technology makes it possible to instantly safety-stop a machine, easily segment an application into safety zones or quickly diagnose a safety device," explains Tracy Lenz, senior product support engineer, for Wago (www.wago.us).
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Low-Cost Controller The SafetyOne FS1A safety controller can replace six safety relay modules. It can be configured simply by turning on a logic switch. One module can connect with emergency-stop switches, pilot lights, sensors and light curtains. The FS1A is UL-listed, TÜV-rated and CE-marked. It also meets IEC 61508 integrity level 3, ISO 13849-1 performance level e and EN954-1 safety category 4. IDEC 800/262-4332 www.idec.com/usa |
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Safety Starter The Contactron "4 in 1" motor starter is rated for safety category 3, SIL 3 and ATEX Zone 2. The motor starter can be installed in industrial machine safety applications of up to safety category 3 per EN951-1. Applications include emergency stop, safety door and light curtains. This product is commonly used in combination with a safety relay to control motors, valves, fans, pumps, actuators and VFDs. Phoenix Contact; 800/322-3225 www.phoenixcon.com |
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Communicating Controller The XPSMC safety controller provides the same functionality as multiple safety relays and is an alternative to safety relays and safety PLCs. It reduces panel space and simplifies wiring and is available with either 16 or 32 inputs, and with eight safety outputs. All outputs can be converted into timed outputs. External communication is available via Modbus, CANopen or Profibus. Schneider Electric 888/778-2733; www.us.schneider-electric.com |
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Make Doors Safe The Multifunctional MGB gate box is a safety switch, bolt and door-locking mechanism in one system and combines all necessary requirements to protect a safety door in accordance with EN ISO 13849 and EN 1088. The core of the modular system is the evaluation module, which is available with and without guard locking. In combination with a handle module and an optional escape release, the MGB protects almost every safety door. Euchner 866/547-7206 www.euchner.com |
| Modular Safety Controller The Sirius 3RK3 modular safety system combines the simplicity of a safety relay with the sophistication of a fail-safe programmable logic controller. The system's central unit is designed with eight safety-related inputs, one safety-related relay output and one safety-related solid-state output. Users can connect up to seven expansion modules to the central unit for specific application requirements. A non-safety-related DP interface module is available for communication with higher-level controllers via Profibus. Siemens Energy & Automation 800/964-4114 www.sea.siemens.com |
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On Guard for Safety The G9SX-GS safety guard switching unit has external outputs to enable status indication of two safety input devices. Auxiliary outputs enable monitoring of safety inputs, safety outputs and errors. Detailed LED status indicators provide quick system diagnostics. Logical AND connections help facilitate complicated applications in combination with other G9SX series units. The unit also supports unique auto switching and manual switching functions. Auto switching ensures safety and productivity in applications with coordinated operations. Omron Scientific Technologies 800/479-3658 www.sti.com |
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Slim Light Curtains |
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Dual-Purpose Controller The PAC8000 SafetyNet has been approved by TÜV for applications requiring the handling of safety and process control data in the same controller. A 24 Vdc power supply extends the locations where SafetyNet systems can be implemented. The PAC8000 SafetyNet can handle safety and process control data in a single controller for SIL2 applications. PAC8000 SafetyNet offers static analyzer tools to identify all instances of the use of non-safety data in the safety controller. GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms 800/433-2682 www.gefanuc.com/process |
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SWINGING DOOR SAFETY SI-HG63 series hinge safety interlock switches offer NC safety contacts. When the hinge switch is activated, these NC safety contacts are forced open by a non-resilient, mechanical means, interrupting the electrical circuit and sending a stop signal to the machine control. Banner Engineering 888/373-6767 www.bannerengineering.com |
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Three-Way Safety KL6904 TwinSafe bus terminal has a safety-rated controller, four safety-rated outputs and interfaces for Profibus and EtherCat. KL1904 has four digital inputs with potential-free contacts rated 24 Vdc. KL2904 has four 24 Vdc digital outputs rated at 0.5 A. If more safety I/O points need to be controlled, multiple KL1904s can be used to handle up to 4,000 I/O points. Beckhoff Automation 952/890-0000 www.beckhoffautomation.com/twinsafe |
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WARNING LIGHTS Signal50 50-mm, CE-compliant warning tower lights indicate when a particular defined action should be initiated. Choose from 100 combinations of lenses, voltages and illumination types including incandescent, LED, strobe, flashing and more. Omega Engineering 203/359-1660 www.omega.com |
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Shield Adds Options The Allen-Bradley Guardmaster GuardShield safety light curtain line now has three cost-effective options: the GuardShield Safe 4 with an integrated laser alignment system, the GuardShield Cascadeable Micro 400 and the GuardShield Safe 4 PAC. Integrated laser alignment simplifies setup and installation. The GuardShield Cascadeable Micro 400 safety light curtain is designed for small assembly machines where mounting space is limited. The GuardShield Safe 4 PAC light curtain offers an expanded operating range. Rockwell Automation 414/328-2000 www.rockwellautomation.com/go/pr-lightcurtain/ |
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Safety Made Easy SafeDesigner development and configuration tool provides integrated safety for programming safety-related functions in the Automation Studio development environment. Programming the safety application is reduced to virtual wiring of logical function blocks. The safety application created in SafeDesigner is processed in a safe controller—the SafeLogic —that supports cycle times starting at 1 msec and connection of up to 100 peripheral devices. B&R Industrial Automation 770/772-0400 www.br-automation.com |
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Link Safety Systems The Smart Safety Net links safety systems and safety relays in an easy and safe manner. By the use of the data bus technology, the time and effort for wiring is reduced considerably. It also makes it possible to build safety groups, so it is possible to turn off only one part of a facility to carry out maintenance. No IP address, special knowledge, special cable, special tools or IT expertise is required. EMS Controls 941/637-9669 www.switchingdevices.com |
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Failsafe Alarm Module The STA safety trip alarm accepts a signal input from transmitters, temperature sensors, resistance and potentiometer devices, and a wide range of other monitoring and control equipment. It provides three failsafe alarm outputs and is certified to IEC 61508: Parts 1, 2 and 3 by TÜV Rheinland for single use in safety instrumented systems up to SIL 2. Moore Industries-Int'l 818/894-7111 www.miinet.com |
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Fast Switch The One Series line of digital pressure and temperature switches were recently evaluated by Exida Consulting for FMEDA and SIL Verification for plant safety applications needing faster response to initiate immediate and critical safety shutdowns. The switches never need calibration, have programmable adjustability and 0.1% repeatability. United Electric Controls 617/926-1000 www.ueonline.com |
| REDUCE ARC-FLASH HAZARDS Quik-Spec safety switch uses IP-20 finger-safe CubeFuse integration which has current-limiting Class J performance to reduce dangerous arc-flash hazards, both in energy and incident levels. The flange-operated handle is easy to operate with electrical gloves and is lockable with up to three padlocks to protect maintenance workers. Cooper Bussmann 636/527-1449 www.cooperbussmann.com |
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Safe Braking LazerSafe LZS-003-HS safeguarding system developed for hydraulic press brakes makes complex bends with a minimum of settings while maintaining press speeds. Two flat bands of 40-mm-wide laser light continuously monitor the zone below the punch. It can detect obstructions to 4 mm, while remaining tolerant to inherent vibration. Honeywell Wintriss Controls 800/586-8324 www.wintriss.com |
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TENSIONING DEVICE Series S900 tensioning device works with the company's family of emergency cable-pull wire switch installation accessories. It is designed to speed the installation of emergency-pull switches by replacing the turnbuckle and most of the wire clamps. The device has an onboard wire clamp and an anti-slip design to minimize the need for readjustments. Schmersal 914/347-4775 www.schmersalusa.com |
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Beam Sensor The ST4 series compact type 4 safety beam sensor offers a solution for machine guarding applications in which the installation of safety light curtains is cost-prohibitive or impossible due to space constraints. The sensors provide 0.1–15 m sensing range to cover narrow spaces to wide areas where light curtains are hard to install. The sensor head measures 14 mm x 31 mm x 28 mm. Panasonic Electric Works of America 877/624-7872 www.panasonic.com |
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1 vote
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