Safe in the Knowledge

December 11, 2020

As an engineer, the responsibility to adopt not just the latest, but the safest technologies, never goes away. Protecting people and machinery has become, quite simply, industry’s number one priority. Safety first. Always.

Factory automation is certainly no exception. Here, major advances have fuelled a greater focus on smarter controls and increased integration of smart devices and safety componentry. Included in this are the latest pneumatic solutions, which nowadays form a core part of safety controls for implementing the preventative technical measures needed to ensure machine safety, including clamping, blocking, exhausting and holding equipment in place.

But hold on a moment, what actually classifies a product as a safety component? Well, as with all things related to machine safety, the best place to find out is the Machinery Directive, which states that a product is deemed to be a safety component when it is tested and verified to provide a specific safe function for a pre-determined period of time in a given state. 

The Machinery Directive also offers a clear distinction between safety devices and standard pneumatic components deployed in a safety circuit. Notably, the term ‘safety component’ does not imply the actual reliability or safety level of the component. Those products offered as safety-rated must undergo stringent requirements for certification, testing, and approval. As a further point, the Machinery Directive does not prescribe the use of safety-rated componentry, it merely provides a description of the conformity assessment procedures to market a product as safety rated. 

So, how is it best to determine what level of safety is required? The answer: perform a risk assessment. Three steps are involved here: analysis, evaluation, and reduction. The first step, risk analysis, also requires engineers to estimate risk and determine the performance level required (PLr). 

After the PLr is established the performance level (PL) will need to be calculated based on safety categories that are established in line with factors such as a measure of diagnostic capabilities (DC) for the control system, the meantime to dangerous failure (MTTFD) and common cause failure (CCF). In combination, these inputs will define the level of a given safety function.

In tandem with the strategy set out here, peace-of-mind can, of course, be found by specifying safety-rated products from a reputable supplier. After all, as machine builders will be well aware, the price of non-compliance can be extremely costly.

Source

Related Articles


Latest Articles

  • Festo Didactic Showcases Technical Education and Training at Hannover Messe 2025

    Festo Didactic Showcases Technical Education and Training at Hannover Messe 2025

    May 20, 2025 By Krystie Johnston Hannover Messe 2025 was an extra special event for Festo. The Festo Group celebrated their 100th anniversary, Festo Canada celebrated their 50th anniversary, and Festo Didactic celebrated their 60th anniversary. Festo Didactic, the education arm of the company, understands how important education is for empowering individuals, driving economic growth,… Read More…

  • EtherCAT in Boost Mode

    May 14, 2025 EtherCAT and PC-based control in test bench technology EtherCAT is by far the fastest Industrial Ethernet technology. Nevertheless, the data acquisition process at Kraus & Naimer’s cam controller test benches called for an even shorter bus cycle. To achieve the required performance, Beckhoff specialists reduced the previous cycle time from 100 µs… Read More…


Featured Article

Revolutionizing Material Movement with Autonomous Mobile Robots

Revolutionizing Material Movement with Autonomous Mobile Robots

In today’s fast-paced manufacturing and logistics industries, the need for efficient and flexible material movement solutions has never been greater. Traditional methods like conveyor systems, forklifts, and manual pushcarts have served us well, but they come with limitations.

That’s why Omron is thrilled to announce the launch of their game-changing MD Series of Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs). Read more


Products

  • Electromate to Offer UR7e, UR12e & UR15 Collaborative Robots from Universal Robots

    May 20, 2025 Electromate is expanding its lineup of collaborative automation solutions with the addition of three advanced models from Universal Robots: the UR7e, UR12e, and UR15. These robots provide enhanced options for payload, reach, and precision in demanding collaborative applications. The UR7e delivers a 7 kg payload, 1300 mm reach, and ±0.03 mm repeatability. Positioned between the UR5e and… Read More…

  • Redefining Non-Invasive Temperature Measurement

    May 14, 2025 iTHERM SurfaceLine TM611 provides accuracy and response time comparable to invasive temperature measurement. The non-invasive thermometer iTHERM SurfaceLine TM611 by Endress+Hauser can be used across all industries for a wide range of demanding industrial applications. The surface-mounted thermometer measures process temperature without the risk of leakage and flow disruption. A specially designed… Read More…