Safety

Non-Contact Safety Switches and Interlocks Systems

Peter Cleaveland — Mon, 21 May 2012 15:54:01 +0000

The interlocks improve packaging machinery safety.

S300 Safety Laser Scanner

George Shurtleff — Fri, 04 May 2012 19:53:58 +0000

A new, mini version of the company’s S300 safety laser the scanner, the S300 Mini, provides safeguarding for hazardous area protection, hazardous point protection and access protection.

Honeywell Partnership Boosts Safety Offerings

George Shurtleff — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:17:15 +0000

Honeywell Process Systems (www.honeywellprocess.com) has signed an agreement with Magnetrol International Inc., a supplier of level and flow measurement equipment, to enhance its existing terminal market product portfolio with Magnetrol’s expertise in safety and compliance.

Non-Contact Safety Switches and Interlocks

George Shurtleff — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:40:53 +0000

Non-contact switches and interlock systems improve packaging machinery safety.

Embedded Automation Computers with Class 1, Division 2, UL Certification

epakowski — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 13:09:14 +0000

A new series of automation computers, the UNO-1100H series, have received the Class I, Division 2 (Group A, B, C, D) certification expanding their uses to hazardous locations

Westinghouse Nuclear Plant Chooses Emerson Safety Control Valves

epakowski — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 00:43:52 +0000

Westinghouse Electric Company has awarded Emerson Process Management a contract to provide critical control valves to be used in two AP1000 pressurized water reactors at the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Burke County, Georgia, USA.

Float Level Switches Certified for Safety Instrumented Systems

epakowski — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 12:31:08 +0000

Emerson Process Management announces that selected models of its Mobrey Horizontal Magnetic Float Level Switches have been certified in accordance with IEC61508 to attain (Safety Integrity Level) SIL 1 for a single device and SIL 2 for a pair of devices.

Benefits of Device-Level Networked Safety

George Shurtleff — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:26:02 +0000

AS-Interface, a device-level networking technology, works with all types of industrial Ethernet, including Profinet and EtherNet/IP. An expert on the technology’s Safety at Work solution explains why end users and machine builders benefit from networked safety technology.

Safety Interface Controller

George Shurtleff — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:07:44 +0000

The PSSR-2 safety interface controller offers integrity monitoring of any presence sensing safety switch, mat, edge and bumper product with an end of the line resistor at a CAT3 PLd SIL2.

Maybe You Should Think About Integrating Safety with Machine Control

George Shurtleff — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 19:57:25 +0000

Machine builders are finding that integrating these two functions boosts productivity, streamlines design, and shortens delivery and the commissioning process. Two explain how they benefit from the integration.

The Software Supporting Robotic Safety

George Shurtleff — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 20:17:01 +0000

Internally programmed safe zones are created by controllers that have embedded safety software that limits robot movements without recourse to safety sensors or other external devices.

Programmable Safety Controller Software Promotion

Jenn Brink — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 05:00:00 +0000

For purchases of G9SP Programmable Safety Controllers made between March 1st, 2012 and May 31st, 2012, Omron Scientific Technologies is including the programmable G9SP software.

Machine Safety Seminars Cover Pneumatics, Control

Jenn Brink — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Total Machine Safety seminar is designed to educate safety engineers, safety managers, engineering managers and skilled maintenance technicians on how to improve productivity and reduce risks in the workplace.

Integrating Pneumatics into Safety Circuits

George Shurtleff — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 13:20:38 +0000

Rodney Law finds it surprising just how many people have ignored pneumatic power in the past when they designed their safety systems.

Packaging Machine or Robotic Machine?

George Shurtleff — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 20:23:11 +0000

One aspect of robotic safety that is often overlooked, according to Leo Petrokonis, business development manager for the packaging industry at Rockwell Automation (www.rockwellautomation.com): Machine builders are faced with the challenge of trying to adhere to packaging safety standards from Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI, www.pmmi.org) and robotics safety standards from the Robotic Industries Association (RIA, www.robotics.org) when trying to implement robotics into their packaging machines and lines.

Machine Control and Safeguarding to Benefit from Omron Realignment

Jenn Brink — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 21:13:00 +0000

Omron Industrial Automation and Omron Scientific Technologies Inc. announcd an internal realignment of support for machine automation systems and safeguarding to satisfy the needs of a wider range of customers.

Programmable Safety Controller

Peter Cleaveland — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 14:22:27 +0000

The VAS-2A8L-KE4-8SE programmable safety controller provides higher-end features in a cost-effective unit, according to the company.

Automation Suppliers Announcements At ARC Forum

Gary Mintchell — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:44:31 +0000

The annual Manufacturing Forum sponsored by the ARC Advisory Group, perhaps the industry’s largest gathering of automation suppliers, was held from Feb. 6-9 in Orlando. Where ever more than 600 industry people are gathered, rumors abound. I spent much time finding facts among the rumors and learning much about the state of the industry.

Safety System Uses Light to Prevent Arc Flash

Jenn Brink — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 06:00:00 +0000

Some of the industry segments and applications that can benefit from Arc Guard include substations; critical power facilities such as hospitals and data centers; yachts; cruise and refrigerated container ships; oil rigs; chemical plants; railroad trains and way stations; steel mills; and wind/solar power facilities.

Operator Involvement Low in Setting Alarm Management Policy

George Shurtleff — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:40:24 +0000

One of the more interesting discoveries to come out of the Automation World Alarm Management Survey 2012 was to learn how few operators are involved in the process of identifying and specifying alarms and alarm management practices. Considering that operators are on the frontlines of alarms, one would think they would play a big role in the process.

RSLogix 5000 v20 Software

George Shurtleff — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:27:29 +0000

The latest release of RSLogix 5000 software, version 20, brings integrated motion capabilities on an EtherNet/IP network to the Allen-Bradley CompactLogix controller family.

Why Nuisance Alarms Just Won't Go Away

George Shurtleff — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:38:36 +0000

Good alarm management is an inexpensive and relatively easy process to implement. So why do a majority of operators and engineers say that alarm overload continues to negatively affect the production process?

Automation Lessons Learned from March 11 Disasters in Japan

George Shurtleff — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:08:31 +0000

On July 22, four months after the unprecedented earthquake and tsunami struck the Pacific Coast side of eastern Japan, Japanese engineers from various process and other industries gathered in Tokyo to participate in a series of panel discussions entitled, “What Automation Should Learn From the 3/11 Disasters.” ARC Advisory Group and the Society of Instrument and Control Engineers (SICE) jointly organized the panels , which were held as a session at ARC Advisory Group’s 2011 Japan Forum in Tokyo.

Safety Network Protocols

George Shurtleff — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:40:16 +0000

The term “safety network” can apply to both peer-to-peer networks and I/O bus systems, and the safety protocols used can range from proprietary to various levels of open or vendor-independent. Here are some safety protocols and the industrial networks they are associated with:

Safety Network Systems Explained

George Shurtleff — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:52:51 +0000

Now sanctioned by global industry standards, safety networks are increasingly desirable in the U.S. Here’s how both process industry users and manufacturing machine users benefit.