PRODUCTS MACHINE BUILDING, FRAMEWORKS & SAFETY
BUILDING A BESPOKE SYSTEM FOR THE INSPECTION OF AUTOMOTIVE COMPONENTS
A second bespoke system for the intricate inspection of automotive suspension components has recently been shipped by Foundrax to a supplier of aluminium and plastic automotive solutions in Mexico. As a supplier of parts such as aluminium powertrain, structural and
transmission components, the company commissioned Foundrax last year to address a complex requirement to test suspension parts being produced for a prestigious German car manufacturer. Foundrax, pioneers in Brinell hardness testing equipment, designs and manufactures its own equipment, offering custom built solutions. With this new application, the hardness test location specified by the
car manufacturer was in an extremely tight space, hemmed in on three sides by vertical sections and with almost no test area to work with. So, to meet demands, Foundrax developed a customised BRIN400B – a rugged, shop floor Brinell hardness tester with customised automatic Brinell microscope to carry out fully automatic indentation and hardness measurements without operator influence on the test or the results. Custom features included an extended indenter in order to access the
restricted space and an external BRINtronic microscope with a special narrow nose to enable the customer to measure their indentations. Ultimately, the part design specification effects optimum
performance of the vehicle’s suspension. If the material is too hard, the part cracks; too soft and the material bends. So, this is a safety critical test of the component material.
MACHINE SAFETY SOLUTIONS
With functional safety of plant and machinery vitally important in production, the NORD SK TU4-PNS option module from Nord Drivesystems assists the simple implementation of safe responses. In combination with a safety PLC, the drive electronics reliably communicate over PROFINET via PROFIsafe. The company supplies frequency inverters with integrated STO
and SS1, and provides fail-safe communication and safe movement functions according to IEC 61800-5 with the SK TU4-PNS PROFIsafe module. Functions such as SLS (Safety Limited Speed), SSR (Safe Speed Range), SDI (Safe Direction), SOS (Safe Operation Stop) and SSM (Safe Speed Monitor) can be integrated and expand the drive unit’s safe stop functions. With this, the PROFIsafe interface module provides comprehensive safety for the reliable operation of plant and machinery. With SIL3 and PLe (Performance Level e) Category 4, the
fail-safe communication protocol fulfils the most stringent safety requirements, the company adds. The PROFIsafe fail-safe protocol extension for PROFINET enables standard and fail-safe information to be transmitted with integrated functional safety between the higher level machine or the plant control system and the NORD drives in a single network cable. Elimination of conventional hard-wired safety technology reduces the amount of wiring and therefore reduces costs. Furthermore, networking via PROFIsafe makes extensive safety-relevant machine data accessible and globally available. The PROFIsafe bus interface SK TU4-PNS monitors safe
compliance with the limit values and provides safe inputs and outputs. If a limit value is exceeded or undershot, the bus interface switches to a safe state. The voltage is disconnected from all outputs, and input information is reset and transmitted to the higher level fail-safe controller. This is essential for the use of the PROFIsafe module.
NORD Drivesystems
www.nord.com Following the successful application
of the first machine, the automotive parts supplier went back to Foundrax with an even more complex shaped part to measure. Foundrax commissioned a second system with a bespoke configuration to enable the customer to test in very awkward locations to ensured the highest quality and structural integrity of the suspension component. Alex Austin, Foundrax MD, said:
“We’re delighted we could fulfil the customer’s requirements. We are always open to making changes to equipment or to making special purpose machines. Our job is to solve the problem and, if required, to give our customers a bespoke product that addresses their need, not simply give them an off the shelf, one-size-fits all, solution.”
Foundrax
www.foundrax.co.uk LIGHT CURTAINS WITH IO-LINK
The SF4D safety light curtain series from Panasonic is being used successfully in various industries. Slim and robust in design, this features an optical system for much easier beam alignment. Now, however, the company has also introduced IO-Link communication.
The SFD-WL3 IO-Link communication unit can easily be integrated into the
existing SF4D safety light curtain configuration and allows storage and restoration of setting data and observation of functionality during operation. Examples of IO-Link data output are process and service data. Process data
includes light received/blocked information; stable/unstable incident light information, as well as extraneous light information; Emitter/receiver lockout information; Communication control status; Number of units in series connection, etc. Service data includes: Safety light curtain main unit information; SFD-WL3
communication unit information; Incident light intensity of individual beams (32 levels); and Error codes
Panasonic Electric Works
www.panasonic-electric-works.co.uk CONTROLLER AND TOUCHSCREEN IN ONE HMI
New from B&R Automation, the compact Power Panel C50 combines the advantages of a powerful controller and a modern projected capacitive touch screen in a single HMI device. With a dedicated processor for the HMI application, this is a solution for mapp View HMI applications, and can be used at temperatures from -20˚C to +60˚C. The multi-touch HMI is available with clear or
anti-reflective glass, with the touch screen reacting precisely even when operated with thick leather gloves. Gestures such as zoom or swipe provide an intuitive user experience. It is available in widescreen format in four sizes from 7.0” to 15.6”. The Power Panel C50 has a wide range of integrated interfaces including
POWERLINK, Ethernet and USB. I/O modules, axes and safety components can also be connected directly to the panel. There is no need for additional controllers.
B&R Automation 16
www.br-automation.com/en JUNE 2019 | DESIGN SOLUTIONS
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