SMART FACTORIES FEATURE
phrase in recent years, with many considering it to be simply the ability for the safety network to exchange data with the standard control network. “Truly integrated safety fully embeds the safety aspect as part of the wider control system: safety controllers and safety I/O can be freely distributed around the standard I/O, with a single environment for configuration, programming and maintenance,” says Rossek.
FULLY EMBEDDED SAFETY Recognising the importance of safety within the truly collaborative machine, Omron has fully embedded safety within its Sysmac automation platform, making it easier for machine builders like Brillopak to consider safety functionality from the outset rather than as a costly and inflexible bolt-on at the end of the design process. A full suite of tested, proven and certified safety function blocks within the password protected Sysmac Studio development environment eliminate the cost and risk of a software free-for-all, and make it easy for designers to implement safety functions as required. The result, safety is no longer a ‘road block’ within the design process. Reaffirming the importance of having access to flexible solutions that support factory productivity in collaboration with workforce safety, Jahn explains how Brillopak robotic packing systems apply integrated safety to detect, remove and hold products in a specific location. “We build a specific collection point into the system. When the machine identifies an issue, it simply places this product in the holding area until an operative can remove it in a safe and controlled manner. Operatives are alerted to the issue by the HMI. The real productivity benefit is the packing line keeps on running until the product can be removed when it’s mutually convenient.” Brillopak also utilises variable speed
drives to mange forces and provide enhanced control during a pick and pack process. “Accurate placement of products into crates depends upon momentum and the control of movement by a robotic arm, which is critical to product presentation,” explains Jahn. As manufacturing and packing
requirements evolve, so too do productivity and safety challenges. The ability to react swiftly and easily to legislative changes and take advantage of new technologies will be a critical market of success in tomorrow’s smart factories. “Taking a purely hardware based response to safety has physical and conceptual limitations,” suggests Rossek. “Fixed and inflexible hardware systems
/AUTOMATION MACHINE VISION SUPPLEMENT | MAY 2018 S17
can end up working against the legislation, while properly integrated safety technologies allow designers to more easily react to changes.” Collaborative safety lays down an
important marker on the path to Industry 4.0. Yet, it requires a change of mindset to machine design. For Brillopak, it defines a new era where automated machines and operators work in harmony, and where safety design has a genuinely positive impact on productivity. Rossek agrees concluding that taking a fully integrated approach to safety is not a hindrance to innovation at all. “The automation platform is what makes it all possible.”
Collaborative safety defines a new era of machine design where machines and operators work in harmony
Brillopak Omron
www.brillopak.co.uk www.industrial.omron.co.uk
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