WORKPLACE SAFETY
goal of UKCA/CE Marking. These may include, but are not limited to:
Validation and verification – Using calibrated force sensors to measure the collision forces in the event of a collision with the cobot and documenting the results.
Guarding – Determining if physical or virtual guarding is required, or if risk can be miti- gated through power and force limitation, or whether a combination of risk reduction measures is required.
Permissible force values – Using the body model and the risk assessment to identify the areas of the body which could be struck in the event of a collision. This will then be validated.
USING TECHNOLOGY
Whilst removing hazards or risk can be done in various ways, technology is also playing its part more and more in collaborative applications.
The use of a cobot’s internal force and pressure monitoring is one option but other easy to valid- ate solutions exist and can be used not only with cobots but also industrial robots. The FANUC Dual Check Safety (DCS) soft- ware function that monitors a robot’s speed and position is a good example of technology that enables safer operation and reduces risk in system design. The use of external sensors (light guards or floor scanners) along with DCS is affording system designers a new method when human/robot collaboration is needed. “Making higher payload collaborative ap- plications safe requires specific hardware and software solutions that can be validated and ensure risk-free operation. We have success- fully implemented these types of solutions with robots with over one tonne payload. It’s the technology that makes this possible,” says Oli- ver Selby, head of Sales at FANUC UK.
PROMOTING BEST PRACTICE As with any area of machine safety, it is always
best to seek advice from your cobot supplier or an independent safety consultant if you are in any doubt as to your cobot or application’s com- pliance with the proposed new safety standard. This is relevant not just from a CE/UKCA Mark- ing point of view, but also because the end user or cobot system integrator has a legal respons- ibility to show compliance to PUWER (Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations). If your cobot or associated processes do not meet the new safety standard, then you will not be PU- WER-compliant, either.
While cobots may continue to be seen as the ‘friendly face’ of robotics, increasing in popularity across a variety of manufacturing sectors, it is important to remember that they are still industrial robots. The upcoming alignment of the cobot safety technical specification with those pertaining to industrial robots reflects this, and end users and integrators are advised to take their safety responsibilities seriously.
FANUC
www.cobotsmachinerysafety.co.uk INDUSTRIAL COMPLIANCE |WINTER 2024 19
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