One word, ‘Flexibility’. But what does this really mean and how does it benefit users? Dan Rossek, product marketing manager – safety at Omron Electronics explains
In today’s dynamic industrial markets, machinery design rarely stands still with development and customisation becoming a constant requirement to keep up with the demands of customers. Safety control is an integral part of machine design and the development of machinery to perform new tasks or handle new products or processes often results in the need to redesign the machines safety control functionality.
The effort and complexity of altering a traditional relay based, hard wired, safety control system is often demanding and time consuming. Therefore the use of a programmable control solution can significantly simplify this process.
Products like Omron’s G9SP programmable safety controller offer the flexibility required to design a custom safety control system via an easy to use software package. Certified function-blocks providing specific safety functionality can also be added by a simple drag and drop operation.
Reconfiguration of an existing safety system can be completed quickly and efficiently without the need for any re-wiring or hard wired circuit design, allowing additional e-stop switches, door interlocks or safety light guards to be added to the safety system at the push of a button, reducing the development time and costs incurred with redesigning machinery.
Most programming software packages also provide a tool for simulating the operation of the safety control system so that the system can be tested prior to implementation on the machine. This provides fast debugging of any potential issues.
Whilst programmable safety controllers offer complete flexibility, the underlying benefit to manufacturers is the saving in man-hours and ultimately costs.
Omron Electronics
T: 0870 752 0861
