Intelligent Products For Machine Safety And Compliance

In Europe, the Machinery Directive 2006/42 / EC in conjunction with the EN ISO 13849 standard stipulates that, for example, protective housings can only be opened when all pneumatic drives have come to a standstill. When removing reject parts from a conveyor belt - to give a second example - safety precautions must be taken so that all drives bordering the danger zone stop safely when one hand reaches into the danger zone. As a rule, a light barrier delivers the signal. The control system and intelligent systems have to take care of the stop. At the same time, the machine must not start unexpectedly during necessary work in the danger zone.

ISO requirements met

The solenoid valve series VQC2000-X27, VQC4000-X17 and the new series SY3000 / 5000/7000 from SMC support this safety function with the safety principle "Secure position". Both series are equipped with a soft-sealed, bistable valve with detent (VQC-X77 and SY-X25). This fulfills the requirements of EN ISO 13849 for operation in safety-related controls. Systems based solely on friction do not meet this type of rule-compliant protection.

It is important for safe use in practice that the pneumatic valves and the diagnosis are placed on a valve terminal using a pressure switch in order to prevent unauthorized access to the solenoid valves. For diagnostics, SMC offers various pressure sensors and signal transmitters to detect the cylinder piston position.

Valves are safety components

If the safety gate doors are opened during operation of a system or if a person enters a defined danger area, in which, for example, a robot arm is working, pneumatic systems must automatically bleed in order to stop the hydraulic system or the robot safely. Furthermore, when maintenance work is due in the danger area, the machine or robot must not start unexpectedly.

The valves of the VP-X536, VP-X538, VP-X555 and VG342-X87 series from SMC offer this protection by venting independently in the event of a hazard. As a safety component, they meet the currently valid machine directive 2006/42 / EG. An integrated slide check uses a limit switch to achieve a diagnostic coverage of 99 percent. This also meets the requirements of EN ISO 13849. With the VR51 two-hand control valve, it is also possible to set up purely pneumatic controls for manual binding in insertion stations.

Pneumatic valve

New 3/3-way valves save almost 50% energy

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• Page 1: Intelligent products for machine safety and compliance
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