Service Solutions To Keep Packaging Employees Safe

Safe packaging machines increase the productivity of people as well as the machines themselves. Packaging companies that implement a rigorous safety policy have been proven to be more successful in the marketplace. Existing plants must be regularly checked and evaluated.

The packaging industry is experiencing ever shorter innovation cycles and increasing pressure from the competition. Customers are demanding more flexible machines, so that production can be switched to other products or packaging at short notice.

Pilz supports packaging companies throughout the world with a broad portfolio of services, from risk assessment to the complete implementation of safety solutions.  Pilz prepares individual, co-ordinated safety guidelines and documentation, which can be used to examine safety within a company and to formulate safety-related strategies. Safety concept and validation are two important services Pilz offers for packaging companies.

Safety concept is a service Pilz offers to keep employees safe.  Packaging plants are often modified or expanded during the course of their lifecycle. These upgrade or expansion measures require adjustments to the safety concept of the plant. Based on the results of the risk assessment, Pilz works out detailed technical solutions for a company in compliance with national and international standards.

Validation is when all safety upgrades are tested.  Following the new installation, conversion and upgrade of machines, you should ensure that the production process of your packaging machine complies with the required safety standards.

As an experienced partner when it comes to safe automation, Pilz offers attractive consulting and engineering services. Pilz creates a complete safety concept for companies to optimize control technology on request, perform risk assessments and CE certifications. Pilz is accredited by the German Accreditation Body (DAkkS) as an inspection body for plant and machinery. 

Pilz offers a modern safety concept and tailored solutions. Pilz can also offer all services from one source: from concept to implementation, right through to components.

Safe fieldbus communication with SafetyBUS p®

The function and application of a safe fieldbus is explained below, using the popular safety-related fieldbus system SafetyBUS p as an example.

 

SafetyBUS p system description
SafetyBUS p is a communication standard for the implementation of safety-related applications in industrial automation technology. SafetyBUS p has been proven in thousands of applications since its launch in 1999. The system is used exclusively for the communication of safety-related data. The underlying communication is based on the CAN communication standard. The physical properties on SafetyBUS p, such as the linear bus structure, maximum cable runs and number of subscribers, are the same as on CAN. A wide range of devices
are now available for connection to SafetyBUS p. These include safety control systems, digital inputs and outputs, light curtains and drives. Structural components such as routers, bridges and active junctions are available for flexible network configurations.

Principle of Redundancy

In order to control potential errors when recording and processing safe signals in bus subscribers, each function is processed by at least two different components or methods, which monitor each other. When an error is detected, these components or methods are used to bring about a safe condition. On the safe bus system SafetyBUS p, for example, the application software is processed by redundant microprocessors, which compare their respective results before transferring them to the redundant SafetyBUS p chip set. This then generates the actual safety-related message.

Redundant hardware, using SafetyBUS p as an example.

Keeping Railroads Safe with Pilz

Millions of passengers and massive amounts of freight are transported on railroads daily. Whether transporting passengers or freight, trains must be in the right place at the right time. The extensive rail network must be controlled and monitored safely. Additionally, there’s the safety of the train equipment to guarantee.

Automation from Pilz makes an important contribution to railway safety by offering components and solutions for: signaling systems, switchpoint controllers, track cleaning systems, gate systems level crossings and level crossing control systems.

Pilz offers comprehensive services such as risk analysis or verification of safety solutions to the railway sector.

The modular safety system, PNOZmulti, is the ideal solution for safe control of level crossings with flashing light signals or barrier drives. The system’s features include simple connection to the level crossing control system and easy configuration with the PNOZmulti Configurator reducing wiring and engineering effort.

Upon entering the station trains must stop at precisely defined positions, enabling the doors to open and passengers to board and leave the train safely. Safe sensors from Pilz monitor the safe position and function of the gate equipment. These sensors combined with evaluation logic from Pilz offer an economical and safe solution.

The points in shunting yards must be safely monitored and controlled to ensure that everything runs smoothly. The axles of the carriages must be counted and monitored safely as they pull in and out.  Logic operations with Pilz programmable safety systems, PSS, are particularly suitable for complex applications.

Pilz solutions can also enhance safety for track bed cleaning machines, ballast distribution and grading machines, machinery for converting track or new build.  With a comprehensive product range from safe sensors, safe hardware or software-based control systems through to actuators, Pilz has a tailored solution for each machine.

There are many benefits to using Pilz solutions in the railway industry. Pilz solutions provide economical safety for level crossings and protection systems and reduce time spent designing and building protection systems and increases operational safety and availability, even under rugged environmental conditions.  Pilz solutions have been internationally certified and approved.

Pilz Develops New Method to Calculate Safety in Manufacturing

Risk Assessment is fundamental to the achievement of safety through design of new machinery and for selecting safeguarding and other risk reduction measures on existing machinery.  Risk estimation looks at risk from identified hazards to be qualified and quantified in order to distinguish high-risk possibilities from low-risk possibilities when considering machinery safety.

Pilz Hazard Rating (PHR) is a newly designed system for assigning a numerical estimate of risk based on the formula: PHR = DPH x PO x PA x FE

Where:

•        DPH represents Degree of Possible Harm

•        PO represents Probability of Occurrence

•        PA represents Possibility of Avoidance

•        FE represents Frequency and/or Duration of Exposure

PHR is specifically tailored to assess machinery safety so that there is a consistent objective and practical evaluation of factors including:

·         The severity of the potential consequence defined by the degree of injury, the nature and frequency of access to the hazard and the duration of time in the danger zone

·         The probability of a hazardous event occurring

·         The possibility that a person can avoid the hazard in certain specific conditions

Using PHR you can determine risks with increased objectivity and consistency to prioritize risk reduction measures, effectively make decisions on safeguarding investments follow best practices in risk assessments (PHR is compliant with the latest national and international standards), and determine the Performance Level (PL) or Safety Integrity Level (SIL) of a safety related control system.

This rating was developed by the Pilz global team of machinery safety experts using quality reviews of thousands of successful machinery safety projects. Pilz also contributes to and reviews new and emerging standards including ISO 12100:2010 and ANSI B11.0 – 2010.  Additionally, the company based the standard on its international work in more than 40 countries and its participation in all important standard committees.