Showing posts with label Automation Safety’s software tool. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Automation Safety’s software tool. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

CE Services Help Customers Comply with Directives

Pilz Automation Safety L.P. offers a range of CE marking services to help customers exporting to Europe comply with the essential requirements of the European Union’s Machinery and other Directives. 

Machinery manufactured and imported from non EU countries or substantially modified equipment is subject to the CE marking process when put into service in the European market. By applying the CE mark, the supplier is claiming the machinery meets the essential requirements of the relevant EU Directives- mainly the Machinery Directive. Assemblies of machines such as robot cells and production lines must also be CE marked. 

The CE Marking process and the interpretation of relevant Directives and standards requires a high level of knowledge and expertise. Such a level of competence is difficult to maintain in an ever-changing regulatory environment. Fortunately, however, Pilz Automation Safety L.P. has consultants and engineers available who can assist customers with both the CE marking process and implementation of any additional safety measures that are found to be necessary to meet the essential requirements of the Directives. 

Pilz can manage the entire CE marking project on behalf of a client or provide input as needed and when called upon. Typically Pilz undertakes the following activities on behalf of clients: identification and application of the relevant Directives and standards; hazard analysis and risk assessment; creation of a safety concept and generation of related safety design; evaluation of compliance with the essential requirements and, if necessary, recommend actions required to achieve compliance; conduct all required checks, tests and measurements; compilation of the legally required documents including the technical construction file; management and archiving of documentation. In both individual machinery projects and projects involving the linking of machines (known in the Machinery Directive as complex assemblies), Pilz can optionally take overall responsibility for CE marking to the extend of signing the Declaration of Conformity.

Even with machinery already installed in the EU and that already displays the CE mark, customers still have a responsibility to ensure the safety of workplace machinery. Pilz can therefore examine such machinery onsite in the EU to ensure that the documentation and machinery meet the necessary standards and that the machine is, in fact, safe. Pilz also offers an equivalent service, based on US standards and OSHA requirements, for equipment installed in the United States.

Whatever the nature of the project, if the safety-related aspects of the machine need further work, customers have the choice of doing it themselves (provided they possess the necessary competences) or work with a third-party supplier, panel builder or system integrator. Alternatively, Pilz Can provide engineering services, as well as an extensive range of machinery safety products.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

New Pilz website has more to offer!

Whatever the reason for undertaking a formal risk assessment on machinery or work equipment, Pilz consultants can provide an impartial service. Risk assessments are encountered in almost every walk of life, even for crossing the road. But when it comes to machinery, a formal risk assessment needs certain requirements to be fulfilled, and the person performing the risk assessment must be competent to do so.

While some companies have personnel who are competent to perform formal risk assessments on machinery, others appreciate that they lack the competence and therefore need support from consultants. There are also occasions when companies are busy and do not have the resources available when required, or they may choose to use an independent service provider for this critical task.

For any of these scenarios, the consultancy division of Pilz Automation Safety L.P. can undertake risk assessments on machines or machine designs in accordance with the requirements of relevant standards. Each assessment identifies the hazards present, estimates and evaluates the risks, and determines and outlines the measures that may be applied to reduce the risks to acceptable levels.

As part of the risk assessment, the consultants identify applicable standards, regulations and best industry practices, prepare a statement of the machine’s limits, and examine all hazards throughout the relevant machine lifecycle phases.

Because Pilz consultants have decades of experience of machine safety, their advice related to risk-reduction measures is particularly useful. This is in contrast to some other consultants that can highlight problems but are unable to advise on pragmatic, cost-effective risk-reduction measures.

Furthermore, if the client requires ongoing support, Pilz can provide engineering services to take the safety concept forward, and even supply products to implement a safety-related control and monitoring system. Alternatively, the client can take the consultants’ risk assessment report and carry out the necessary work in-house or work with a third-party supplier or system integrator of their choice.

For more information on the issues mentioned in this article please email marketing@pilzusa.com
For more information on Pilz Services please email consulting@pilzusa.com

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Click to view Trends and Developments of HMIs

http://www.pilzamerica.com/articles/Trends-and-DevelopmentsofHMIs.pdf

Buhler Inc. and Pilz Automation Safety L.P. Partner for Safety

(CANTON, MI) – Buhler Inc. of Plymouth, Minn. has partnered with Pilz Automation Safety L.P. of Canton, Mich. to implement safety in its flour heat treatment, brewing and malting equipment. Buhler Inc. installed PNOZmulti modular safety systems to control explosion vents and emergency stops. This system will protect personnel and equipment from being harmed or destroyed during a deflagration. The PNOZmulti m1p allows for easy expansion as well as an improved response time of approximately 40ms. Download PDF Reference: http://www.pilzamerica.com/articles/INL … -Sheet.pdf
Pilz Automation Safety L.P.
The world leader is SAFE automation; Pilz offers a full range of leading-edge safe automation products and services. The company’s innovative technologies and safety expertise provides customers with the leanest and safest solutions.

Buhler Inc.
Buhler is a global leader in the supply of process technology, especially production technologies for making foods and engineering materials. Buhler is active in over 140 countries and has some 7000 employees worldwide. In fiscal 2008, the Group generated sales of CHF 1893 million.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Calculations without the headache Software tool verifies the functional safety of protection devices on machinery

Canton, MI – Pilz Automation Safety’s software tool, PAScal, verifies the functional
safety of protection devices on machinery in light of current standards. The Safety
Calculator supports manufacturers in the calculation of failure limit values, as required by
standards IEC 62061 and prEN ISO 13849-1. The software tool enables a reduction in
costs and the amount of time spent on the task, particularly as figures need to be
recalculated each time the safety functions are modified.
The PAScal Safety Calculator separates the safety functions into their component parts,
calculates the overall probability of a dangerous failure per hour (PFHD value) and
verifies the data with the prescribed performance level or safety integrity level. The
software tool also takes into account potential architectures and variations if subcomponents
are connected together and parameterized.

Division into sub-systems
According to the approach of IEC 62061 (sector standard from IEC 61508 for safety in
machine control systems), safety-related functions are divided into sub-systems such as
sensors, inputs, logic, outputs and actuators. So the architecture for each sub-system can
be specified separately. The sub-systems can be combined as required.The Safety Calculator not only considers the factors listed in prEN ISO 13849-1 for
evaluating the common cause failure (CCF), but also takes into account the parameters
that depend on logic or electronics, which affect diagnostic coverage (DC). These include
detection of shorts between contacts or synchronicity monitoring on multi-channel
sensors, for example.

Based on a database
The basis for the Safety Calculator is a comprehensive database that already contains
details of Pilz products. Users can also define their own components and store them in the
database, provided the necessary numeric values are known. The Safety Calculator uses
this data to calculate the PFHD value.
The PAScal Safety Calculator provides support to manufacturers when designing safetyrelated
control elements. For new design procedures are required now that EN 954-1 has
been replaced by prEN ISO 13849-1 for the design of safety-related control systems and
standard IEC 62061 has been published.
The software tool also allows for the flexibility that engineering requires. Safety
functions can change from machine to machine, so that calculations need reworking
again and again. The Safety Calculator absorbs the associated costs.