Does the advent of cobots mitigate the need for safety?
Robots have been in use within manufacturing for decades, bringing with them the need for enhanced safety solutions to ensure protection of the production line operatives. Today, with the rise of the cobot (Collaborative Robot) in automation and product assembly does this need for safety decline? The answer, says Idec, is a loud and definite no.
The expectation is that the cobot can work alongside the human without risk; however, the reality is often very different. Speed of the cobot and the end effector are two critical aspects that should be considered as they bring with them the hazard. Additionally, the requirements in manual mode and automatic mode will be very different. As such, each installation and application of a cobot must be routinely risk assessed to ensure operator safety.
With machine safety in Idec’s DNA, the company can support customers at every stage of the cobot (or robot) project, from the initial concept, installation to implementation, with solutions that support the safe application of the system.
Safety from every angle
The high performing SE2L safety laser scanner features a 270-degree sensing angle, a 5m safety protection zone, a 20m warning zone and, up to, 128 customisable protection patterns. Master/slave functionality allows one SE2L scanner to control up to three other scanners as slaves.
For area and access protection, you can also rely on the SE2L dual area protection function. Idec says the SE2L is ideal collaborative robots, to reach slow speed areas.
On or off: no doubt about it
LD6A SignaLights are ergonomically designed for visual and audible recognition. These light towers utilise LED technology to provide a bright solution for supervising your workstations or indicating the status of your process. The contrast between illuminated and non-illuminated areas provide sharper illumination and increased visibility of the status. And last but not least, they are easy to assemble and to install.
Tablets as control terminals
Tablets are more and more often used as control terminals at manufacturing sites. According to ISO/IEC safety standards, tablets need to be equipped with safety devices when used near sources of danger from machinery. That’s why safety features like enabling switch and emergency-stop switch are built-in to the Idec HT3P Safety Commander. You are then able to shut down the machinery from any tablet.
Visit the Idec website for more information on cobot safety
