Blog
Collaborative Robots Offer Game Changing Benefits
Cobots from Universal Robots give companies access to all the benefits of advanced robotic automation, with none of the extra costs associated with traditional robot programming, set-up, and dedicated, shielded work cells. This makes robotic automation affordable for SMEs, small-batch production runs, and other setups where it would otherwise be too expensive. Easy ProgrammingPatented technology lets operators with no programming experience quickly set up and operate our cobots with in
…
Sep 5th 2018
Assessing the Impact of Change on Safety Related Systems
Functional safety (FS) impact assessments are vital to determine the potential risk any operational change may have on a safety related system. However, pressures stemming from lean management and budget constraints may result in some solutions not being adequately tested, which can compromise overall operational safety.It is often said that change is good, finding new ways to deliver improvements through thinking and doing things differently.In the industrial world, most companies have a strict
…
Aug 28th 2018
New ABB Jokab Programmable Safety Controller Features Hot-swap Capabilities
The ABB Jokab Safety™ Pluto™ programmable safety controller features an advanced design that enables hot swapping for replacement with just the removal of the old terminal caps and a push of a button.In addition to being able to hot swap an old Pluto unit for a new one with little more than the removal and replacement of terminal caps, the replacement Pluto can reload the program within seconds with the push of a button. These features are available in network, stand-alone, AS-i and analog versi
…
Nov 28th 2017
3 Steps to Safer Machine Design
It is the responsibility of the
machine designer to assess the risks posed by a machine or parts of the machine.
When those risks are determined, follow these three steps to mitigate potential
hazards.
Design the equipment
so that it cannot cause injury. This may be easier said than done. Any time an
operator must interact with a machine, there will be some inherent risk as both
human behavior and machines are not totally predictable.
Build in additional
forms of protection such
…
Oct 4th 2017
Why HMIs Are Not Enough for Safety
While an HMI (Human Machine Interface) may come loaded with
indicators, data, displays and buttons, it isn’t enough on its own. Industrial
machines also need additional safety controls like an estop (emergency stop) push button, power-off button, power-on button, and reset button. These buttons may
be conveniently placed next to most HMIs and can be further enhanced with
alarms and LED stack lights.Often operators, line supervisors and engineers will
push the estop button for a myriad
…
May 25th 2017