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Get Your Machines Ready for Spring

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Submitted by kbonfante on Wed, 02/11/2009 - 20:19.

Spring is coming and we all need to get ready for it, including our machines. The perfect machine is one free of maintenance but let's get real, these types of machines are just a dream. Across the industry there are different testing methods, such as software emulation, hardware simulation, prototyping and beta testing, that are used to verify that your plant floor machines work as intended when they were fabricated. What testing methods do you use to test your plant operations? Do you mix and match different testing protocols?

From 'Machine Builder Forum: Heard On Discrete'

Is It Safe?

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Submitted by kbonfante on Thu, 02/05/2009 - 17:20.

Does the design of your machine safety system give you the option of choosing between programmable controllers or relays? Does your comfort factor lie with safety relays? What about your customers?

Read "Safety Adds Complexity and Function" to find out more.

From 'Machine Builder Forum: Heard On Discrete'

Access Denied

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Submitted by kbonfante on Thu, 01/08/2009 - 21:43.

Machine access problems can create headaches far beyond machine downtime. Sometimes unprotected access to controls can be downright dangerous. Do you have a horror story about out-of-control access?

Tell us about it.

Read our story "Safety, Security and Tracking Rely on Proper Access to Operator Panels"

From 'Machine Builder Forum: Heard On Discrete'

Who Is Responsible for Machine Safety?

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Submitted by dhebert on Mon, 05/12/2008 - 15:27.

A machine can be designed such that it is safe in all instances but virtually unusable in day-to-day plant operations. Such a machine will inevitably have some or all of its safety features disabled by plant operations and maintenance personnel. A machine can also be designed such that all shutdown decisions are left in the hands of operators, unfairly burdening them with split second life-or-death decisions.

The May issue of Control Design discusses these issues in detail (Proceed with Caution), but we would like to pose a question on-line. Namely:

1. Who bears primary responsibility for machine safety? Is it the machine buider or is it their customer?

From 'Machine Builder Forum: Heard On Discrete'

Where Do You Draw the Line on Safety Devices?

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Submitted by editor mike on Thu, 01/24/2008 - 19:17.

Safety standards have dictated the inclusion of safety devices in the machines we build. Different industries may have different restrictions or guidelines, but safety has become a critical consideration in the design of the automation and controls.

As the rules governing machine safety have evolved, so have the technological options available to industrial machine builders. The choice is much more complicated than adding up the number of safety points to determine when you need to upgrade from safety relays to a controller of some sort.

Muting modules, configurable relays and other hybrid devices have blurred the line between relays and controllers. And certain configurations can sometimes necessitate the need for a distributed safety network. But the decision still varies from machine to machine.

How do you make decisions on which type of safety device to use?

Where do you draw the line?

From 'Machine Builder Forum: Heard On Discrete'