Understanding Benefits and Security Implications of Using Wireless for Safety
A look at the multiple benefits of using wireless for industrial safety applications, along with a detailed discussion of implications and pitfalls to avoid when implementing the latest wireless security measures.
There are multiple benefits for taking a wireless approach to machine and industrial safety.
Productivity gains can be expected due to better decision-making because of more granular information. Because of limitations with earlier safety approaches, the number of signals crossing a moving interface was likely to be limited. With a wireless approach, applications can be easily deployed to more closely match the ideal shutdown requirements.
One of the first security steps to be taken is a comprehensive site survey to determine what wireless networks are already in place. Wireless networks in the company's business offices should be examined to ensure that there aren't any potential conflicts or unwanted openings... Read more
Hazardous Environments: Understanding the Latest Certification Requirements
Two prominent certification schemes are compared and contrasted to understand the nuances of getting equipment and automation systems certified for use in hazardous environments at high risk of fire or explosions.
The National Electrical Code (NEC) defines hazardous locations as those areas “where fire or explosion hazards may exist due to flammable gases or vapors, flammable liquids, combustible dust, or ignitable fibers or flyings.” A substantial part of the NEC is devoted to the discussion of hazardous locations because electrical equipment can become a source of ignition in these volatile areas. Specifically, articles 500 through 504 and 510 through 517 provide classification and installation standards for the use of electrical equipment in these places... Read more
World's Largest Machine Uses Off-the-shelf Automation Gear to Ensure Safe Operation
A peek behind the curtain at European particle physics lab CERN reveals the role that several hundred Siemens systems play in ensuring the high availability, operational reliability, and safety of all critical systems—especially for its Large Hadron Collider.
The centerpiece of CERN is a particle accelerator known as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). This machine accelerates elementary atomic particles to nearly the speed of light, sending them along a 17-mile circuit until they collide with high energy. The results of such collisions are measured by one of four detectors along the LHC.
To keep the speeding atomic particles in their track, the LHC uses 9,600 magnets, each with a length of nearly 46 feet. 1,200 of these magnets are superconductive, requiring cooling to -271.3° C—close to absolute zero.
To enable experiments to be conducted with the necessary precision, safety, and stability, numerous powerful control systems are required. Siemens provides the hundreds of systems installed at CERN, ensuring the high availability, operational reliability, and safety of all critical systems... Read more
Video Tutorial: Are You Ready for ISO 13849-1? Will You be in Compliance?
Siemens new Safety Evaluation Tool can help you assess your machine's safety functions according to ISO 13849-1 and create standard-compliant documentation fast and reliably.
Watch this 5-minute video to see how this TÜV-tested online tool guides you step by step—from specification of the safety system's structure to component selection, up to determination of the attained safety integrity (SIL/PL), to ensure compliance with IEC 62061 and ISO 13849-1. As a result, you are provided with a standard-compliant report, which can be integrated in the documentation as proof of safety... View now
