African Petrochemicals May/June Edition 15.3 {2018}

NEW CONTROLLERS CAN SIMPLIFY
MACHINES, IMPROVE SAFETY
PERFORMANCE
Rockwell Automation controllers scale to
specific machine safety requirements and
support faster reaction times
Engineers can simplify their machine safety
systems and improve safety performance
using new controllers from Rockwell
Automation.
The Allen-Bradley GuardLogix 5580 and
Compact GuardLogix 5380 controllers can be
scaled from safety system levels SIL 2/PLd to
SIL 3/PLe. This scalability can help engineers
optimise a safety system design and
potentially reduce its costs, while adhering
to the latest machine safety regulations.
The high-performance controllers also use
increased processing power to achieve faster
reaction times and shorter safe distances.
This can help create smaller machines, save
valuable floor space and increase operator
efficiencies.
“Many engineers build safety systems to
a higher safety level than an application
requires,” said Christo Buys, Business Manager
– Control Systems, Rockwell Automation
Sub-Saharan Africa. “Such systems end up
having more components than they need,
leading to increased complexity and costing
more than they should. Our new controllers
allow engineers to right-size a safety system
and its cost to meet appropriate safety levels,
without excess.”
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The new high-performing controllers can
also help engineers consolidate the number
of controllers they use in complex machines.
Having a single high-performance controller
for both standard and safety control can help
improve productivity and reduce the system’s
cost, complexity and cabinet size.
Other benefits of the new controllers
include:
Greater Communications Capacity:
Embedded gigabit Ethernet on the
GuardLogix 5580 and Compact GuardLogix
5380 controllers provides greater
communications capacity to support the
growing number of smart devices. This
can help engineers meet data-intensive
smart-manufacturing goals without adding
extra hardware. It also can help future proof
machines for end users that may someday
need to collect and share more data.
More Productive Machines: The controllers,
when used with the Studio 5000 integrated
development environment and Kinetix
5700 servo drive, support new safe-stop,
safe-speed, safe-position and other safemonitoring
functions. These safety functions
can create more flexibility in safety system
operations, for example, slowing down a
machine instead of stopping it when a worker
approaches. This can improve machine
productivity while still achieving a desired
level of safety. These new functions are
implemented using built-in safety instructions
available in the Studio 5000 software.
Engineers can also use the safety functions to
support applications like collaborative robots.
If a human comes too close to the robot, the
system can detect their presence and either
slow down or stop the robot’s motion.
The GuardLogix 5580 and Compact
GuardLogix 5380 controllers are TÜV certified
for functional safety.
The Allen-Bradley GuardLogix 5580 and Compact GuardLogix 5380
controllers can be scaled from safety system levels SIL 2/PLd to SIL 3/PLe.
About Rockwell Automation
Rockwell Automation Inc. (NYSE: ROK),
the world’s largest company dedicated to
industrial automation and information,
makes its customers more productive and
the world more sustainable. Headquartered
in Milwaukee, Wis., Rockwell Automation
employs approximately 22,000 people
serving customers in more than 80 countries.
Enquiries:
Christo Buys
Business Manager – Control Systems
Rockwell Automation Sub-Saharan Africa
Tel: 011 654 9700
Email: cbuys@ra.rockwell.com
Web: https://www.rockwellautomation.com