Page 22 - Industrial Technology - July 2020 issue

MACHINE BUILDING

Safe starting points for

MACHINERY SAFETY

AGV MANUFACTURER REALISES VISION WITH SICK SAFETY SCANNER
“ f I were you, I wouldn’t start from here” is the MasterMover has a 20-year pedigree in designing and
punchline of a well-known joke about a hapless man
manufacturing safe and efficient electric tugs that take the
asking for directions from a less-than-helpful passer-
Iby. It’s a conundrum that frequently faces production effort and danger out of moving wheeled loads, around
every kind of production and logistics environment. So, it
teams with the ambition of automating their workflows to is a company that most certainly is starting from the right
Industry 4.0-ready standards. All too often, fixed legacy place when it comes to designing AGVs.
infrastructure and buildings create a bewildering barrier to “All of our machines are built as pedestrian-operated
rethinking conventional linear production processes. tugs,” Evans continues. “Our first AGV is no different – it’s
However, the growing use of Automated Guided Vehicles almost like an optional upgrade to a standard machine.
and Carts offers the prospect of introducing more flexible So, if our customers want to change the AGV’s route
materials handling, while dispensing with costly and non- temporarily, maybe just for a couple of days, while they do
value-added manual handling tasks. some building work, for example, they don’t need us to
“Everyone is talking about AGVs at the moment,” says come in, or learn how to programme the AGVs AGV system achieves a PLd/SIL2 due to safety laser
Dan Evans, R&D manager at MasterMover. “Nearly themselves, they can just reallocate some resource and scanner technology. The microScan3 scanners enable an
everywhere we go, our customers ask us how we are pull down the tiller for a few days. Then, go back to AGV exceptionally wide 275° wide scanning angle with a field
developing our capability in this area.” It’s not surprising: mode when it’s all sorted.” range of up to nine metres and the field sets can be
When it came to developing a new AGV, it was safety configured to support the changing vehicle paths as the
that was the unequivocal starting point for the team, AGV turns and changes direction.
stresses Evans. MasterMover turned to Sick’s safety laser “Based on the CIP Safety protocol, EFI-pro is Sick’s
scanners and its Flexi Soft Safety Controller with EFI Pro safety network for industrial automation. The Sick FX3-
Gateway (EtherNet/IP CIP Safety) as the foundation for an MOC Drive Monitor module and EFI Pro Gateway are the
integrated and standards-compliant safety design. Sick links that combine the Sick devices into a one system
Flexi Soft is a modular safety controller that allows solution. The dual drives of the AGV system are safely
applications to be developed according to their monitored using the Sick safety encoders integrated
requirements and complexity. The Sick EFI-pro Gateway is directly into the FX3-MOC. This information is then used
a safe protocol that runs over the standard Ethernet/IP bus to dynamically change field sizes on the safety laser
system. It can be used in applications requiring up to PLe scanners via EFI Pro communication based on speed and
(EN ISO 13849)/SIL3 (EN 62061). direction.
“We come across the Sick name in “Sick Flexi Soft allows the application of complex
almost every industry we work,” Evans algorithms and logic so that the AGVs can be configured
continues. “So, we knew our to work completely independently. If the safety laser
customers would recognise scanner detects an obstruction in its warning fields, the
industry-leading safety components safety controller instructs the vehicle control system to
onboard. An AGV is first and foremost slow down and then speed up again once the field is clear,
a safety-driven product. If you don’t get allowing efficient and productive operation. If the inner
the safety right, then it’s unlikely to deliver protective field is breached, the Flexi Soft ensures that all
the functionality you need.” drives are stopped immediately and are prevented from
Using Sick’s Flexi Soft Safety Controller starting up again until it is safe to do so. The Drive Monitor
and Sick Safety Designer software provided can also safely detect standstill allowing a safe stop rather
an ecosystem for the R&D team to confidently than complete emergency stop. If risk assessment allows,
integrate their own safety system. Each auto-restart can also be enabled preventing possibly hours
standard MasterMover AGV model will use of an AGV sat waiting for a manual reset.”
two Sick microScan3 scanners that By using the Sick Flexi Soft safety controller with EFI
communicate via EFI Pro to Pro Gateway as the basis for safe communication on the
the Flexi Soft controller. vehicle, there was no need for MasterMover to engineer
Together with Sick’s DFS60 multiple connections between devices. One standard
safety encoders, and the Sick Ethernet cable is needed per scanner for the EFI Pro
Drive Monitor FX3-MOC1, all Interface and, by creating safe communication between
of these products are encoders, controller and scanners, one holistic design was
integrated into an application possible. The alternative would have been many separate
achieving PLd (EN ISO connections, field switching signals and safety relays,
13849)/SIL2 (EN needing tens of cables in a core and taking up a lot of
62061). Sick’s UK mach- space.
inery safety product Evans continues: “We offer a full range of AGV
manager, Dr Martin navigation options and try to encourage our customers
Kidman, explains: “The along the line of what we call ‘natural navigation’ using a
complete MasterMover laser scanner. It’s more flexible, as you don’t need to have

22 INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY • July/August 2020