Improve Your Machine Safety System in Five Simple Steps

These systems enable manufacturers across the industrial landscape to minimize losses, increase profits, and unlock market opportunities that weren’t within reach just a few years ago.

But creating a smart digital ecosystem for machine safety can be somewhat of a challenge without the right foresight and guidance. So, here are five simple steps that manufacturers of all shapes and sizes can take to create a smart machine safety system capable of bringing their processes into the 21^st century — along with all of the benefits and opportunities that entails.

1. Work From the Device Level Up

An effective machine safety system is not a singular entity; it’s an interconnected network of small, often overlooked devices that play a single role in a much larger system. Some of these devices already have smart technologies capable of collecting and transmitting in-depth diagnostic data designed into them, but many — like most door switches and emergency stop or e-stop switches — don’t. Most door switches, for example, only tell users whether the door is open or shut.

To make the most of a smart machine safety system, manufacturers must develop a detailed map of every critical data point in the system — including switches, light curtains, laser scanners, safety controllers, and relays — and note whether each device is capable of collecting and transmitting equipment data. If it’s not, they can either replace the device with a smart one or install an adapter capable of adding the device to their smart safety system.

Banner, for example, offers an adapter that can easily and economically integrate any device into our In-Series Diagnostics (ISD) intelligent networking system. With this valuable tool, legacy safety devices like door switches and E-stops can be integrated into a smart series chain for ease of wiring. Banner’s adapter can also identify the location of legacy safety devices, which leads to reduced downtime. However, it’s important to note that Banner’s ISD Connect adapter is only compatible with our machine safety systems, like our SC10 Series compact safety controller/relay hybrid for smaller machines or our XS26 Series expandable safety controllers, which have the capacity to adapt to a variety of machines, including large-scale machines with multiple processes. So, when you’re mapping your smart safety system, make sure that all your devices are compatible with whichever diagnostics platform you choose to adopt. 

2. Simplify Cable Runs With Daisy Chains

Once all the devices in your machine safety system are integrated into the same intelligent networking platform, it’s time to review exactly how these devices are connected. Adding more elements to an electronic system typically requires additional cabling, which increases installation time, cost, and materials and, over time, can create connection complexities that put the integrity of the system at risk.

Another key benefit of implementing smart machine safety systems in automated production environments is the potential for network simplification. This is done through a technique known as daisy chaining, where cables are combined so that multiple devices share a connection line to the system controller.

Daisy chaining is hardly a new concept, and it is one that comes with inherent drawbacks — namely the ability to immediately diagnose system issues when a single device is stopping a machine. But in smart machine safety systems like Banner’s ISD system, each device has its own unique ID, which eliminates the main problem with traditional daisy chain systems.

3. Consolidate Controller I/O Points

I/O consolidation goes hand in hand with cabling considerations in that the shared goal of each is to simplify network systems without sacrificing diagnostic specificity. In a traditional machine safety system, each device has a separate I/O point on the safety controller and/or PLC so users can quickly see where system disruptions are occurring. As these systems expand, operators can run out of I/O points, and at that point, manufacturers would have to invest in additional expansion modules, which could be costly.

Machine safety systems built on intelligent network platforms don’t have to worry about this issue. One single ISD chain, for example, which consists of only two wires connected to the safety controller, can monitor up to 32 devices. This significantly reduces the amount of hardware that goes into the control cabinet and greatly reduces the number of unique parts required for your safety system, which simplifies inventory and reduces both initial investment and down-the-road maintenance costs.

Just as important as the data collection system itself is establishing who will have access to the data. Since intelligent networking platforms allow users to easily share information with multiple systems, displays, and users, being acutely aware of where the data can be accessed and who is capable of viewing it is of the utmost importance.

These considerations also offer positive benefits for each actionable party. When analysis roles are clearly defined, each respective user will know exactly how to leverage the data presented to them in meaningful ways. For example, machine operators can use data to troubleshoot disruptions when they occur, while maintenance teams can use it to identify which machine parts to inspect, and supervisors can add diagnostic information to online dashboards to create future action plans. Collecting and analyzing machine data is an investment, and in order to effectively capitalize on that investment, all applicable parties must understand how the data impacts the bottom line as well as how it can help them with their roles or, in other words, what’s in it for them. The quicker everyone sees how much smarter and faster they work with the help of data-driven insights, the more quickly you can realize tangible results.