Written by Leigh Jenkins, Product Manager- Safety
Safe motion monitoring has become increasingly important in machine and system design.
Conventional safety technology keeps the operator away from dangerous movement by shutting down the relevant drive when a movable guard e.g safety door is opened. This usually results in the removal of power sources using contactors or other forms of power disconnection. “Safe Switch Off”.
Continue readingWritten by Andy Maskell, Product Manager- Safety & Networks
Light and sound has been used for centuries as a means of communication. In amongst all of the complex state of the art automation, we still use light and sound to communicate the status of machines and production lines.
Automation efficiencies mean there are less people on the shop floor to attend individual machines, so when there is need for intervention a simple LED indicator or sounder can help keep things moving and reduce expensive production downtime.
Continue readingWritten by Gareth Chamberlain
Is it me, or has this year flown by so quickly?
It seems only like yesterday that we were lapping up and then moaning about the UK heatwave like the typical brits we are. But, with October on the horizon, we are getting ready for taking our network technology on the road to the IPExpo in London on the 3rd and 4th of October.
What is IPExpo? I hear you typing away on google. IPExpo is an IT exhibition that is renowned for its speakers and technology on display. It is one of the biggest IT fairs in Europe.
Wouldn’t it be great to have a bubble of protection (or a force field if you will) around your Machine?
Stopping all outside influences from damaging all your hard work…
Written by Mark Lloyd
In 2004, we released our first DC UPS, the first generation QUINT-UPS, which is still in use and purchased today.
Then in 2011, we released the QUINT UPS-IQ, which for the first time allowed some monitoring of the connected battery to see such things as battery status, battery lifetime, and remaining runtime. With this generation of UPS it is possible to pass this info up to higher level controls but requires additional hardware.
Written by Mark Lloyd and Andy Maskell
Anything that increases the reliability of your safety circuit has to be a good thing…..
In fact, it is a basic requirement when using safety relays or Safe PLCs that the outputs are protected against overcurrent and overvoltage to prevent dangerous failures.
In the case of a safety relay output, this may be in the form of a welded relay contact for example.
Written by Fraser Cowie
As we move inexorably towards the end of the decade every manufacturer of ‘Smart’ products is focused on making sure their products reflect the needs of the market and Industry 4.0 and Phoenix Contact is no exception.
As we find all too often, not everybody is aware of how vast the Phoenix Contact range of products is. This was a great opportunity for everyone involved in all aspects of engineering to see what we can do and discuss applications and possible solutions. It was a great success and a huge thank you to anyone that had any kind of engagement with the show, you could not beat the buzz of the open days a t the NEC.
Written by Andy Maskell, Product Manager- Safety, I/O & Networks
As machines become more complex, so does the safety required to protect personnel and keep machines running as they were intended. The implementation of safety should not restrict the functionality of the machine, but should enhance it. Using fixed logic safety devices greatly reduces the opportunity to do just that.
Written by Andy Maskell, Product Manager – Safety – I/O & Networks
MUX has many different meanings depending on who you are and where you are from. Look it up, it is quite amusing.
For the purposes of this blog, I will use MUX as being short for MULTIPLEX.
In its simplest form, a MULTIPLEXER transfers an input signal form one controller to an output signal on another and in both directions.
