SICK Flexi Soft FX3-MOC Drive Monitor Promises Greater Machine Safety Flexibility

SICK has expanded its highly-respected Flexi Soft modular safety control system to include the new SICK FX3-MOC Drive Monitor, promising increased flexibility for safe operator intervention through a wide range of drive safety functions to reduce machine downtime and aid productivity.

Supporting all standard encoder and motor feedback interfaces, the new SICK FX3-MOC Drive Monitor is ideal for a wide variety of stationery and mobile machine safety applications, especially for machines that require frequent intervention where maintaining a controlled speed is beneficial to continued safe operation.

For example, the high-performance drive monitoring of the SICK FX3-MOC enables an operator to reach into a machine at reduced risk without having to power off.  The Drive Monitor can also be used on Automated Guided Vehicles alongside SICK safety laser scanners to monitor vehicle movements. 

“Sick uses the term Motion Control to refer to safety products that monitor the safety of machine movements, based on the principle of safe motion monitoring, rather than deactivation,” explains Dr Martin Kidman, SICK UK machinery safety specialist.

“The Drive Monitor reduces time-consuming maintenance and set up procedures since the machine sequence does not have to be completely stopped.  In contrast to conventional solutions, protective doors can also open immediately after the Drive Monitor has detected that the machine has stopped and not only after a pre-determined time.

“The Safe Stop 2 function of the Drive Monitor means that if an operator reaches into a monitored hazardous point, the drives are stopped but remain under power.  A quick restart is ensured without having the reference the drives again.”

As an extension module to the SICK Flexi Soft safety controller, the SICK FX3-MOC Drive Monitor can be configured using SICK’s Flexi Soft Designer engineering software, which is freely available to download from the SICK website.  Up to six Drive Monitors are possible on a single Flexi Soft main module.

The SICK FX3-MOC monitors many functions in accordance with IEC 61800-5-2 and is open for almost all common automation and controller environments. It is suitable for AC, DC, servo stepper motors and other types of drive. Compatible with a range of common fieldbus comms protocols, it is simple to integrate into a higher level PLC controller in combination with the Flexi Soft safety controller.

The versatile software design used for programming the FX3-MOC also allows the import of predefined applications for simplicity in engineering standard safety solutions.

In total there are seven drive safety functions; two Safe Stops; Safe Operating Stop; Safe Speed Monitor; Safety Limited Speed; Safe Direction and Safe Brake Control. With the Flexi Soft controller, one FX3-MOC can monitor up to 10 speed levels and four brake ramps, as well as multiple axes.

The SICK FX3-MOC is fully integrated with the Flexi Soft system and is supported by the engineering download Flexi Soft Designer which can be found at www.sick.com/drivemonitor.

For more information on the SICK FX3-MOC, or any of SICK safety and protective devices, please contact Andrea Hornby on 01727 831121 or email andrea.hornby@sick.co.uk.