Safety across long distances

How a unified safety network connects machines in steel processing

Large industrial plants with long conveyor lines and distributed machinery pose a particular challenge when it comes to safety. Isolated safety concepts quickly reach their limits when distances are long, systems grow over time, and a rapid, site-wide emergency stop is required. In practice, this means emergency-stop functions only apply locally, while other parts of the facility can continue running.

In this article, we take a closer look at how Safety Systems Technology, together with SICK, implemented a unified and configurable safety solution for a steel processing facility – improving safety, visibility, and operational confidence across the entire site.

The challenge: safety without distance limits

At the site in question, sections of steel are welded into continuous sections. Additional preventative measures were required following an incident. The customer turned to Safety Systems Tech-nology to assist with safety sensing technology. Because of the size and scale of the plant, support-ing large sections of steel profile, conveyors are very long, with significant distances between local safety concepts. The previous system comprised standalone safety concepts on some machines facilitating rope switches on conveyors, but these were not linked up into a single unified safety system.

As part of the project to enhance safety throughout the plant, Safety Systems Technology looked at the potential to create a configurable safety network of controllers. The customer also wanted a solution providing an immediate safe ‘Global Emergency Stop’ to prevent future incidents and enhance safety and visibility at the site.

Bespoke machinery safety solutions company Safety Systems Technology was called in to assist with additional protective measures at a steel processing facility welding sections of steel into continuous sections. The company has increasingly moved from supplying safety solutions to assisting in the planning, design and validation of projects, and its team has years of knowledge and experi-ence in industrial safety technology.

The solution: end-to-end safety across the entire site

Safety Systems Technology developed a single unified safety solution linking up machines and conveyors. Having worked with intelligent sensor specialist SICK for many years, Safety Systems Technology selected the SICK Flexi Soft Solution to ensure that controllers communicate safely and effectively across large distances.

Together, they implemented a solution where distributed safety functions no longer work in isola-tion, but operate as one coordinated system across the plant. In this way, individual safety areas were unified into a single, site-wide safety concept.

Creating one of the largest span safety projects in the UK, Safety Systems Technology used SICK Flexi Soft to daisy-chain field devices via Flexi Line, creating a unified safety system throughout the plant. As part of the safety upgrade works, a network of local control panels located around the facility creates four zones of operation. These are connected to a new panel installed in the main Welding House to facilitate a site-wide ‘Global Emergency Stop’ function and Global Reset. This allows for the entire facility to be put into a safe state in the event of a hazardous situation. An overview of the whole system is displayed via a PLC on HMIs in real-time, supporting ease-of-use and transparency.

“SICK’s technology helped us successfully create a much safer system at this site. Having completed this project successfully, we now have a strong, ongoing relationship with the customer. We have worked with SICK Sensor Intelligence for many years, as we have evolved from a reseller of safety products to a designer and integrator of safety solutions and risk assessments”, says Allan Harris, Director of Safety Systems Technology.

The benefits: an expandable safety system

SICK Flexi Soft modular safety controllers can be easily installed and programmed via intuitive, license-free Flexi Soft Designer configuration software. The controllers are networked together over a SICK Flexi Line Interface network to provide an expandable and configurable safety system capable of addressing all required safety functions and future safety requirements, with continuous di-agnostics down to the automation level.

Capable of achieving Performance Level E (the highest performance level) in accordance with EN ISO 13849-1, the SICK Flexi Soft range allows for safe series connection and the local modular hardware platform facilitates the creation of tailored and efficient solutions for many different applications. SICK has a wide range of Flexi Soft modules available, all of which are easy to program, commission, and can provide continuous diagnostics via any fieldbus.

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