Achieving the highest standards of worker safety and increasing production efficiency don't have to be mutually exclusive goals. By integrating safety features directly into its PowerFlex(tm) AC Drive products, Rockwell Automation enables manufacturers to maximise safety and productivity.
Now, Rockwell Automation extends its range of Safe-off(tm) drives by offering the DriveGuard(tm) safety solution as an option on the PowerFlex 700S AC Drive.Fully compliant with EN954-1 Category 3, the Safe-off feature of the DriveGuard solution disables the motor and hence the driven machine's ability to move, until it is deemed safe to do so.
The DriveGuard option uses redundant signals to remove power from the output IGBT power transistors. This is achieved by a hardwired Enable signal and a positive-guided relay. The positive guided relay also provides feedback to the safety system regarding the status of the drive.
This ensures a high integrity means of removing power from a motor; and preventing it from restarting until the Safe-off option is satisfied. It is particularly relevant in applications that are classified as medium to high risk. It replaces the traditional two-contactor safety system, with all the associated wiring, cost and complexity that this entails.
DriveGuard is already available as an option on the Allen-Bradley PowerFlex 70 general-purpose AC drive. With DriveGuard now available on PowerFlex 700S, OEM's and end users can benefit from a high powered drive with advanced safety features built-in. With all the flexibility offered in this top-line drive and rated from 0.75 to 800kW at 400-690V, Powerflex 700S is designed to meet system Integrators, OEM's and end-user demands for precise, reliable high end motor control in applications that demand accurate open-loop speed regulation.
Powerflex 700S DriveGuard is part of an ongoing effort at Rockwell Automation to harmonise standards and make it easier for users world-wide to build functional safety features into their machines by Zoning. Zoning creates a safe area to allow a portion of the production line to slow or stop while the rest of the line remains active.
The safety hazard, whether a minor malfunction of line equipment or an obstruction, can be removed or corrected without taking the entire line down. This eliminates lengthy production shut downs and worker downtime. When the hazard is cleared, the line can quickly return to normal operation.
Like all products within the PowerFlex family of drives, the new 700S DriveGuard meets worldwide power ratings, packaging requirements and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) criteria, and is CSA/cUL Certified, UL-Listed, and CE-Marked.As machine builders, OEMs, system integrators and end users embrace the functional safety concept, integrated safety features become more important.
With the DriveGuard Safe-off, Rockwell Automation is helping users meet the functional safety standards and establish the Zoning more fully, resulting in safer, more efficient and more productive working environments for everybody.