Pilz: Safety for presses and robots

For more than 40 years, the Swiss-based automation service provider Peter Huber AG has used its considerable expertise and experience to transform customers’ complex requirements – covering controllers, Robots, handling systems, data and control station systems, retrofits and optimizations – into Successful and economical solutions that have proven their worth in practice. The innovative engineering company Peter Huber AG accompanies the customer from design to final commissioning.

The challenge for Peter Huber Ag this time was to upgrade and update the control and safety technology of the manual-feed bending machine, which included additional sheet metal feeding by robots. In addition to the requirements for economy, flexibility and efficiency, there was a key condition: Whenever possible, the solution should continue to use existing controllers. The cooperation between man, machine and robot is not only reflected in the aspect of control, but also in terms of safety. Peter Huber Ag has found an innovative solution, which is the modular safety relay myPNOZ from Pilz .

Connection with security guarantee

An important point in the safety concept for this project is the interface between the robot and the bending machine, as this poses various risks for the personnel located there. Firstly, no operator should stand too close when the robot is loaded; secondly, it must be ensured that the protection of the operator, especially the fingers, is completely reliable when inserting or correcting the position by hand. Moreover, any safety device or measure shall not hinder the operator’s activities. Since both the bending machine and the handling robot already have their own independent machine and safety controllers, this project required an integrated and efficient safety solution to handle this interface. And myPNOZ has a wide range of modularization and flexibility. As an integrated connection, while retaining the original controller, it improves the productivity and flexibility of the bending machine.

List of advantages

• Simple retrofit: Existing safety controllers can continue to be used
• There is no need to develop a completely new safety solution, since myPNOZ is an interface that can be integrated between robot and bending machine
• Flexibility: If necessary, the application can be quickly adapted to the needs of new jobs

“During the conceptual design phase, the technical support team at Pilz recommended the modular safety relay myPNOZ, which we have just launched on the market: We were immediately impressed by the idea of ​​expanding the input circuit with just one safety relay. In fact, we Being able to customize the equipment 100 percent to our requirements and then deliver it ready for installation offers us various advantages in terms of time and costs.” Erich Schuhmacher, Project Manager and Conveyor Technology, Handling and That’s what robotics experts say about Pilz.