Safety

The QS Safety programmable controller is designed for safety control, compliant to the international safety standards EN954-1 Category 4, ISO13849-1 PLe, and IEC61508 (JIS C 0508) SIL 3. The QS Safety PLC can be connected to an emergency stop switch, a light curtain, etc., to shut off (safety output OFF) the power of hazard sources (robots etc.) according to user programs. Operation of machines (robots, conveyors, etc.) is controlled by standard programmable controllers. A major advantage of the QS Safety programmable controller is that it can be used in distributed systems, rather than needing to be centralised, which reduces wiring and its associated costs and maintenance requirements.

Mitsubishi Electric’s safety relay module is suitable for small-scale safety control or can be incorporated into larger safety systems. A simple safety circuit can be configured by just wiring, without the need for programming or complex parameter settings.

Safety control can be easily added to an existing Q series programmable controller by mounting the safety relay module on to the Q base unit or connecting it via CC-Link. This means the programmable controller can directly monitor the operating/error status of the safety relay module, providing visualisation of safety systems for easy monitoring and checking.

The compact WS safety controller complies with ISO13849-1 PLe and IEC61508 SIL3 safety standards. It is designed for use in stand-alone machines or systems. Its I/O is expandable up to 144 nodes, allowing quite large and sophisticated safety systems to be developed, or for existing systems to be expanded.

Monitoring and visualisation are key to knowing when safety critical areas of a machine have been activated, and this information helps operators and plant managers to synchronise production across the plant. GOT/HMIs and MAPS provide the visualisation and monitoring of safety related processes within applications.

Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs) are the modern way to monitor and control a machine, plant or system and are ideal for use in safety systems. They receive signals from sensors all around the machine, then process and present them as simple schematics or information on a full colour touch screen. They can be integrated with safety systems to present clear, concise safety status reports. Mitsubishi Electric’s GOT HMIs combine the best in performance, graphics and functionality in an ultra compact and robust package. The range covers screens from 3.7” to 15” with both panel mount and pendant style units.

The Mitsubishi Adroit Process Suite (MAPS) is a user-friendly wizard-based tool that automatically generates PLC, SCADA and projects, thus saving time and effort during development and configuration. It can be used to develop systems that can monitor safety critical information across the plant.