A spirit of innovation has helped Dürr Paint Systems become one of the leading suppliers of paint finish solutions. Its Ecopaint robot, which is currently used in more than 2,000 applications, is a primary example.

Capable of high-quality paint finishes on everything from automobile manufacturing, aerospace and commercial vehicle industries, the Ecopaint produces a finished film thickness measured in mere millimeters. Protecting operators and maintenance people from injuries is also a top priority at Dürr. This is easier said than done, as most safety systems require compromises in productivity and throughput.

When developing Dürr's newest Ecopaint robot, the EcoRP E32, the engineering team performed a safety risk assessment as part of the design process. The projects goal was to create a system featuring improved flexibility and a modular design that significantly reduces installation time while optimizing painting accuracy. These features make the EcoRP E32 ideal for older paint shops in need of updated equipment.

The Safety Risk Assessment, conducted by Rockwell Automation, set out to select and implement a safety control system that would provide the appropriate safety protection with minimal impact on machine performance and production.

For maximum efficiency, Dürr needed a safety system that could seamlessly integrate into its customers' existing manufacturing processes. Dürr selected the Allen-Bradley GuardLogix controller from Rockwell Automation, based on its ability to integrate with the existing standard control systems already installed at their customers' facilities. The controller is TUV certified with a CAT4 (EN 954), SIL 3 (IEC 61508) rating. These ratings meet or exceed the maximum requirements for machinery and process safety applications.

The system helped Dürr reduce costs, improve productivity and meet advanced safety requirements.

Because the safety control and standard control are integrated on a common backplane along with other remote control and information devices such as human-machine interface and other independent controllers, the GuardLogix platform requires fewer custom interfaces. This integration allows Dürr to considerably shorten configuration and installation time while providing advanced diagnostics to help reduce mean time to repair (MTTR).

The use of DeviceNet Safety communicating to distributed safety I/O, allows Dürr to easily integrate safety into its standard control system. Performing both standard and safety control functions across a common backplane eliminates the integration and engineering requirements that would be needed to interface a stand-alone safety controller.

Elma Electronic introduced its Type 39 CompactPCI enclosure with built-in system monitoring. the company says its inherent redundancy, hot-swap ability, and monitoring provides high reliability. The unit monitors up to 8 voltages, 12 fan-fail signals, 8 temperature sensors, and controls fan speeds depending on the temperature buildup.

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Elma Electronic