Safety interlock switches monitor and communicate

Product Exclusive: Eaton’s Reed Switch (RS) safety interlock switches are engineered to monitor protective guards in industrial electrical equipment and communicate with safety relays to reliably and quickly switch equipment to the off position in an emergency. All switches in the RS family are safety-rated and are designed with magnetically coded actuators to reduce tampering.

By Eaton November 17, 2014

Power management company Eaton today announced the release of Reed Switch (RS) safety interlock switches designed to enhance safety for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The safety interlocks are engineered to monitor protective guards in industrial electrical equipment and communicate with safety relays to reliably and quickly switch equipment to the off position in an emergency.

"Eaton designs all of its products with worker and equipment safety in mind," said Eric Le, product manager, Eaton. "The RS family of safety interlock switches offers a high degree of reliable protection for plant machinery and personnel, and the flexibility to support safety rating requirements."

The RS safety interlock family includes three series: RS2, RS2R, and RS4 (Q1 2015). All switches in the RS family are safety-rated and are designed with magnetically coded actuators to reduce tampering. With correct installation and the application of a robust safety relay, such as the Eaton ESR5, the RS family complies with European Standard (EN) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 13849-1 and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 62061 guidelines.

The RS safety interlock assembly includes a sensor component and a separate magnet actuator component. The sensor is typically mounted to a stationary portion of a structure and the magnet to a movable portion, such as a door, flap, or hood.

The RS family is designed with reversible mounting features that simplify field wiring and eliminate the need for both left and right cable entrance models. A fully molded and encapsulated design provides IP69K and IP67 environmental ratings for robust protection against dust, airborne contaminates, and water.

The RS safety interlock is available in configurations with two or three contacts to meet specific application and safety rating needs. Additionally, the RS family is compatible with most safety-rated relays and controllers, and can be used as a non-safety-rated switch.

Eaton

www.eaton.com/fs  

– Edited by Chris Vavra, production editor, CFE Media, Control Engineering, cvavra@cfemedia.com 

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