Imagine a safeguarding device that can better differentiate between weld splatter (and other nuisance particles) and a human being who could be injured by a hazardous motion. Imagine also that this same device has better resolution detection combined with a wider scanning area than other safeguarding devices currently on the market. Imagine that this device has more integrated functionality, saving wiring costs and installation time. The S3000 safety laser scanner from SICK has these features and others designed to meet customers'' area safeguarding needs. SICK announced worldwide availability of the S3000 at the Hannover Fair in April 2003.
The adoption of safety-rated laser scanners as a solution for area safeguarding applications has increased dramatically over the last few years. SICK has been providing this technology over the past decade with tens of thousands of Proximity Laser Scanner (PLS) units installed and currently protecting customers in hazardous applications around the world. Now, with the S3000, SICK has launched the next generation, safety-rated laser scanning device.
What''s New
The S3000 features a 190 degree scanning range and four different levels of integrated functionality for up to 16 user-definable protective and warning zones. Other highlights include a maximum safety field radius of 18 ft (5.5 m) or 23 ft (7.0 m), which allows safeguarding of a larger area than other safety scanners on the market today. The S3000 is economical because the wider scanning range and multiple user-definable zones mean only one scanner is necessary in applications that previously required multiple safety mats or light curtains to cover the same area.
Protective field radius is up to 23 ft (7 m) and the warning field is up to 160 ft (49 m) deep. Both fields can be freely defined, and both can be programmed via SICK''s new Configuration and Diagnostic Software (CDS) tool. The size and shape of these fields can be defined to meet specific application requirements. The device scans its surroundings in two dimensions. When personnel or objects are detected within the protective zone of the S3000, a corresponding switching signal given out via the safe PNP semiconductor output signal switching devices (OSSD) safely signals the machine to stop hazardous motion.
The S3000 safety laser scanner has been third-party certified to comply with safety standard IEC/EN 61496, as a Type 3 safety device, and was designed in compliance with ANSI/RIA 15.06 and ANSI/ASME B56.5. It can freely monitor stationary and mobile work places through a scanning angle of 190 degrees; it has a minimum resolution of 1.2 in (30 mm) and resolutions up to 5.9 in (150 mm) within the protective zone ranges of up to 23 ft (7 m). The IP 65 rated design features a 7-segment display for easy diagnosis within a modular, expandable design.
Applications
The S3000 can be used to safeguard work areas, protecting personnel or equipment from damage or injury, in stationary or mobile applications. Additional applications of the S3000 include 2D or 3D horizontal or vertical safeguarding of Automatic Guided Vehicles (AGVs), assembly and production lines, overhead cranes, packaging machines, presses, robotic loading or unloading stations, stacker cranes, shuttles and fork lift trucks. One important application advantage of the S3000 is its ability to differentiate "nuisance particles" from personnel or objects, optimizing machine runtime by minimizing occurrences wherein the safeguarding device shuts down the machine for nonhazardous reasons (e.g. dust particles, weld splatter, extraneous sunlight or flying insects).
To facilitate economic solutions for the widest possible range of safety applications, SICK has integrated specially developed, exchangeable I/O modules for the S3000. For example, the Standard S3000 provides protection in a robot loading station that requires only one warning and protection zone. For protection of a tube-bending machine, an Advanced S3000 offers up to four switchable field sets. (Each field set is comprised of one warning and one protective zone.) In a complex material processing system, the Professional S3000 version provides protection for up to eight switchable field sets. Lastly, for an Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) with two directions of travel, the S3000 Professional can be used in combination with the S3000 Professional Remote for up to 16 total velocity-dependent switchable field sets, eight field sets in each direction of travel.