IEN: What are the major machine and worker safety issues facing industry? How can they be addressed?
Knauer: One challenge is that of building machines to meet U.S. and international standards for safety. This issue is being addressed by the pursuit of common international standards for machine safety. Examples of this trend can be seen in the most current versions of NFPA 79, which is now closely aligned with IEC 60204-1; ANSI B11.19-2003, where we see the influence of IEC 61496 and EN 999; and RIA15.06-1999, which was revised with influence from ISO 10218, and which is being revised again to align more closely with RIA15.06! This globalization trend is positive for U.S. machine tool builders, as without it they could be faced with the dilemma of continuing to manufacture separate domestic and international products, or even abandoning one market altogether.
Another challenge is that many firms perceive a tradeoff between safety and productivity -- which is not necessarily true. Many of today's machine safeguarding solutions minimize any impact on productivity and may even help improve it, since workers feel they are able to operate machines safely at higher speeds. For example, use of a safety light curtain where a hard guard and door were previously required to limit access may provide faster and easier access for the operator with a high level of safety. Another example is the use of press brake guarding systems utilizing a laser beam under the tool (such as STI's LazerSafe system), which allows "close in" operation with very high levels of safety, instead of hard guards or safety light curtains, which require the operator to stand further away and thereby impact cycle times. (STI's SR Series Safety Monitoring Relays, shown here, have 28 new fixed terminal and removable terminal models for control reliability and maximum configuration flexibility to suit nearly every potential safety-monitoring requirement.)
IEN: Where are strides being made: In ease of integration? Flexibility and scalability? Safety management? Personal injury prevention? Risk management? Safety design? Emergency response? Hazard controls? Elsewhere?
Knauer: Significant strides are being made in the area of more formal risk assessment and risk reduction. Two fairly recent standards -- RIA 15.06-1999 and ANSI B11.TR3-2000 -- espouse the advantages and methodology of risk assessment and can help companies focus efforts to reduce risks. More formalized risk assessment programs will help ensure that machines are designed with the safety and integrity of the machine in mind at the earliest stages of machine design and development. Software programs, such as DesignSafe by Design Safety Engineering (designsafe.com) can help users make sense of what can be a complicated task.
IEN: What innovations are in store for users in machine safety, protective technology, ergonomic design, safety equipment and systems, environmental equipment, software, training, and other areas?
Knauer: Innovations will include more sophisticated safety controllers, such as safety relay modules, relay-controller hybrids, safety PLCs, and specific function safety controllers. Another innovation is more intelligent safety devices that, when used in concert with safety-rated buses, will greatly simplify installation and troubleshooting. We are also beginning to see the emergence of machine-specific safety devices such as STI's LazerSafe Hydraulic Press Brake system that projects a flat band of laser light under the tip of the tool to provide operator protection. In certain applications, such devices can maximize machine safety, throughput, and productivity when compared to general purpose safeguards such as a light curtain, safety mat, or interlock switch.
IEN: What are the R & D hotspots, and which R & D areas are closest to commercialization?
Knauer: The hottest areas for R & D are safety networks and area guarding systems such as laser scanners and safety camera systems. Safety networks are following the trend set by non-safety (data) networks on the shop floor and in the office. There are several different solutions battling it out, with vendors aligning behind one or more -- ASISafe, SafetyBus P, and DeviceSafe are some of the most well-known networks. SafetyBus P and ASISafe already claim to have installations, though more work needs to be done: future network innovations might include lower cost "drops," faster and/or more data transfer, and wireless networking. With regard to laser scanners and safety cameras, several laser scanners are already on the market, but the product is still in an early growth phase and refinements are being made in terms of range, reliability, programming, and networking. There are also several firms working on safety cameras, and these will require more development work before they are commercialized.
IEN: Will the web and/or wireless play greater roles in safety? If so, how?
Knauer: Wireless may become more prevalent, but not in the near future. And wireless safety networking will lag significantly behind general automation networking. The harsh environment in the factory and high reliability requirements for safety networks mean that wireless solutions will need to prove they can be "bullet proof" in order to gain acceptance.
IEN: To what extent can companies integrate safety systems into other industrial systems?
Knauer: The emergence of safety control networks will have a major impact on further integrating safety and general machine controls into a seamless system. The beauty of a safety-related control network is that with less wiring and less installation costs, a specific device can be identified and the problem diagnosed. Being able to carry safety and non-safety data on the same wire (as with ASISafe, for example) will be seen as a significant benefit, reducing wiring and complexity even further. Another aspect will be the safety controllers -- customers will expect that safety and non-safety control can be done in one unit without having to pay for a second PLC/controller.
