Safety optoelectronic devices are mandatory for the protection of operators, and people in general, in potentially hazardous areas, plants and machinery, in a wide range of industries and applications from manufacturing to logistics.

Manufacturing industry applications include safeguarding of automotive and electronics plants, especially robotic cells; food & beverage, pharmaceutical, chemical goods processing and packaging machines; up to almost any machinery used in woodworking, metalworking, textile, hydraulic presses, ceramic, glass, stones, paper, etc.

Logistics applications are diffused in automated material handling, conveyors, storage and retrieval systems, automated warehouses, and automated guided vehicles (AGVs).

Safety optoelectronic devices are Electro-Sensitive Protecting Equipment (ESPE) according to EN61496-1 International Standard, as:

• Active Optoelectronic Protective Device (AOPD), according to EN 61496-2, also known as Safety Light Barriers, Curtains, Grids, and Light Beams or Photocells and Control Units.
• Active Optoelectronic Protective Device Responsive to Diffuse Reflection.
• n (AOPDDR), according to EN 61496-3, better known as Safety Laser Scanners. Datalogic’s Safety solutions allow companies to comply with international safety standards and improve manufacturing and logistics processes.

Safety Common Applications

Safety optoelectronic devices offer the best solution, whether your organization must comply with machine safeguarding requirements or you are looking for Safety Solutions to protect operators in presence of automated machinery, robots or vehicles.

Safety Light Curtains (AOPD) are used for hazardous point protection with a finger, hand or arm resolution detection, as well as access protection with Safety Light Grids or Photocells and Control Units by detecting the body passage or fixed presence:

• Machinery is protected preventing the hand or finger access to a hazardous point due to the presence of moving parts, sharp edge, at high temperatures, or where hazardous substances are present or whose contamination must be prevented.
• Palletizers and conveyors movements are stopped if an operator tries to access or is present in dangerous points; however, special functions such as “Muting” make it possible to distinguish the passage of materials or pallets without stopping the process.
• Automated warehouses are protected from access with the possibility of creating long distance perimeter protections with the combination of barriers and mirrors, while in vertical warehouses the access is controlled with a hand or finger protection.
• Robotic cells with one or more access points are protected with one or more Safety Light Curtains, or Photocells and Control Units that detect the access of people and create safety conditions by stopping the movement of the robotic arm.

Safety Laser Scanners (AOPDDR) are suitable for static hazardous area protection by detecting the operator’s presence in an area, or even for moving hazardous area protection:

• Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) movement is safe thanks to Safety Laser Scanner, which detect people or obstacles in the configured navigation area, with the possibility of setting “warning” areas that slow down and “safety” that stop the vehicle.
• Robotic cells with open sides are protected with one or more Safety Laser Scanner, which detect any access or presence in a configured area and create safety conditions by slowing down or stopping the movement of the robotic arm.
• Automated Mobile Robots (AMR) movement and operations are also protected with a Safety Laser Scanners, either against the possibility of causing damage to operators and against accidental bumping into obstacles in the configured area.
• Cranes or stackers working area can be delimited and protected by configuring the detection areas of the Safety Laser Scanners, thus creating “warning” and “safety” areas.

Safety Common Benefits

The benefits of introducing Safety in your machinery or plants, does not depend only on regulatory and legal requirements. Improve man – machine collaboration? Increase productivity and avoid downtime? Protect people, machines and plants from harmful operations?

Datalogic offers a complete portfolio of Safety Light Curtains, Safety Laser Scanner and Accessories for your safe manufacturing.

Main common benefits are improved safety, reliability, total costs and time savings, thanks to the following advantages:

• Experience – Datalogic is among the pioneers and major manufacturers of Safety optoelectronic devices and among the few to have proprietary technologies – that is for the user a guarantee of proven product knowledge, reliability, and best Safety Solutions.
• Wide product range – in terms of lines, functions, detection resolution, protected height or distance range, interfaces, etc. – for the user it means obtaining the best ratio between performance and cost, having exactly what is needed without compromise.
• Advanced features – like EDM, blanking, cascading, muting, override, daisy-chain configurability – represent benefits because the user can optimize the application, often eliminating components and external functions integrated by the safety opto-device.
• Safety specialties – application specific models with smaller “slim” size, hygienic design enclosure in IP69K stainless steel for aseptic areas, OpenSafety over Powerlink interface, strong vibration resistant models – are just examples of specific customer needs solved.