AutomationDirect Announces Availability of Z-Range Safety Series
AutomationDirect is now a vendor of Z-Range Safety Switch components from IDEM, easing the implementation of process safety and hazard reduction in the workplace.
AutomationDirect has been one of the leading manufacturers and vendors of industrial controls and actuators since 1994. Recently, they have expanded their catalog to include the Z-Range Safety Switch equipment from manufacturer IDEM. The Z-Range system includes multiple types of safety actuators and a control system that can be used to indicate an unsafe condition and activate a control sequence to safely stop the machine.
These components are offered at an affordable cost, with each component promising a 1-year warranty.
Z-Range Safety Switch System
When designing processing equipment or retrofitting existing equipment, it is important to have flexibility in implementation. The Z-Range safety system can accept data from a variety of safety input devices, such as emergency (E-stop) buttons, cabinet interlocks, relays, pull cord safety switches, and many others.
A variety of different safety switches are offered by Z-Range, and can be configured for virtually any machine. Image used courtesy of AutomationDirect
At first glance, it is easy to think of safety systems as simple buttons and switches. This is not the case. The Z-Range line of safety switches includes RFID locks that can only be opened by operators that carry the proper credentials. Furthermore, each safety switch has onboard diagnostics. This way, if a switch has an issue, it self-reports the information. The diagnostics can prevent the dangerous situation where an E-stop is pressed, but is not functioning properly.
The idea behind the Z-Range Safety System is that all of the available data goes directly to a control system for processing and stopping the equipment. This eases the amount of wiring and the troubleshooting of wiring. For example, E-stops should be placed within an arm’s reach around any part of the machine. A large machine might have ten E-stops, plus multiple cabinet interlocks (to prevent unauthorized access in moving machinery) and other devices. Instead of trying to manually connect all of these components (perhaps running the E-stops in series, or connecting them through cascaded OR gates), all of these components can instead be wired to a safety system, such as those offered by Z-Range.
Also, the Z-Range components are designed for the rugged industrial or manufacturing environment. They conform to Safety Integration Level 3 (SIL-3) standards and Performance Level e (PLe), which are some of the strictest ratings for safety equipment. They are shipped with pre-made wires and T-block connectors, saving installation time.
Importance of Modular Safety Solutions
It might be easy to push off industrial safety systems or to think that an existing system is good enough. However, consider the “Swiss Cheese” model of process safety. Every safety system has faults, like holes in Swiss cheese. The more layers that are piled up, the less likely a safety incident can pass through all of the holes. For example, perhaps there are an appropriate number of E-stops installed. Are there maintenance panels that can be accidentally (or carelessly) opened by an untrained operator? Maybe adding a hinge switch or an interlock can add another layer of safety to an already fairly safe machine.
Rather than rewiring a few more components, it might make sense to build a new, fully-integrated safety system, with onboard diagnostics, such as those offered by the Z-Range now available through AutomationDirect.
