PNOZmulti 2

Pilz releases “Key-in-pocket” system for maintenance safeguarding at the Australian Manufacturing Week.

Pilz will feature solutions that address the industrial safety, security, and automation concerns that you may have. Apart from showcasing ground-breaking innovations such as our award-winning safety relay, myPNOZ, most-sought-after small configurable controllers, PNOZmulti 2, and the powerful automation system, PSS 4000, another highlight would be the newly released “key-in-pocket” solution for maintenance safeguarding and restart prevention.

Safety Concerns When Maintaining Machines

Machine maintenance safety is an important part of any manufacturing process. Conventionally, manufacturers relied on “lock-out, tag-out” (LOTO) system to protect people from the hazards posed during maintenance work such as an unwanted restart of the machine. Pilz has re-evaluated the LOTO method and has released the “key-in-pocket” solution with the aim of increasing efficiency by using card readers over traditional processes.

Workers are protected from encountering hazardous machinery during regular operations by physical fences, light curtains, sensors, and doors, among other measures. But when the system is being worked on, the usual safety measures are frequently ineffective or unavailable. As a result, workers are exposed to the machinery should it start up while they are maintaining it.

Although LOTO (where employees lock the electrical box that powers the machinery one at a time) is a good method for ensuring employee safety, it can also be time-consuming and ineffective. This is particularly true if employees finish their shift at the plant and leave without removing their lock from the machinery.

Before the equipment may be activated again, specific protocols must be followed, and the lock on the electrical box must be manually taken off. This results in increased downtime and wasted labor.

Pilz’s “Key In Pocket” machine safeguarding

With the new access permission system, PITreader, only authorised users are permitted entry into the area without the use of locks or keys. The system can effectively prevent accidental startup while workers are present.

This is how it works: using a transponder key, users authenticate themselves on the safety gate via the PITreader. A security ID is then stored in a safe list in the Pilz controller (PNOZmulti 2 or PSS 4000). The machine will then stop and can be accessed to carry out repair or maintenance work. The user retains the transponder (“Key-inpocket”) while doing the work. After leaving the plant, everyone must log off via the PITreader to put the plant back into operation. This results in the security IDs being removed from the safe list. When the list is finally empty, the machine is enabled and can be put back into operation.

Through the usage of their card reading system, Pilz's "key in pocket" solution offers clients the exclusive potential to reduce waiting times and increase the effectiveness of machine maintenance. Employees are free to enter and exit the work area while the reader observes the operation, making sure everyone has left before the machinery is restarted.

Pilz Australia

Stand RA110 pilz.com

PROLAQ for cleaning paint

PROLAQ is the latest innovation from Bio-Circle Surface Technology GmbH, a safe and environmentally-friendly way to clean spray paint equipment.

PROLAQ is not petroleum based and is suitable for water and solvent based paints. It is non-flammable, non-hazardous and does not require the use of PPE nor ventilation. Nonetheless, it cleans quickly and thoroughly. This makes it a suitable alternative to traditional solvent-based paint thinners.

Further, it can be used up to ten times – the paint residues form a sediment which can be removed and the remaining PROLAQ liquid re-used. This greatly reduces the volume of liquid to be disposed of, and the cost of cleaning your paint equipment.

PROLAQ liquids can be used manually in the PROLAQ Compact washer, or in the PROLAQ Auto spray gun washer. You can even convert your existing automatic washer to use PROLAQ, with a simple conversion kit. These systems allow the separation of the paint from the PROLAQ cleaner, making removal easy and recovery of the cleaner for re-use.

Bio-Circle Surface Technology

Stand MT352 bio-circle.com.au