Contributed by Mattia Monteggia, Technical Sales Engineer & Area Manager, Atos
Machine safety is crucial for fluid power systems, as anytime you are dealing with highly pressurized fluids you must take extra special care. To this end, the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC outlines the safety requirements for machinery and equipment in the European Union. The directive sets out specific safety measures and guidelines that manufacturers must adhere to when designing, manufacturing, and commissioning hydraulic equipment. These measures include the use of safety valves, to promote a safer working environment and maintain operational efficiency of machinery.
Atos safety valves
The Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC is as a foundation of equipment safety within European Union member states. This directive sets forth essential rules for operators’ health and the safety requirements for machinery throughout its entire lifecycle, from initial installation and ongoing maintenance to eventual disposal. By carefully addressing a wide range of safety aspects, the directive ensures that machinery is designed and manufactured with the utmost priority on the well-being of operators.
Two crucial similar standards play a key role in ensuring the safety of hydraulic systems: ISO 13849 and IEC 62061. These standards provide a framework for manufacturers to assess and mitigate risks by considering various factors like the reliability of components, the architecture of the control system, and the severity of potential hazards.
Atos valves are certified for functional safety.
Performance Level (PL) and Safety Integrity Level (SIL) are two important concepts when evaluating the effectiveness of safety measures in hydraulic systems. These levels measure the ability of safety functions to perform their intended task under specific conditions. By assessing these factors, manufacturers can determine the appropriate PL/SIL required for their specific hydraulic system, ensuring the implemented safety measures are adequate for the intended application.
By understanding the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, industrial engineers will have the knowledge and insights needed to revolutionize the functional safety of hydraulic systems, resulting in increased reliability, improved performance and ultimately, creating a safer industrial environment for operators.
As functional safety becomes increasingly important across industry sectors, the full comprehension of the pivotal role of safety valves and their contribution to achieving compliance with ISO 13849 and IEC 62061 standards assumes ever-greater importance.
Safety-related parts of a control system
Safety valves are specifically designed and tested to meet stringent safety standards and regulations. They ensure the overall safety and reliability of hydraulic systems. They are engineered with advanced features such as monitoring systems and fail-safe mechanisms, meeting the highest level of safety. In practice, safety valves help in limiting potential risks to equipment or operators, preventing dangerous movements of electrohydraulic axes during production cycles or emergency conditions.
However, it must be taken into consideration that overall SIL and PL assessment does not depend solely on the characteristics of a single component. SIL and PL assessments consider the entire chain of safety-related components working together to perform the safety function.
Safety valves can be integrated in redundant double channel systems to achieve higher safety levels, as well as increasing the complexity of the systems. Numbers and types of faults detected can be improved by introducing safety mechanisms into the system architecture, to further increase the overall diagnostic coverage.
Atos has developed a range of safety valves specifically designed for functional safety. They undergo rigorous testing processes, ensuring their quality, reliability, and compliance with industrial safety standards. These safety valves are supplied with certification approved by notified body, facilitating the machine design phase and the system certification process.
Atos’ complete range of on-off valves and cartridges with inductive safety sensors monitor the spool or poppet position, used by the machine central unit to confirm the safe status of the valve. The available range of digital proportional valves with on-board electronics were designed and certified for functional safety.
Atos proportional safety valves meet safety standards by inhibiting the regulation of proportional valve via on-off enable signals. The valve confirms when the safe spool position has been reached by sending on-off digital signals to the machine central unit. Meeting these stringent requirements helps to prevent accidents and protect both machinery and personnel.
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Filed Under: Components Oil Coolers, Engineering Basics, Valves & Manifolds
