Safer pallet transport lines
Resulting from a fruitful synergy between two market leaders, the latest Zancaner pallet transport line with a multilayer palletizer and wrapper, for safety on machines using EOS barriers and Mosaic, the modular and configurable ReeR controller, which can manage all of an installation’s safety functions.
Designing and producing safety equipment for complex machinery such as those used in materials handling often means considering economic factors and numerous flexibility requirements. A solution must first of all comply with increasingly stringent safety regulations, as well as adapt to the constant evolution of product types.
In order to offer a solution that meets these requirements, ReeR (a global leader in the production of optoelectronic sensors for industrial safety) has created the modular safety controller Mosaic, a configurable solution that brings together in a single solution complete management of safety functions for a machine or installation.
Precisely thanks to its modularity and configurability, combined with high quality standards, Mosaic was selected by Zancaner (supplier of automation solutions for logistics and warehouse as well as machinery for the mechanical-textile sector) in order to manage the protections on a pallet transport line consisting in a multilayer palletizer and a wrapping system: an exemplary case in which flexibility and reliability are combined with planning in a state-of-the-art safety system.
The line in practice. The palletizer, which groups the boxes and moves them using a mobile platform (with stacking from above), can be configured to move different formats of boxes and pallets, with a layout that is variable according to the needs of the user, just like the onboard machine protection. Moreover, the specific case where management of different safety sensors and packs of different heights must be moved, while protecting two passages of the machine, requires first of all that the safety installation is of tested reliability, in order to prevent unnecessary stops where no real dangers to the operator arise.
Successfully overcoming this challenge, ReeR then used EOS safety barriers on the Zancaner installation, as well as the Mosaic safety controller. The Mosaic Safety Designer software, the core of the system, enables configuring multiple functional parameters (time cycles, number of inputs, outputs, etc.) in order to manage the barriers, photocells (muting sensors), e-stops and safety switches.
Protection of a transport pallet line with ReeR’s EOS serie barrier safety and muting sensors
1 - The Zancaner pallet transport line
Boxes of differing heights are loaded onto roller 1.
The photocells (A) measure the box’s height.
Protecting the input to the dangerous zone of the machine (before elevator 2), an EOS2 A safety barrier is in place, with 90 mm resolution and a two-way muting function (input and output). Two photocells M1 and M2 are used as muting sensors. The box, lifted and rotated 90°, is inserted into the multilayer palletizer (3), which stacks the boxes on the pallet.
The completed pallet arrives at the wrapper (4), which applies packaging film.
An EOS2 A safety barrier protects the output passage, with a 90 mm resolution and one-way muting function (output only). Two photocells M3 and M4 are used as muting sensors.
2 - The control box with Mosaic controller by ReeR
The protection and onboard machine safety system consists in:
- two EOS2 A barriers (automatic start/restart) with 90 mm resolution, 1060 mm controlled height;
- 4 photocells
- Mosaic M1 safety controller + MI8O2 Expansion Module;
- M12 female connectors 5 pole with variable length cables - Type CD5, CD10, etc.
3 - Input passage muting: two-way protection
The two photocells functioning as muting sensors are placed on either side of the vertical barrier. The muting function is activated when the two sensors stop at the same time, within a set time (Mosaic parameter “Sensor Time”, from 2 to 5 sec).
The muting function stays active until both sensors are occupied, and is deactivated when one of the two is freed. In order to enhance the system’s flexibility, the maximum duration of the muting function can be programmed (Mosaic parameter “Timeout”, from 10 sec to infinite).
4 - Output passage muting: one-way protection
The two photocells functioning as muting sensors are placed in front of the pallet output passage.
The muting function is activated when the two sensors stop at the same time, within a set time (Mosaic parameter “Sensor Time”, from 2 to 5 sec). The muting function stays active until both sensors are occupied. When the first of the two sensors is freed, the transported material must leave the protected area demarcated by the barrier within a set lapse of time (Mosaic parameter “Fine muting time”, from 2.5 to 6 seconds). The muting function is deactivated as soon as the protected area is freed. If the barrier is still not occupied, the safety outputs are deactivated, and the machine stops.
In order to prevent a machine stop in case protruding parts or vibrations of the pallet re-enter the space of the barrier, following the muting sequence, Mosaic features the “Blind Time” function (from 250 msec to 1 sec).
This parameter enables defining for how much time (up to 1 sec) after completion of the muting sequence the barrier can be re-occupied without setting off alarms. Also in this case, the maximum duration of the muting condition can be programmed (Mosaic parameter “Timeout”, from 10 sec to infinite).
