Can safety come as standard?

摘要

Dr Martin Kidman looks at the arguments for using standard sensors for machinery safety and the possible pitfalls. The new safety standards EN ISO 13849-1 and EN 62061 are now in place and, in principle, permit the use of standard components in safety circuits. So, with standard sensors becoming smarter, machine systems designers are beginning to ask whether standard sensors can be used as adequately in a safety role as those with full safety designations.