Safety light curtains for the prevention of machine accidents are, in terms of principle of operation, a readily available technology from many suppliers these days. But users of this technology want more than “just safety”. They are looking for intelligent addi-tional functions that generate added value in terms of process transparency, flexibility, ease of use and maintainability, or inte-grated automation functions that guarantee fast amortization and maximum future proofing. The next step for safety – this core idea therefore underpins the entire design of the deTec4 safety light curtain from SICK.
The key details, in brief, include protective field heights of 300 mm to 2,100 mm, performance level e safety rating in accord-ance with EN ISO 13849, SIL3 in accordance with IEC 61508 and type 4 in accordance with IEC EN 61496-1, reduced resolution mode, beam coding, 2-signal muting, IP65 and IP67 protection class, and high temperature resistance from -30 °C to +55 °C.
Of much greater interest are the modular functional scope and innovative features of the deTec4, which no other safety light cur-tain currently offers in this combination. For example, thanks to “Smart Presence Detection”, the deTec4 from SICK only activates presence detection if a person is actual-ly in danger. In contrast to conventional safety light curtains, the deTec4 can reliably blank out sawdust and weld sparks, for in-stance, that fall into its protective field while securely protecting people at the same time. This reduces unplanned downtimes and machine failures and increases the productivity of machines and plants.
Equally user-friendly, but significantly more extensive are the di-agnostic options via NFS and the “SICK Safety Assistant” smartphone app. While NFC and the smartphone app facilitate real-time diagnostics and rapid troubleshooting on site by taking a snapshot, sensor communication via IO-Link provides for contin-uous remote diagnostic data, as well as comprehensive data analysis and visualization in the SOPAS Engineering Tool. This helps with the systematic troubleshooting of causes in the event of a fault, as well as with quickly restoring the sensor function and operational readiness of the machine. Finally, the communi-cation via IO-Link makes it possible to use the data from the de-Tec4 for additional measurement and automation functions.
