Packaging

SensaGuard – Rockwell Automation Announces New Range of Non-Contact Interlock Switches

When it comes to machine safety, Rockwell Automation knows hat protection of per-sonnel and equipment is a primary concern. At the same time, flexibility and productivity are points that must also be considered as engineers design safety systems. The new Allen-Bradley Guardmaster SensaGuard family of non-contact switches will help designers address these issues.

Wednesday 30. April 2008 - When it comes to machine safety, Rockwell Automation knows hat protection of per-sonnel and equipment is a primary concern. At the same time, flexibility and productivity are points that must also be considered as engineers design safety systems. The new Allen-Bradley Guardmaster SensaGuard family of non-contact switches will help designers address these issues.

The SensaGuard product family of coded non-contact interlock switches is Category 4/SIL 3 rated and is intended for machine guarding with part or full body access. It is particularly suited to machines where multiple access doors must be monitored up to safety category 4/SIL3. Featuring the latest generation of RFID technology for coding and inductive technology for sensing, SensaGuard’s large sensing range and tolerance to misalignment offers a cost-effective solution that is ideally suited to a wide range of industrial safety applications.
SensaGuard switches can be connected to many types of standard Allen-Bradley Guardmaster safety relays via its two Safety PNP outputs and one auxiliary PNP out-put. These include the Minotaur MSR126, MSR127, MSR200/300 Family, SmartGuard and Safety I/O Blocks. Multiple actuator sizes allow for a large sensing distance – typi-cally 15 to 25mm. Both plastic and stainless steel versions carry an IP69K environ-mental rating and come with electronic short circuit and over voltage protection built-in. The stainless steel version is particularly suitable for use in hygieneconscious, harsh or high-pressure washdown environments typically found in the food and beverage and life science industries. Other typical applications for SensaGuard include, packaging, materials handling, printing, fibre and textiles.
SensaGuard uses standard size mountings and proximity switch brackets, making it easy to retrofit to existing installations. Its Cat 4 /SIL 3 rating is maintained even when multiple units are connected in series. LED indicators located on the switch body give a visual indication of door status, and extended built-in diagnostics ease troubleshooting. A wide range of other Allen-Bradley Guardmaster safety devices, such as light curtains, E-stops and interlock switches, can also be easily connected in series to create dy-namic machine guarding solutions.