Exhaust valve from Aventics ensures reliable, standardized safety

Safety is always the number one priority for industrial manufacturers. With its new safety valve, Aventics has expanded its range of products in this area. Users can integrate it modularly into AS series maintenance units or position it flexibly as a stand-alone product. The company’s new S3-SV exhaust valve ensures reliable, standardized safety for both personnel and machinery, even with fast cycle times.

Thanks to the redundant structure and two-channel signal processing with self- monitoring, users can achieve category 4 safety-relevant controls with the new AS3-SV while meeting the maximum performance level “e” (PLe) according to ISO 13849-1.

“The valve assumes safety functions including redundant exhaust and protection against unexpected pressurization,” explained Aventics product manager Jean-Marc Gruffat. “It only activates compressed air supply when all conditions for a safe system start-up have been met.” Protection against unexpected pressurization stops the cylinders from being operated unintentionally, preventing potential accidents. In the event of a machine fault or emergency OFF, the valve exhausts the operating lines, ensuring a de-energized and thus safe state.

In addition, the AS3-SV’s soft-start function gently moves the actuators into their initial position and then switches through to full working pressure. Here, the technician uses an adjustment screw to adapt the time for switching to full pressure. Full pressure is switched at a value of around 50% of the input pressure. The operator can also override slow pressurization.

Safe inputs, outputs, and controls are already integrated into the new product. “As a result, machine manufacturers and system integrators can implement the safety electronics in hardware and software without any additional effort,” added Gruffat. For example, the AS3-SV is suitable for use in door switches, light barriers, as a safe output for a control, or as a safety module for emergency OFF applications.

Aventics will highlight the topic of machine safety at Motek 2018, booth 4402 in hall 4. The international trade fair for automation in production and assembly will take place from October 8 to 11, in Stuttgart.

AVENTICS
www.aventics.com