For years the cost and size of safety PLCs have been too big for the application requirements of production machinery. Siemens Energy and Automation changes all that with a Safety PLC extension to their standard controllers. This gives the user one right-sized controller that performs both safety-related and standard automation tasks.These SIMATIC® S7 PLCs with Safety Integrated® meet all the requirements of NFPA 79 and are certified to 61508 by TUV for applications up to SIL3. These are the first and only safety-related controllers to achieve the new UL NRGF listing category for Programmable Safety Controllers.
This provides machine users a safety controller that has the listing required by NFPA 79 2002 for use in machine safety applications up to CAT 4.Now customers in all production industries can begin to eliminate their separate hardwired electromechanical safety systems and simply wire their safety-related control points directly into the PLC. This line of PLCs starts small with a compact modular safety PLC with point I/O, and can grow to a sophisticated high-end automation system. This closely matches the customer’s machine requirements while providing easy expansion as needed.
The Siemens safety controllers offer the advantages of "integrated" safety” while programming in ladder logic with the same software tool, the same spare parts, and the same common networks as all the standard PLCs in the SIMATIC S7 family of automation products.
Other benefits of integrating safety in the automation controller are:
- Decreased maintenance effort