Survey of Safety PLCs

I went to a seminar yesterday in which a supplier was showing off the new safety rated Device net. It looks like Sick and Omron both have devices for this network, with Rockwell about to release an offering as well.
About five years ago, if you wanted a safety PLC, your choice was Pilz or Pilz, but now there are many available.

I thought it would be good to find out how many were available.
I have made a list below, and if anyone knows any others, please add them to the list.

The following brands which have safety PLCs:
- Pilz
- Siemens
- Allan Bradley
- Omron

Add to that, programmable safety relays and you get:
- Pilz
- IFM (Asi master)
- Sick

Also, safety rated busses
- Safety Bus P
- Profisafe
- ASi safe
- Devicenet safety

Hi Doug

I am doing a Quadlog Safety PLC course as we speak this this. Our originals were Moore Quadlog but Siemens has taken over the comany now.

Let me tell you that these are one tough PLC. I honestly did this today, I took the CCM+ processor card out of the rack of rack, held it up to face height (1.82cm) and dropped it. The instructor then asked me to jump on top of it. At first I stood on it and then I jupmed up and down as hard as I could (all 100kg of me). I then put the processor back into the rack and it ran fine.

Let me say this is one tough PLC. I am impressed. We have four units on site for ESD duties and this is the toughest by far of any PLC/DCS equipment I have ever worked on.

Pilz was a bit of a dog to use alright.
Add (Safety Controller) Schneider XPS-MC32 - a very nice unit but limited.

I am doing an Omron project now. Did the code in a day with no problems (40 IO).

The Rockwell system is amied at largeeeeeeeeeeee projects and their Devicenet is propriotry.
Ran a mile from that project and left a colluge to it. (I dislike RSI so won't touch them)
It is as good as RSI normaly is, very expensive, but you get what you pay for.

Hi Doug

I only know of Omron and AB who have safety Device Net available. Omron are manufacturing the AB safetyu Device Net modules but they have AB firmware aboard. To the best of my knowledge they are a slightly different concept and the devices will not talk to the other brand master, but I could be wrong

Add to that, programmable safety relays and you get:
- Pilz
- IFM (Asi master)
- Sick

Click to expand...

Omron have safety relays incuding an IEC type 4 unit that will plug into either the C200ALPHA or CS1 rack. They cannot be controlled by the PLC, of course, but can be read and have some additional I/O available for normal use.

The following brands which have safety PLCs:
- Pilz
- Siemens
- Allan Bradley
- Omron

Click to expand...

I was not aware that Omron have safety PLCs. Are you confusing the IEC type 4 safety relay in the rack with safety PLC. It would not be the first, or last, time I was wrong if they have them.

By the way, the CJ1 micro release is imminent from Omron. Hope it is good AND CHEAP. Have been looking for a decent Micro for a while now. The AB MicroLogix 1100 looks the goods with comms (Modbus, DH, Ethernet built in), the price is pretty good for AB, the software is average and the I/O count is a bit low at about 80, particularly when one considers the Moeller Easy will do about 100. Hope they increase the I/O count an dfix the very average software. I will be the first on the line.