Light curtain setup

I am currently gathering quotes for a safety system

The basics are:
2 light curtains 80" apart (one will shut off based on other sensors)
safety relay/controller

need double look capability
high vibration area

Those are the major parts

The other sensors we are locked in on so they are not to much of a concern at this point.

I was just wondering someone has recommendations on brands, right now we are looking at A-B and Jokab.

Any recommendations will be appreciated, I will do the legwork to check the distributors/support network in my area.

Check out SICK. They have some real nice light curtain options.

Banner Also comes to mind.

I've used Sick ones before, nice units, they come in different flavours depending on the system to be guarded and the likely limb that will break the beams - finger, arm, body etc

dploof23 said:

Check out SICK. They have some real nice light curtain options.

Banner Also comes to mind.

Click to expand...

Thanks
Nearest SICK Distributor is only a hour and a half drive. I will have to look at them closer.
Banner doesn't even show up on the map for me so I think I will have to rule them out.

We have lots of Banner sensors at work, and they are quite nice and reliable.

We have tons of Banner, and love them. My last job had Keyence, and they worked great as well. Had the Keyence folks in a few weeks ago, to show a new light curtain that will work through pretty heavy dirt/damage on the lens. Neat stuff.

jgreenewv said:

We have tons of Banner, and love them. My last job had Keyence, and they worked great as well. Had the Keyence folks in a few weeks ago, to show a new light curtain that will work through pretty heavy dirt/damage on the lens. Neat stuff.

Click to expand...

Yea, we use banners in a -25F freezer and the ice can cause a bit of muck up sometimes. The banner ones have to stay relatively clean and are pretty susceptible to fog as well.

One of the sensors will be a Keyence laser. The other sensor will also be a laser but now that will be part of the quote since we do not already have the second one.

Here's what I've used:

Schmersal - German, well made, lots of options, extensive supporting safety line covering just about anything. Ok lead time.

Leuze - German, well made, many options, good for perimeter guarding with the optional metal enclosures. Almost always in stock.

ReeR - Italian, well made, Telemecanique is currently buying this line.

Sick - heard good things, have used their scanner before (market leading in safety laser scanners.

Keyence - the few I've used have had no issues, model I used had a separate proprietary controller.

Out of all the brands I've seen, I don't really know anyone that uses AB light curtains unless it's spec'd.

Just about anything you use will work fine, it's really just another commodity unless you have a specialized application.

I personally don't like units I have to program. I want to be able to configure options with wiring changes. I need someone to be able to drop in a new light bar out of the box and have it work.

I have not worked in detail with these systems in the past.

The programming option is also something we might like, we are looking for the two laser sensors to when tripped disable the one light curtain after a certain delay and stay disabled until one of the lasers opens. That may be a option in non programmable units but I am not sure. The other curtain will be enabled the entire time.

I am just reading through capabilities of different relays/controllers and applying them to my situation

dlweber said:

I have not worked in detail with these systems in the past.

The programming option is also something we might like, we are looking for the two laser sensors to when tripped disable the one light curtain after a certain delay and stay disabled until one of the lasers opens. That may be a option in non programmable units but I am not sure. The other curtain will be enabled the entire time.

I am just reading through capabilities of different relays/controllers and applying them to my situation

Click to expand...

From what I've seen, the programmable ones only let you change operating parameters (blanking modes, external EDM enable, etc..) They generally wouldn't let you do something like you described.

For that, you might want to look at a programmable safety controller. I've used the Leuze one a lot and now looking at the new one from Wieland. They are many others available. You could easily program what you described with either of those.

For pricing, the Leuze one with 20 in / 4 safety out / 4 monitor out was around $ 750-800 (Part# MSI 101 or 102). The software is free and programming is via USB cable. You would need to add an external safety relay which would use one safety output and one safety input. The software is free. The same unit is also sold by Phoenix Contact.

Well after clarification, my boss meant to say there will be a delay, not he wanted to add an additional delay. He was just meaning the forklift driver could not drive the hopper straight in there will be a pause. So that at least simplifies things. Good thing none of the vendors have called me back to discuss the quotes yet, that would have jacked the price up a bit.