Automation Canada Machine Safety Issue - 14

A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO IDENTIFY,
ASSESS AND CONTROL SAFETY HAZARDS CNT'D.
They have a long-term philosophy when it comes to product
development. They want to develop products with the future in mind.
" We're trying to develop products and solutions that are going to be
meeting the needs for years to come, rather than what's happening this
year. "
Their global reach is another asset for clients. If El-Naji is not familiar
with a standard from regulatory organizations outside of Canada like
NFPA or ANSI, he is able to lean on Omron's safety experts in other
regions.
" The great thing is we have a lot of experts around the world I can talk
to, " he noted. If a partner is moving equipment to the U.S., for example,
he can reach out to someone there for their professional opinion.
To that point, Mason-Darnell explained, " Right now, we're doing
consulting work with an OEM who is shipping a machine to Czech
Republic. The company the OEM is working with has a global safety
spec and internal safety requirements that the OEM has to meet, there
are also machinery directives for Europe, as well as from Czech Republic
- so, our safety engineers are able to help the OEM interpret the
end-user's specifications, as well as have familiarity with machine
directives in Europe, and we can also reach out to one of our safety
professionals in Czech Republic. So, in the end there are no surprises
when the equipment is onsite. "
" There's great collaboration among the whole safety team, " added
El-Naji.
El-Naji provides an interesting perspective that illustrates Omron's
commitment to safety. He joined Omron a few months ago coming from
a company that operates in a similar space.
" When I first joined, I was surprised by the amount of functional safety
specialists on the team. It's very comforting because I can have a
conversation with them, and they understand my language. This
translates to the products, as well. If you have people that talk about
safety and understand safety, you know why the products are the way
C A N A D I A N A U TO M AT I O N

they are. "
" When you have functional safety experts, they know what
differentiates between a safety product and a standard product and
they can talk about it. "
" I truly feel with this company, " said El-Naji, " when it comes to safety,
they take it unbelievably seriously and they understand it very, very well.
And that translates onto the products and services. "
Looking ahead, Mason-Darnell, noted, " There's a lot of discussion
around collaborative robots and what collaborative robot safety will
look like going forward in the next 5-10 years, within highly flexible
manufacturing spaces. "
As robotics and collaborative robot (cobot) systems become more
and more prevalent in the manufacturing landscape, the focus on safety
in that space will only increase. Which is a trend tailored to Omron's
expertise as a leading provider of robotic solutions.
" What does safety need to look like in those types of situations?
Where the manufacturing lines may be reconfigured multiple times in a
shift and you may have an operator cell who is perhaps working with
multiple collaborative robots, " he explained, " there could be a different
item coming down the line every time. So, the buffer zones and the
safety situation are going to have to evolve depending on the products
that operator is working on at that time. "
Which is fundamentally different than the way safety is configured
right now. Generally, safety systems are static configurations with
specifically defined hazards and specifically designed safety zones.
As safety systems become more complex, manufacturers may not
have the expertise in house to deal with their safety requirements.
Particularly when it comes to robotics and cobots. With the importance
safety has on operations and the increasing technological demands of
the current industry landscape, manufacturers are leaning on
companies like Omron that have a robust knowledge of products,
solutions as well as global standards. >>For more information
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 6

14
https://automation.omron.com/en/ca/promotions/canada-safety
Automation Canada Machine Safety Issue

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