SubscribeEver wished you could use a proximity switch in a safety application instead of a mechanical device? Fed up with coded magnets and hardened steel or specially shaped actuators? Well now that dream is a reality! At last there is such a thing as a fail-safe inductive proximity switch.
IFM electronic Ltd, the market leaders renowned for their constant innovation, bring you the first inductive sensor that can be used in a Category 4 (EN954-1) or SIL 3 (EN61508) situation.
The GM504S is constructed with full redundant and diverse internal circuits, certified by the TÜV Rhineland, but otherwise has all the advantages of an inductive sensor: with no moving parts, IP67, standard M12 connector etc.
Now you may think an inductive sensor which needs no special target would be easy to defeat – but that would defeat the object of safety! The target may be nothing special, but its position in the right place at the right time is what counts. When the target is present, any other piece of metal between the switch and the target will cause the output to switch off. Setting the unit is not difficult either, because the LED helps in adjustment, while incorporating a delay to befuddle the fiddlers.
To operate, the fail-safe switch from ifm electronic is connected to an external controller with safe outputs, though it could equally be connected to a safety PLC running approved software, and ifm electronic also offer a safety slave for AS-interface Safety at Work with the controller built in, capable of monitoring eight GM504S simultaneously.
Functional safety is assured with the ifm electronic fail-safe inductive system; coil damage, component health, cross-monitoring, short-circuit protection – all aspects are continuously checked by a test pulse from the controller or PLC. Any fault, at any time is instantly signalled.
ifm electronic specialises in the application of advanced electronic technology to produce innovative and effective solutions for industrial control applications. Products include flow sensors; pressure transmitters and switches; temperature switches and transmitters; capacitive, inductive and photoelectric proximity sensors; and a full range of AS-i I/O modules and masters.
ifm is committed to working closely with its customers to develop products which precisely match their needs, and the company provides expert, readily accessible technical support to help users maximise the benefits they gain from ifm products.
For further information, contact Mel Lewis, ifm electronic Ltd., Efector House, Kingsway Business Park, Oldfield Road, Hampton, Middlesex, TW12 2HD. Telephone: 020 8213-0000. Fax: 020 8213-2228. E-mail – marketing_gb@ifm-electronic.com.
Please submit colour separation requests to Mel by fax, quoting the number shown at the top of this release.