The production of passenger cars has many steps and involves a large number of different producers and suppliers in the supply chain. The machines often work around the clock. So it’s no wonder that safety is a top priority. One type of machine that plays an important role in the production of components for car production is STIWA’s high-rise conveyor belts.
The STIWA Group’s high-rise conveyor belts are real workhorses. They run 24/7, without interruption, conveying individual parts, sorted and precisely aligned, to the processing or assembly station of the production line. When loading the system, a worker actively intervenes in the machine, so operator safety and protection is of paramount importance. Due to the environment in which the machines are usually located, the long running time and volatile transport material, safety is particularly important with these machines. The STIWA Group has therefore carried out a risk assessment and minimised the existing risks to an acceptable residual risk through design measures. The risk analysis also revealed a safety-relevant problem: the running direction of the elevated conveyor belt. Should the conveyor belt, for whatever reason, run in the wrong direction, this could have catastrophic consequences. Running backwards could result in injury to arms or hands due to crushing and shearing and, due to a conveyor stop, a lot of money and time could be lost.
In search of a simple solution, the STIWA Group contacted DINA Elektronik. Together we then developed a safety solution that meets all the requirements and protects both the work equipment and the operator. By using the DN3PR1 module for speed monitoring, STIWA can easily monitor the rotating field of the motor, even at a later date. The DN3PR1 does not require any parameterisation and switches the machine off immediately if the direction of rotation runs in the wrong direction.