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Automation Rangers, Inc. has participated on RIA and UL Standards committees and technical panels for many years. We interface daily with other Standards organizations to deliver the best strategy for mitigating risk based on the current guidelines and methods.

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For field deployed autonomous service robots that are moved frequently (eg multi times a day). Does any one know what the legal requirements for safety are, or where the information can be found? Safety fencing, interlocks, floor mats, laser barriers etc are all not feasible to restrict entry into the environment.

Try an enabling based system from HBC-radiomatic. Automation Rangers is a Rep and our web site is www.industrialwirelesssafety.com. This will give you some ideas. We can refer you to local support if you decide to go this way.

Dan Junker - President
danj@automationrangers.com
(513) 226-5733

I am looking for a "paint line robot programmer"

Try HBC-radiomatic. They can help or possibly refer you.

Dan Junker - President
danj@automationrangers.com
(513) 226-5733

Are there any firms or companies that can validate a robotic work cell to acheive certification for RIA / ANSI compliance

MEK Consulting, Inc. is one firm that validates robot cells. Contact Mike Kunkle, 717-578-9875, [email protected].

Dan Junker - President
danj@automationrangers.com
(513) 226-5733

Can robots have wireless connectivity in the future?

Good Day Sir, Wireless or as the new standards put it, Cableless Control is explained in RIA 15.06-2012 5.8.6. The requirements are straight forward, but finding manufacturers that can work with those standards is a tougher task. Presently, there aren't many manufacturers who can deliver anywhere in the world and then you have to work with their form factor. Here are the 3 I know of first hand.

HBC-Radiomatic - safe cableless pendants & I/O Siemens - safe cableless networks and tablets/HMI Phoenix Contact - safe cableless I/0

Dan Junker - President
danj@automationrangers.com
(513) 226-5733

I work at Kaba Ilco as the GM. We manufacture over 300 million keys per year. We are looking for a very small pick and place robot that could replace the manual key racking that we currently do. Any ideas would be appreciated. Scott Bye 252-200-5450 [email protected]

Sometimes the key fixuring goes awry. Having an E-Stop / Enabling pendant combination gives you the operator an E-Stop on them at all times and with the flip of a switch they can be in secondary enabling mode to help who has the teach pendant.

Dan Junker - President
danj@automationrangers.com
(513) 226-5733

We are a group of seniors at Toledo Technology Academy building a guarding around a FANUC R2000iB series robot arm. We were wondering if there is any minimum height that the guarding must be according to OSHA or any other safety group.

Your school may want to consider purchasing a cableless enabling/ E-Stop combination control that will help a great deal with startup, operation, teaching and testing of the robot. Let me know if there is interest.

This system allows the student/worker to have an E-Stop on them at all times and with the flip of a switch they can use the same pendant for a secondary enabling pendant.

Dan Junker - President
danj@automationrangers.com
(513) 226-5733

We are working on a robot application with a small SCARA system where the robot's working envelope has to be defined beyond the machine's guarding in order for it to be able to reach all the necessary areas that it must reach. So, the robot will have the potential for smacking into the guarding, which will include a door. The door does include a safety interlock, so when the machine is operating the door is locked and will not open. We have checked the door lock's force rating and compared it against the maximum force that could be generated by the robot at full acceleration and this appears to be safely under the door lock's rating. We will also monitor the robot's motors to determine if they have exceeded any limits that would indicate it's movement was restricted unexpectedly. Also, in this configuration, hard stops cannot be used. Is there anything else that we can/should do to ensure the safety of this robot application?

In addition to defining the robots working envelope so that it doesn't hit the fencing and making sure guarding will stand up to the robot smacking into it, you may want to consider a mobile E-Stop to pause or stop the robot. A Cableless E-Stop with optional operator controls could prevent excess damage to the cell or to the product it is handling. In addition, you may add a 3 position enabling button so that you will be able to use the pendant in startup, normal operation AND for maintenance or as a secondary enabling unit while teaching. Please feel free to call me if you have any questions.

Dan Junker - President
danj@automationrangers.com
(513) 226-5733

Simple question referring to 5.6.3.4.3- There is a statement at the bottom of this stating that a sufficient number of readily identifiable and easily accessible e-stops shall be located within the safeguarded space. It's not clear to me, based on the other information provided above this in 5.6.3.4.3, if this is required in every circumstance or as an alternative to, for example, the ability to lock a gate in the open position.

Dan Junker - President
danj@automationrangers.com
(513) 226-5733

Simple question referring to 5.6.3.4.3- There is a statement at the bottom of this stating that a sufficient number of readily identifiable and easily accessible e-stops shall be located within the safeguarded space. It's not clear to me, based on the other information provided above this in 5.6.3.4.3, if this is required in every circumstance or as an alternative to, for example, the ability to lock a gate in the open position.

Dan Junker - President
danj@automationrangers.com
(513) 226-5733

Are there any safety guidelines in the RIA specifications regarding 2 people being in a robot cell while teaching?

Starting with Part 1, section 4, a), then Part 1, 5.8.3 e) f) g) h), Part 1 5.8.6...

That should get you started.

Dan Junker - President
danj@automationrangers.com
(513) 226-5733