Safety has never been so turnkey

Sixty birthday candles Leuze electronic was allowed to blow out in 2023. What began with the development of an optical sensor for good thread visibility in its own weaving mill grew into an international sensor expert in automation technology, with more than 1,600 employees. The cleverly crafted solution soon attracted the attention of customers in other industries. "That has always been the path of progress here: listening very carefully to our customers and having an eye for their wishes and requirements," said Rob Vrijburg, general manager at Leuze electronic nv. That recently led to the development of turnkey safety solutions for eight standard applications.

Machine builders and end users struggle with safety issues. Vrijburg sees this too: "Increasing automation is making more and more demands on safety concepts. What is still allowed and what is not? And what will change with the arrival of the new Machinery Directive? As a manufacturer of components, you can advise customers, but ultimately they will always bear the liability. After all, after commissioning, everything still has to be inspected to see if the installation works correctly and according to the standards." 

Turnkey safety solutions

How can we better relieve customers of this, was the question on Leuze electronic's mind. The answer came in the form of turnkey safety solutions. "The idea behind it is clear: by offering solutions based on qualified safety concepts, we want to help contribute to seamless safety, efficient material flow and high plant availability. We take over all the necessary steps in the process from our customers: from the examination of the relevant standards to commissioning support. Customers thus receive a solution that is individually adapted to the layout of their plant and with the guarantee that everything works safely. If something goes wrong, we are then liable."

Access protection with automatic restart

In total, Leuze electronic has already developed eight standard applications for its customers in this way. A good example is the access protection at pallet warehouses, with automatic restart. "Especially these last two words really provide a lot of added value for customers. Without it, a manual operation - pulling a cord or pressing a button - still has to be done to restart the process." The EN415-4 standards committee describes a fixed signal sequence to trigger an automatic restart. The safety concept of Leuze's safety solution is based on this and thus guarantees optimal utilization of the pallet warehouse capacity. 

Everything tailored to the customer's installation

"We always go to the customer's site to see if it is applicable," Vrijburg assures. In this application, a safety light curtain secures the access area. In addition, induction loops are laid in the floor in the areas in front of and behind the safety sensor. This allows the safety system to distinguish between forklifts and people. "Then we do the engineering tailored to the customer's installation and supply all the hardware and software needed. After installation - by the customer's technical service or an external integrator - we set the parameters, arrange commissioning and validate the entire application. And, last but not least, the customer receives a certificate from us that everything works according to the rules of the art."

Already more than 200 safety solutions in action

A formula that is catching on. Since its launch a year ago, Leuze electronic has already carried out more than 200 of these projects. "We have evolved from a component manufacturer to a total supplier in the field of security. If our customers have the expertise themselves, they can of course still work independently with our components, but we feel that the need for turnkey safety solutions is growing. With our offering, they don't have to worry about anything. That bit of know-how we add and that assurance that we take responsibility are often decisive," Vrijburg concludes.

Eight turnkey safety concepts

- Access protection at pallet warehouses with automatic restart.

- Access monitoring at material transfer stations.

- Multi-station access security in forklift logistics.

- Access monitoring in multi-track conveyor systems.

- Access protection with dynamic format adjustment.

- Securing input points at printing and paper processing machines.

- Securing transfer stations with robotic/unmanned transport systems.

- Zone protection of transfer carts (linear and angled).