Safety underground: Roadheader with failsafe Controller
IBS GmbH, Bischofsheim/Rhön, Deutschland
Safety underground: Roadheader with failsafe Controller
IBS GmbH, Bischofsheim/Rhön, Deutschland
Machine Building
IBS Industriemaschinen-Bergau-Service GmbH
For enclosure of the automation technology on the machine, a firedamp-proof station is required. The risk of sparking must be minimized by an appropriate type of ignition protection.
Roadheaders of IBS are used worldwide in tunneling and mining. They owe their good reputation to the high level of innovation which is reflected in a continuous increase in safety and ease of use.
The machine is equipped with pressure sensors and gas monitors. The corresponding emergency stop circuits are integrated in the central controller, a fail-safe Simatic. This replaces the two previous controllers, which performed standard and safety-related tasks separately. From the ET 200iSP portfolio, fail-safe modules approved for applications up to SIL 3 are in use.
„The high level of integration of Simatic controllers, intrinsically safe distributed I/O, Comfort Panels, Simocode pro devices, and Sirius switchgear in the TIA Portal was the decisive factor for the selected solution.“
Sven Erb, IBS
Step 7 in the TIA Portal, a common engineering tool, replaces the two previously required tools, and additional communication links are omitted. This simplifies configuration, increases flexibility, and makes fault detection and troubleshooting more efficient. Availability increases and operation is safer.
Previously, couplers which converted the intrinsically safe signals to non-intrinsically safe signals were used. These couplers needed to be checked manually in the event of a fault: Sensor, sensor cable, coupling card, station wiring, and PLC input needed to be examined separately. With ET 200iSP it is possible to visualize all faults, from the controller to the sensor.
Simocode pro motor management and control devices register the increased current consumption in the case of mechanical blockages and protect the associated motors by shutting down immediately. Compared to the previous, significantly slower thermal protection devices, there is much less wear.
Roadheaders of IBS are used worldwide in tunneling and mining. They owe their good reputation to the high level of innovation which is reflected in a continuous increase in safety and ease of use.
