Optima Control Solutions Ltd. have completed jobs for clients all over the world, click a blue pin on the map below for more details.

View Places we’ve worked in a larger map

Argentina

Buenos Aries – Packaging – High speed foil splicing line – Consulting

Belgium

Genk – AR Metallizing

Jumet – ABB N.V. Power Quality Products

Canada

Toronto – Wallpaper printing press upgrade – complete control system upgrade

China

Kunshan – Paper ancillaries – Poly-belt manufacturing line – Control system supply and commissioning

Shanghai – Web transport system – Consultancy

Wenzhou – Printing supply – Lithographic Coating Line – Control system supply and commissioning

Egypt

Cairo – Lithographic Coating Line – Control system supply and commissioning

England

Derby – Bone Markham Coating Line Upgrade – complete control system upgrade

Grimsby – Oil & Gas pipeline Lathe control system design and supply – Control system supply and commissioning

Leeds – Jagenberg cut to length line – complete control system upgrade

Leeds – Lithographic coating line – complete control system upgrade

Midsomer Norton – Rotomec Tandem extrusion coater laminator – complete control system upgrade

Midsomer Norton – Schiavi gravure printing press upgrade – complete control system upgrade

Norfolk, Attleborough – Bobst metalizing machine control system upgrade – complete drive system upgrade

Paulton – Cerutti gravure printing line – complete control system upgrade

Poynton – coating line complete system supply and commissioning + consultancy

Thetford – Laminating machine control system

France

Paris – Web transport consultancy

Germany

Weisbaden – Ebert Folien

Hungary

Automotive line – Complete control system supply and commission

Italy

Genova – Printing supply – Lithographic Coating Line – Control system supply and commissioning

Terni – Web transport system consultancy

Luxembourg

Coating line upgrade – Intermediate section introduced to Emerson and Renwick coater

Portugal

Romao – Triple spindle flying splice winder – Consultancy

Russia

Svetagorsk – Paper – High speed rewind – Control system supply and commissioning + consultancy

Scotland

Glenrothes – Paper – 90 drive coating line upgrade – Control system supply and commissioning + consultancy

Livingstone – Polytype coating line complete system supply and commissioning + consultancy

Singapore

Metalliser control system upgrade – complete drive system upgrade

South Africa

Pietermaritzburg – Printing supply – Lithographic Coating Line – Control system supply and commissioning

South Korea

New drive design – Profibus interface development – consultancy

Spain

Valencia – Complex web transport system – consultancy

Thailand

Web transport system – Consultancy

Turkey

Izmir – Bobst coating Line – partial upgrade of control system

USA

Florida – Paper – Complex register control system – Consulting

Guin, Alabama – 3M

Philadelphia – Web transport system Consultancy

Portland Oregon – Paper – High speed rewind – Consulting

Safety Scanner Issues and EN999

Posted on July 2, 2024

Optima were recently asked to advise on a safety guarding application for one of our customers.

There had been a number of false trips of the laser scanner causing the machine to stop. As a result of this, a plastic chain ‘barrier’ had been fitted as a temporary measure with instructions to operators to not breach the barrier whilst the machine was running.

The customer naturally wanted this rectifying as soon as possible, so Optima performed a short-notice service visit to site.

On the site visit, our engineer noted that the scanner was showing a code which indicated that the front screen required cleaning.

Once the screen was cleaned thoroughly the scanner did not show any faults or errors and was in normal run mode.

However, we performed further checks on the original software to ensure that the scanner configuration still met the requirements of the safety guarding application.

The diagrams to the left show the Warning Field configuration (Yellow) and the Protective Field (Red). Both of these were confirmed to be operational.

The warning field causes the klaxon to operate and the protective field caused an emergency stop of the machine.

We did, however find a few concerns that needed to be addressed.

1. None of the scanner safety circuit had been documented on any drawings.

2. Non-compliance with EN999 ‘Safety of machinery – the positioning of protective equipment in respect of approach speeds of parts of the human body’ includes a formula to be used to calculate the distance from a hazard that a safety zone must be triggered. Based on the stopping times of the machine, the scanner was placed too close to the machine to be effective in an emergency.

We are working closedly with our customer to assist them with this application and help them achieve a safe and effective solution to this.

If you need any support with safety applications or other upgrades, please get in touch.

Industrial Automation and
Control Systems Engineering

Places We’ve Worked