November/December 2017

THE ITALIAN SENSOR manufacturer Datalogic has announced what it claims is the first light curtain integrated with openSafety – the real-time and safe communication protocol based on industrial Ethernet, which it describes as “the most advanced and versatile protocol for functional safety on the automation market”. The SG4 Fieldbus curtain has a Powerlink Ethernet interface that makes it easy to integrate into existing networks and to communicate with safety controllers. The light curtain, based on Datalogic’s existing SG4 family, includes finger (14mm), hand (30mm) and body protection. It provides Type 4, pl e, SIL 3 protection. “The SG4 Fieldbus safety light curtain opens new perspectives in the safety standards required in the Industry 4.0 model,” says Datalogic’s general manager for manufacturing industry, Cosimo Capuzzello. The light curtain’s diagnostics are available to PLCs and HMIs. Any message can be read directly on an operator display, or on remote Web interfaces using simple text messages. The light curtains connect to Powerlink via M12 connectors. The only set-up needed is the node number address; there are no DIP switches to configure. All of the parameters are stored in a safety PLC, and predefined safety function blocks can be used in the PLC to manage functions such as auto/manual restart, external device monitoring, total or partial muting, auto dynamic muting, and fixed or floating blanking. The Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) has launched a testbed project aimed at accelerating machine learning for predictive maintenance in high-volume manufacturing. The Smart Factory Machine Learning for Predictive Maintenance Testbed is being led by the Industrial IoT/Industry 4.0 specialist, Plethora IIoT, and the programmable semiconductor manufacturer, Xilinx. Other companies supplying equipment for the testbed include Bosch Software Innovations, Microsoft and NI. The testbed will explore machine- learning techniques and evaluate algorithmic approaches for time-critical predictive maintenance. This will allow manufacturers to move away from traditional preventative maintenance to predictive maintenance, thus minimising unplanned downtime and optimising system operation. The testbed will be developed initially in a laboratory setting in Spain, before being deployed at an unnamed automotive OEM’s manufacturing facility. www.iiconsortium.org/smart-factory- machine-learning TECHNOLOGY 49 www.drivesncontrols.com June 2014 IIC testbed will apply machine learning to predictive maintenance Datalogic’s openSafety- compliant light curtain: fits into the Industry 4.0 paradigm Safety light curtain is ‘first to use industrial Ethernet protocol’