In machining centers and machine tools, rotating tools pose a potential danger to operators. To ensure safety and occupational health, machine manufacturers are bound by mandatory guidelines. SIEB & MEYER offers a smart solution with the Drive Controller SD2: The integrated, sensorless safety functions SFM (Safe Frequency Monitor) and SLOF (Safe Limited Output Frequency) enable monitoring of standstill or a safe limitation of the rotating field of the machining spindles – all without additional encoders. The result: more safety with lower costs and maintenance effort.
"Machine builders face the challenge of optimally and normatively ensuring both personnel safety and productivity," explains Markus Finselberger, Head of Sales Drive Electronics at SIEB & MEYER. "Classic safety solutions require speed encoders on motors or spindles to detect or avoid dangerous operating conditions. These require space, pose failure risks, and incur costs for installation, maintenance, and replacement."
With the TÜV-certified safety functions of the SD2 from SIEB & MEYER, the need for additional encoders on the spindles is eliminated. The functions SFM and SLOF are directly integrated into the Drive Controller:
• SFM (Safe Frequency Monitor) detects whether a gearless spindle safely stands still after the command to stop or whether a predefined non-critical speed has been fallen below. If this is not the case, for example, access to the machine interior or a safety door remains locked.
• SLOF (Safe Limited Output Frequency) prevents a spindle from exceeding a critical speed – for example, to avoid tool breakage due to overspeed or to not exceed certain critical speeds during setup. If the predefined limit is exceeded, the system automatically releases the final stage via STO (Safe Torque Off), so that no further torque is generated. The spindle thus comes to a controlled stop.
Another plus: All Drive Controllers of the SD2x and SD4x series feature a load indicator that evaluates the torque-generating current of the motor and can thus replace acoustic body sound sensors. Load changes of the motor are precisely detected by the load indicator – a valuable function for tool monitoring, e.g., for early detection of tool wear or breakage.
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