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OMRON Releases New NX Series Safety Control Units with Integrated Safety - Sysmac® Automation Platform™ *1 -

June 18, 2013

Kyoto, Japan -- OMRON Corporation (TSE: 6645, ADR: OMRNY) today announced the release in June of its new NX series safety control units.

  • EtherCAT slave terminal NX series safety control units
       Safety CPU unit        NX-SL3300
       Safety input units      NX-SIH400 / NX-SID800
       Safety output units    NX-SOH200 / NX-SOD400

The products are integrated in the Sysmac automation platform, launched in July 2011. This is a new EtherCAT-compatible modular I/O system that allows motion, standard I/O, and safety control to be integrated into machine control systems using NJ series machine automation controller.
The NX series safety control units offer simple and flexible design for high-speed, high-precision motion control and safety control in an integrated engineering environment when used in conjunction with the NJ series machine automation controller and the automation software Sysmac Studio. This functionality contributes to productivity improvements and assurance of safety conforming to international standards and rules.

Machine designers are now required to design globally competitive production machinery, so they must design motion and safety control simultaneously, while increasing their knowledge of machine design in order to conform to international safety standards, resulting in a heavy workload. Moreover, it is expected that machine downtime can be minimized by reducing the amount of machine design work, safety verification work, and maintenance work.
OMRON's new NX series safety control units were designed to meet these needs.

*1. Sysmac automation platform
Complete machine control through one software and one seamless connection with a variety of I/O devices. Machine and motion programming is fully compliant with IEC 61131-3, and the dedicated software suite features functions such as programming, motion designing, and network setting allowing easy control of all connected devices and freeing users to engage in further production innovation.

Features

  1. Reducing machine and safety design work
    • The safety control units support Safety over EtherCAT*2 protocol. This support realizes One Connection, mixing safety control data and standard machine control data (included motion) in one EtherCAT network.
    • EtherCAT slaves with the same modular design as the standard NX I/O units for sequence control allow flexible connection to all devices: safety CPU units, safety I/O units, and standard I/O units. This configuration simplifies flexible system design to meet variable end-user specifications.
    • The safety input unit can be directly connected to safety sensors and safety switches which can detect workers in machine areas, and the safety output unit to servo drives and inverters with safety functions. This connection reduces the work required for safety device selection and connectivity testing. If OMRON's safety devices are used for inputs, logic, and outputs, it is easy to evaluate the performance level (PL*3).
    • The automation software Sysmac Studio now includes programming for safety control, which enables programming integrated with sequence and motion control. Previously, safety control had to be designed separately from sequence and motion control through the design cycles only for safety including design, verification, debugging, test operation, startup, improvement, and addition of functions. Now the Sysmac Studio enables the same operability and GUI*4 as those of sequence and machine control design to be used for safety control design, which simplifies the design process.
    • The automation software Sysmac Studio supporting IEC 61131-3 programming language (function block diagram), as recommended by PLCopen, can be used all over the world. This usage drastically reduces the time required for designers to master design procedures and programming rules, and it simplifies the sharing of programs globally.
    • Modular structures can be built up for each program when designing safety control. The modularized safety programs can be reused for other designs, and the amount of device verification work required for validation of the entire system can be reduced.
    • Programming with variables is used for safety design. The global variables with easy-to-understand names help error free programming when designing complex interfaces among the control components such as I/O devices, motion devices, and safety devices.
  2. Minimizing machine downtime by reducing maintenance work
    • Unified troubleshooting in the automation software Sysmac Studio is now available for the safety units. Because safety system controls the power circuit for machine control, an error in safety system results in stopping production. Unified troubleshooting in the Sysmac studio provides the information required for maintenance: when, which unit, and why operation stopped, as well as how to resolve the error. This troubleshooting minimizes machine downtime.
    • A safety I/O unit can be removed and added without a computer or a tool. Because the unit parameters are automatically set by the ACR*5 function, reduced system downtime contributes to improved productivity.
  3. Downsizing the system and the control panel with compact units
    • The width of the safety I/O unit is 12 mm. The required width of the new unit is reduced by approximately 70% compared to OMRON's existing remote I/Os*6 for EtherCAT with terminal blocks, which reduces the size of the system and the control panel.
  1. *2. Safety over EtherCAT (FSoE): The open protocol Safety over EtherCAT (abbreviated with FSoE "FailSafe over EtherCAT") defines a safety related communication layer for EtherCAT. Safety over EtherCAT meets the requirements of IEC 61508 SIL 3 and enables the transfer of safe and standard information on the same communication system without limitations with regard to transfer speed and cycle time.
  2. *3. Performance Level: Reasonable levels used to specify the capacity of the safety-related parts of the control system to perform a safety function.
  3. *4. GUI: Graphical User Interface. User interface that enables intuitive operation with graphics and pointing devices such as a mouse.
  4. *5. ACR function: Automatic Configuration Restore. When a connection is established, setting parameters that are controlled and stored in the safety controller are automatically transferred to the safety I/O unit.
  5. *6. OMRON's GX series DI/DO: 16 points, AI: 4 points

Specifications

The safety control units meet PLe and safety category 4 according to EN ISO 13849-1 and SIL 3 according to IEC 61508.

Safety CPU unit

Model NX-SL3300
Maximum number of safety I/O points 256 points
Program capacity 512KB
Number of safety master connections 32
Dimensions 30(W) x 100(H) x 71(D)

Safety input unit

Model NX-SIH400 NX-SID800
Number of safety input points 4 points 8 points
Number of test output points 2 points 2 points
Internal I/O common PNP (sinking inputs)
OMRON special safety input devices* Can be connected.* Cannot be connected.
Dimensions 12(W) x 100(H) x 71(D)

*OMRON special safety input devices (Non-contact Door Switches, Safety Mat, Safety Edges and so on) can be connected directly without a special controller.

Safety output unit

Model NX-SOH200 NX-SOD400
Number of safety output points 2 points 4 points
Internal I/O common PNP (sourcing outputs)
Maximum load current 2.0 A/point
4.0 A/unit at 40°C
2.5 A/unit at 55°C
0.5 A/point
2.0 A/unit
Dimensions 12(W) x 100(H) x 71(D)

About OMRON

Headquartered in Kyoto, Japan, OMRON Corporation is a global leader in the field of automation. Established in 1933, OMRON has more than 35,000 employees in over 35 countries working to provide products and services to customers in a variety of fields including industrial automation, electronic components, social systems, healthcare, and the environment. The company has regional head offices in Singapore (Asia Pacific), Beijing (Greater China), Amsterdam (Europe, Africa, and the Middle East), Chicago (the Americas), Gurgaon (India), and Sao Paulo (Brazil).
For more information, visit OMRON's website at https://www.omron.com/

  • Sysmac is a trademark or registered trademark of OMRON Corporation in Japan and other countries for OMRON factory automation products.
  • EtherCAT® is a registered trademark and patented technology, licensed by Beckhoff Automation GmbH, Germany.
  • Other company names and product names in this document are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
  • PLCopen is an organization that promotes IEC 61131-3, the global standard for PLC programming and recommends reducing costs for education, operation, maintenance, and engineering by standardization of programming.
For more press information, please contact:
Hajime Izutani
Automation Systems Division HQ
Industrial Automation Company
OMRON Corporation
Tel: +81-75-344-7176
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