Rockwell Automation recently unveiled a new GuardShield 450L light curtain, the first product to provide CIP Safety over EtherNet/IP ™. Let’s see together its main features.

The patented technology of these new light curtains allows each transceiver to be used as a transmitter or receiver via an innovative plug-in module. Rockwell Automation’s Allen-Bradley® 450L GuardShield ™ safety light curtains are designed to improve productivity and increase efficiency while ensuring greater personnel safety.

GuardShield 450L light curtains offer easy start mode configuration, using DIP switches on plug-in modules. Rockwell Automation has developed two models: a basic version, 450L-B, which includes on/ ff functionality, and an advanced model, 450L-E, which offers several features including integrated laser alignment, cascading, suppression and integrated muting.

On a practical level, the CIP Safety 450L network interface module and receiver plug-in transform the 450L light curtains into smart devices, enabling full network communication for the exchange of safety and diagnostic information, as well as for configuration purposes on a EtherNet/IP ™ network.

ADVANTAGES

The 450L Guardshield light curtain allows integration into the Guardlogix control system and connection of drives via Smart components. Let’s see what the main advantages are.

• Convert any 450L with fw 5.002 or above into a SMART SAFETY sensor
• Enables communication of diagnostics and status information to Logix Systems
• Enables CIP safety over EtherNet/IP™ to support safety requirements
• Supports DLR to cascade multiple 450L or other EtherNet/IP products
• Allows configuration of 450L features within AOP for Studio 5000®
• Reduced system cost – reduction in wiring of safety circuit
• Increased flexibility and modularity of system design and safety zoning

WHAT IS CIP SAFETY?

CIP Safety™ is an application extension to the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP™), which is a media-independent communication protocol providing users with a unified communication architecture throughout the industrial enterprise. It was born to create functional safety applications with devices such as safety barriers and photoelectric barriers.

CIP and CIP Safety are built on a principle where it is assumed that the host network is unreliable and to mitigate this, error detection is built into the protocol of the connected devices which will go to a known safe state if error is detected.

CIP Safety over Ethernet/IP™ can communicate over existing industrial Ethernet networks and the internet.

ALLEN BRADLEY 450L PHOTOELECTRIC BARRIER APPLICATIONS

• Safeguarding people from hazardous equipment/machinery
• Point of Operational Control (POC) and Perimeter Access Control (PAC) around dangerous equipment/machinery
• Muting application on palletizers

Learn more about the new Rockwell Automation light curtains. Contact your trusted distributor!