Achieving more with less - that was the guiding principle behind the development of the MGB2 Modular safety gate system. Or - to put it in more detail: With fewer components, the second generation of Euchner's globally successful Multifunctional Gate Box should offer more flexibility not only to machine builders, but above all to users. And what's more: more networking options, more functions, more efficiency and, at the same time, more scope for future innovations around the safety gate, including in the direction of Industry 4.0.

System with four safety gates

Here too, a look at a typical application example illustrates the flexibility and efficiency of the new multi-talent 'on a living object', so to speak. Let's take a system with four safety gates as an example: the operator should be able to start and stop certain processes at two of them; at all of them, it must be possible to acknowledge a fault, inform the system that they want to enter it and reactivate guard locking. Previously, this required four complete MGB systems. With the new safety gate protection, only a single bus module and four guard locking modules are required to perform the same task. The buttons required to implement the above-mentioned control functions are put together using different submodules.

What does this wide range of variants with just a few components mean for the user? On the one hand, he can significantly reduce his stock of spare parts and no longer has to deal with countless different article numbers. On the other hand, conversions to the machine are much easier, which is certainly a big plus point for many companies in view of the ever-increasing pace of product innovation in manufacturing companies.

For example, if users want to integrate an additional pushbutton into the system, they only need to add the appropriate submodule and not the complete locking module. Replacing individual components is also much easier and cheaper in the event of a defect - in most cases even while the system is in operation.

In addition to the possibility of hot-plug replacement and the permanent provision of diagnostic information for the control system, the general ease of repair of the MGB2 Modular components helps to avoid or at least significantly reduce downtimes. For example, all screws are captive and can be tightened or loosened with a single tool.

The VPN network

The new safety gate protection system offers the option of networking within a virtual private network (VPN), particularly for larger companies with several plants. Employees are therefore able to monitor the functionality of all their safety gate systems in all production plants in real time from the head office via a web server. In the same way, they receive complete log files at any time, which they can send to Euchner's support team in the event of any irregularities in order to identify the problem as quickly as possible.

For security reasons, however, remote access only allows information to be retrieved; changes to the configuration or maintenance work are not possible in this way. The web server can also be completely deactivated with a simple toggle switch. This type of master switch is important because there are still many companies that do not allow remote access.

Equipped for the future

But regardless of whether the information from the devices is to be accessed remotely or on site or analyzed in a cloud: What data does the MGB2 Modular actually provide? The devices can already read out a wide variety of values - from temperature to voltage development, for example. At the moment, this is not very useful for day-to-day work - unless you are specifically looking for the cause of a problem that only occurs in summer or that could be related to temporary voltage fluctuations. However, this is likely to change very soon with a view to Industry 4.0. It is not yet possible to predict in detail what data users will need in the smart factories of the future, but the solution was initially designed for pretty much all types of requirements.

Speaking of the future: the modular structure also creates good conditions for the development of additional innovative features and functions for the second-generation Multifunctional Gate Box. Because one thing is clear: a single submodule can be designed and implemented more quickly than a complete secure system for the safety gate. The only fixed points are the design with the corresponding dimensions and the standardized plug connections - what exactly happens on this platform is decided by technological creativity.

Author:
Xabier Antolin is Product Manager at Euchner.