Electromechanical Group

Is safety your number-one priority? The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is dedicated to helping companies across the country understand and establish proper safety standards for workers, employers and even temporary workers. They set and enforce safety standards and provide training, outreach, education and assistance.

OSHA publishes an annual list of the Top 10 Most Cited Violations. Companies typically have a specified amount of time to rectify the OSHA safety violations (not just the ones included in the Top 10 list) or risk being assessed fines, which can escalate quickly to very high amounts depending on the violation. The goal of this blog is to provide information on Machine Guarding and where it ranks on the Top 10 list. Within the Machine Guarding category, we’ll dig a little deeper and share some of the most-cited sections.

We’ve included a link to the Top 10 OSHA Most Cited Violations for the past five years. You’ll notice that over this time, Fall Protection, Hazard Communication and Scaffolding were the top three safety violations. Although there is an opportunity to improve and educate in those areas, we want to see where Machine Guarding is on the list. Our goal is to help you, where we can, eliminate this violation from the list and avoid fines. 

Click to view the list of Top 10 Most Cited Violations for 2015 - 2019

When we look at the data, it is very promising in that each year the amount of Machine Guarding violations is in decline! See Figure 1 below:

So, what are some of the top specific sections that have been cited within the Machine Guarding category? We looked at safety data from 2015 to 2018 and listed below the top four sections cited during that time:

· 1910.212(a)(1) Types of Guarding

o One or more methods of machine guarding shall be provided to protect the operator and other employees in the machine’s area from hazards, such as those created by point of operation, ingoing nip points, rotating parts, flying chips and sparks. Examples of guarding methods are barrier guards, two-hand tripping devices, electronic safety devices

o Top section most cited

o Number of citations are decreasing: 1575 to 1289 (18%)

· 1910.212(a)(3)(ii) Point of Operation Guarding

o The point of operation of machines whose operation exposes an employee to injury shall be guarded. The guarding device shall be in conformity with any appropriate standards therefore, or, in the absence of applicable specific standards, shall be so designed and constructed as to prevent the operator from having any part of his body in the danger zone during the operating cycle.

o Second most sited section

o Number of citations are decreasing: 629 to 475 (24%)

· 1910.212(b) Anchoring Fixed Machinery

o A machine designed for a fixed location must be securely anchored to prevent walking or moving.

o 3rd most cited since 2015: 165 to 76 (54%)

· 1910.212(a)(2) General Requirements for Machine Guards

o Guards shall be affixed to the machine where possible and secured elsewhere if for any reason attachment to the machine is not possible. The guard shall be such that it does not offer an accident hazard in itself.

o 4th most cited section over 2016 and 2017: 58 to 46 (21%)

We’ve all heard the saying that knowledge is power. If you didn’t already know some of these statistics, we hope that you are now more aware of common OSHA safety violations and some of the specific machine guarding violations that can occur. According to Industrial Safety & Hygiene News, penalties for 2019 were more than $11 million. It is very important for each person in the organization to have a safety-first mentality. Having this kind of attitude will ultimately create a much safer working environment and positively impact your bottom line.

When reviewing ways to guard your machine, consider using T-slot aluminum framing. Parker can help through our Design Center and Authorized Distributor network throughout the country. You can also electronically sketch your ideas with TADA, our free design tool. Visit www.parker.com/designarchitect to download TADA, view help tutorial videos and download templates. Also, visit www.parker.com/ips to learn more about Parker’s T-Slot Aluminum Framing Products and how they can enhance safety.

1 www.msdsonline.com

2 www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com

This article was contributed by Mario Mitchell, product manager for IPS T-Slot Aluminum Framing, Electromechanical & Drives Division, Parker Hannifin Corporation..

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Thanks to our loyal followers for all of the interest in the topics covered in this blog over the past year. In examining the most-read blog posts over the course of 2019, it becomes obvious that there is quite a diversity of products under the electromechanical umbrella, but the common threads of precision, innovation and purpose tie them all together. 

Energy savings, an important initiative for now and the future, was highlighted in two top posts: 5 Reasons to Control Your Compressor With a VFD and How VFD Technology on Hydraulic Power Units Helps Improve Performance.

The new and rapidly growing field of mobile electrification was covered in Series Hybrid Vehicle System Design.

Providing advice for selecting the right components for a great system was found in three posts:

Selecting The Right Drive Train Technology for 3D Systems

Struggling To Find the Right Encoder Feedback 

Putting It All Together: Choosing a Fastening Method

2019 saw some impressive growth in social media interaction. Our most popular platform remains the Parker Electromechanical Technology Showcase on LinkedIn, which attracted many new followers in the past year. Popular posts covered a variety of topics including motorcycle racing, featuring an electric bike powered by our GVM motor, participation in a number of industry trade shows including our first Cybershow, and shared content from our Parker Distributors. Please follow us and feel free to share and comment - and don't forget, we are also on Twitter @ParkerElectro. 

The past year also included some new product announcements, like extended power range for the AC30 VFD, now available through 600 HP, new PAC and PACIO accessories, and most recently the availability of the ACR7000 multi-axis motion controller. 

Parker sees its purpose as a platform for growth, change and positive impact to the world. As we enter 2020, watch for more new innovative solutions from the Electromechanical & Drives team as we focus on these values and on engineering your success.

This article was contributed by Lou Lambruschi, marketing services manager, Electromechanical Division, Parker Hannifin Corporation.

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Shift in Linear Actuator Design Fueled by Newer Generation

In industry, time is money. So, for engineers who are time-pressured, there is a solution for electromechanical press and joining applications.

Push-To-Fit is an innovative electromechanical solution that combines a number of Parker’s established core products into a joining module. All individual components of Push-To-Fit are designed to meet the highest expectations concerning force, dynamics, precision and service life for engineers working in the general industrial and automotive manufacturing space. In fact, the solution is scalable to a wide and diverse range of end application requirements.

In simple terms, the module comprises a process control unit, servo drive, motor electric cylinder and force sensor connected together through software to provide fast and easy integration into customer processes. For instance, the process control unit offers full compatibility and preparation for third-party device connectivity, with dual LAN networks and options for Profinet, Ethernet IP and Modbus. Numerous operating options, such as web visualisation, digital I/O and communications interfaces (e.g. OPC UA,) are also available to further simplify integration.

Parker has made sure that ease-of-use is boosted through real-time control information, historical/trend data, adjustable error response, definable motion profiles, and monitoring via tolerance windows or tolerance curves.

Among the many advantages of this quiet, clean solution is greater energy efficiency versus comparable technologies such as hydraulics and pneumatics. Moreover, excellent throughput rates are facilitated by high travel speeds of up to 450mm/s, while repeatability is 0.03mm. 

Created by Parker’s Electromechanical and Drives Division, Push-To-Fit is a cost-effective and highly flexible solution, with different forces and multiple stroke lengths available. As a result, customers only buy precisely what is needed for their specific application.

In terms of functional safety, Push-To-Fit is supplied with hardware STO as standard. Further safety functions such as SLS and others are available with the safety PLC. As a Fail-Safe, over EtherCAT (FSoE) master the safety PLC uses the EtherCAT fieldbus to establish safe communication without separate wiring. The external safety brake completes the range and permits safety-related applications up to PLe.

As press or joining applications are one of the key processes in modern automated manufacturing there are increased demands on product quality and statistical analysis. To fulfill such demands Push-To-Fit comes already with interfaces like Q-DAS. Within a text file basic information and process data is available in a kind of key-value database. In addition to Q-DAS other integrated process data managements like IPM are supported as well. Via TCP/IP process data is collected in a life cycle file to ensure access. Such systems also help you to identifies errors in an early stage This is another reason why these systems and the required interfaces are so valuable.

Discover more about the Push-To-Fit solution and the benefits it can bring to industrial assembly projects.

This article contributed by Patrick Knebel, product manager Push-To-Fit, Electromechanical Division Europe, Parker Hannifin Corporation.

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The arguments advocating more automation in our factories and process plants are gaining momentum and translating into a revolution in production environments. 

Parker designs automated linear motion solutions such as electromechanical actuators to offer a combination of load handling, space saving and reliability attributes. This all links to the overall goal of optimising throughput and minimising costs. We’ve also noticed that versatility and simple utilisation in multi-axis solutions are also becoming more important, particularly for applications such as materials handling and feed systems, as well as production and packaging machinery. 

The latest high-load rodless linear actuators, such as the HLR series, achieve a load capacity at 3847 Newtons (N) that is circa 20 percent higher than existing solutions. Notably, we’ve incorporated a square rail, which not only promotes higher load capabilities, but also longer operating life. Performance parameters include speed up to 5 m/s, acceleration up to 50 m/s2 and repeatability of ±0.05 mm.

Having high load and thrust force capabilities can save money for your plant by allowing the deployment of a smaller actuator than would normally be required. We all know that floor space costs money, so the opportunity to use more compact automation solutions and create space for additional capacity is quite literally, priceless.

Parker’s compact HLR actuators also facilitate the fast and easy creation of multi-axis solutions. If your machine or system is based on a double or multiple axis gantry design, then the HLR concept can be expanded quickly and easily, saving money by reducing design resource and solution complexity. 

For instance, in double-axis applications, our system makes use of a connecting shaft to ensure synchronous and rigid transmission of the drive torque to a second linear actuator arranged in parallel. With the use of toe clamps for mounting the actuators, one or two cross beams can be fastened directly to the carriage of linear actuators, dispensing with the need for additional connection plates.

Sometimes, a complete, pre-defined drive and control package can be supplied to match and integrate actuators into a wide range of applications, and here at Parker, we can supply it. By using a pre-defined drive package consisting of actuator, motor, gearbox and servocontroller, a complete drive train can be quickly selected to suit your specific task.

Automating a machine or system is one thing, but sourcing innovative automation offering genuine competitive gain is quite another, particularly with regard to linear motion. Here, only factors such as high-load capabilities, high speed, compact dimensions, reliability, repeatability, and the simple creation of multi-axis solutions can provide the levels of future-proofing required to remain ahead of the pack.

If you would like to discover more about our HLR actuator and the benefits it can bring to your project, please click here.

This article was contributed to by Olaf Zeiss, product manager, Electromechanical and Drives Division Europe, Parker Hannifin Corporation.

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It’s no secret that the Millennial Generation’s practices and preferences are shifting consumer product design and marketing messages across the board. But how does that trend affect product design in the world of industrial manufacturing? Are we seeing similar trends in pneumatic and electromechanical design on the factory floor?

The short answer is yes. Millennial engineers, or makers  - a popular term coined by this generation, are leading the transformation of our industry. Makers are known for their self-sufficiency. They don’t want to have to make a phone call or wait several days for information. They want to be able to find the answers themselves and get on with their creations.

The key is that members of this generation are not afraid to challenge the process or the system. When it comes to pneumatic and electromechanical actuator sizing, the process has been the same for decades. Actuators are designed conservatively to meet many safety and service factors. Calculations are complex but everyone has designed this way because it has worked, and why fix something that is not broken? The reality of this approach, is that very large actuators are specified across a machine and the makers are asking “do the actuators really have to be that big?”

Tools that allow users to simulate their system design with the exact components they need to create the desired motion are helping us to understand that the actuators can be much smaller. We can now design actuators that are specific to the application, while saving money and cost.  

Parker’s Virtual Engineer is a web-based product selection program that enables this generation to go out there and get the answers. Users don’t need to have studied electrical engineering to operate. Recently graduated engineers are being asked to specify components on a wide variety of machinery or systems that they haven’t created. No matter what your technical background is you can specify an actuator. It allows the designer to jump in and make a difference – and that’s what the makers are looking to do.

Virtual Engineer was designed for pneumatic and electromechanical actuator sizing in linear motion applications. Users are able to:

• Take an application from concept to a complete solution
• Capture application data and provide results based on user preference
• Generate interactive 3D models
• Size and select without additional calling or emailing
• Leverage thousands of behind-the-scenes calculations
• Collaborate with others in the development process
• Streamline the quotation process and create bill of materials
• Compare and contrast product solutions

Attending PackExpo 2019? Meet our engineers at PackExpo in Las Vegas September 23 - 25 and see a demonstration of the Virtual Engineer at booth LS-6288. Not attending the show? Learn more about Virtual Engineer here.

This article was contributed by Marissa Tucker, product marketing manager for controls and HMI and Tim Faillo, global program manager for factory automation, Parker Hannifin Corporation.

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This is the final of a three-part series that spoke to the various feedback devices that are provided as options on Parker Servo Motors. Part 1 & Part 2 provided the basic theory of operation for the devices and provided some guidance on why you might choose one versus the other, along with some helpful formulas for calculating required resolution. The following is a quick summary and recommendations on selecting the best feedback device for your motion control application.