New requirements for force- and power-limited robots are supposed to enhance security. Supply: IDEC
Industrial automation continues as a fast-growing market, with producers and finish customers of every type desirous to reap the advantages of dependable and speedy execution for a lot of sorts of duties. Some folks consider autonomous automobiles, remote-controlled drones, and software program “bots” as robots, however industrial robots and cobots are characterised as programmable manipulators of three or extra axes.
Many industries use conventional robots, which have skilled a 7% compound annual development price (CAGR) over the previous 5 years, in response to the Worldwide Federation of Robotics (IFR). Nonetheless, the marketplace for force- and power-limited robots — generally known as collaborative robots or cobots — in its infancy, and the IFR predicted that its development price might be a lot stronger.
Whereas each robots and cobot arms embrace provisions to guard staff, cobots are designed to work side-by-side with plant personnel. Numerous security requirements have been established for each sorts of techniques, and every class has been independently acknowledged (Determine 1).
Determine 1: Robots and cobot requirements are evolving, and this may have an effect on how designers and authentic tools producers adjust to security necessities. Supply: IDEC
The protection necessities for every type of robots are evolving. Designers, authentic tools producers (OEMs), and finish customers have to know what the brand new requirements imply for his or her implementations, as defined beneath.
Requirements differentiate for industrial robots and cobots
The basic industrial robotic most individuals consider is giant, highly effective, and quick. It’s excellent for functions which are troublesome or harmful for folks, similar to manipulating giant payloads, repetitively performing correct duties, and/or working in difficult environments.
There are various variations of those robots and the instruments/grippers they use, however widespread examples of the duties they carry out are welding, portray, meeting, and material handling. These robots are usually situated inside safety-fenced work cells to maintain plant personnel away from them when in operation.
Cobots are a subcategory of robots which are comparatively light-weight and designed to collaborate with people. As a result of velocity and pressure are restricted, such techniques can function in shared workspaces to soundly to help with, or utterly carry out, many duties.
As well as, cobots are designed to be simply configured or programmed to allow them to be steadily re-deployed for a number of functions. Cobot makers say this function democratizes the implementation of those techniques.
Customers usually configure these robots by manually directing the manipulator arm by the specified operation. These traits allow cobots to be launched into handbook work environments the place no such automation beforehand existed.
Beforehand, the ISO 10218 sequence commonplace utilized to industrial robots and robotic techniques, whereas the ISO/TS 15066 commonplace addressed collaborative techniques. A revised ISO 10218 sequence was printed in 2025, with ISO 10218-1 addressing industrial robots, and ISO 10218-2 protecting industrial robotic techniques, robotic functions, and robotic cells.
Successfully, all robotic sorts are built-in into one commonplace sequence, with out the earlier robotic/cobot distinction and differentiation. The identical guidelines apply to all industrial robots, and the time period “collaborative robotic” is eradicated. As a substitute, the brand new ISO 10218 requirements now emphasize that when an operator and a robotic coexist or collaborate in the identical area, then the whole system should be handled as a collaborative software.
Observe that the commercial robotic class consists of the manipulator—consisting of a number of arms—and the related controller and train pendant. An industrial robotic system consists of the robotic finish effector or device, work merchandise, related equipment, safeguards and sensing gadgets, and guard {hardware}.
A brand new class of robotic is outlined
With the brand new commonplace, two lessons of robots are outlined:
- Robotic Class I: Outlined as robots designed for a complete manipulator mass of 10 kg (22 lb.) and beneath, with a most pressure of 50N and fewer, and a most velocity of 250mm/s (0.5 mph) and beneath.
- Robotic Class II: Outlined as robots designed for a complete manipulator mass, a most pressure, and/or a most velocity exceeding any of the values for a Robotic Class I.
Subsequently, Robotic Class I entails smaller, lighter robots extra more likely to work round people, whereas Class II are bigger, heavier robots. The usual permits Class I robots to do sure collaborative duties with none security options.
For Class II robots for use in collaborative functions, a number of of the next safety-oriented applied sciences should be added, relying on the appliance:
- Velocity and separation monitoring (SSM): Ensures a minimal distance between robotic and human is maintained throughout operation; this may be achieved by integrating a security laser scanner into the appliance, which makes use of mirrored laser beams to detect if a human or different object is current.
- Energy and pressure limiting (PFL): Ensures that even when a robotic and human come into contact, the human is unhurt.
- Hand-guided controls (HGC): Employees management the robotic movement for a collaborative portion of the duty, and the robotic executes an automatic process as soon as the employee presses a hold-to-run button.
Each lessons of robots will want sure widespread security performance, similar to hardwired emergency cease (estop) buttons. The bigger Class II robots may have a larger want for protected/restricted zone security gadgets, which might embrace cage door interlock switches, mild curtain sensors, security laser scanners, and different types of a presence-sensing machine (PSD). These measures are crucial to detect staff within the protecting/restricted zone of a robotic.
Moreover, most robots embrace some possibility for a train pendant, which is a sort of human-machine interface (HMI) normally cable-connected in such a approach as to permit the person to maneuver about with it a bit.
Instructing pendant necessities for protected cobots
Robotic train pendants could have digital components but additionally may want some particular hardwired gadgets, relying on the functions. Security capabilities for these functions are required to be hardwired, versus touchscreen controls. A key instance of a hardwired perform apart from an e-stop is an enabling change.
Determine 2: The IDEC HExB sequence of three-position enabling switches adjust to IEC 60947-5-8, allowing robots to function solely when customers are consciously holding the change in a mid-position. Tools will cease if the operator squeezes too arduous or releases the change. Supply: IDEC
An enabling change—typically colloquially often called a “lifeless man’s change” or extra formally as a three-position enabling (3PE) machine—is a hardwired change organized on the educating pendant the place it’s handy for the person to grip it. When the operator wishes the robotic to run, they need to positively maintain the allow change in a mid-position to allow hold-to-run management performance.
Letting go of the enabling change for any purpose, or gripping the change too tightly similar to in a panic or electrical shock scenario, instantly stops robotic operation. These switches are specified by IEC 60947-5-8 (Determine 2).
For Class II robots, it’s necessary for the educating pendant to incorporate a 3PE machine because of the hazard concerned if an operator is in proximity to the robotic in handbook mode. For Class I robots, a threat evaluation should be carried out to see if that is vital.
For Class I robots, if ample threat discount is achieved by a threat evaluation, using 3PE change is just not required.
Nonetheless, beneath the brand new commonplace for Class I robots, if a train pendant is used to provoke movement for widespread handbook duties similar to upkeep or troubleshooting, then integrating a 3PE change is probably going the easiest way to attain compliance.
Or, if the robotic is operated utilizing HGC, then a 3PE change could also be a superb possibility.
How interface designs can adjust to the brand new commonplace
Robotic OEMs usually create their very own train pendants, whether or not totally personalized, or assembled from different business off-the-shelf (COTS) elements, or a mixture of the 2. Smaller robots with fewer axes simply want primary pendants, however bigger and extra succesful robots usually have pendants with touchscreen HMIs.
Transferring ahead, these OEMs could have to adapt their designs to incorporate 3PE switches that adjust to IEC 60947-5-8. This might contain pricey revisions to customized {hardware}. Nonetheless, there’s an alternative choice in the marketplace that may assist OEMs ship an entire and protected resolution, whereas benefiting from the most recent COTS interface expertise.
Fashionable consumer-grade tablets already supply the show dimension and computing energy wanted to offer a wealthy person interface and visualization expertise for a lot of sorts of automation. These might be helpful for industrial applicaitons, however that is solely attainable if the pill will be bodily protected, equipped with energy, related to networking, and incorporate the mandatory hardwired security/management elements.
Determine 3: The IDEC HT4P Security Commander can be utilized by OEMs to include digital HMI capabilities utilizing tablets, whereas complying with ISO 10218 sequence requirements for security. Supply: IDEC
A brand new cellular machine holder is offered to fulfill all these necessities (Determine 3). Key options embrace:
- Incorporates wired energy and networking, a hardwired estop with LED indicator and retrofittable guard, and a hardwired 3PE change
- Functionality to combine different hardwired gadgets similar to a handbook/computerized commonplace or keyed mode selector change, begin/restart change/ reset change, and/or a traditional cease change
- Adjustable grippers to carry tablets as much as 33 cm (13 in.)
- Means to lock the holder in vertical/portrait or horizontal/panorama orientation.
- Will be handheld by left- and right-handed customers, with a hand or shoulder strap to attenuate fatigue.
- Rated IP54, with a large working temperature vary, and drop resistance examined to 1.2 m (3.9 ft.)
- Accessible cable lengths of 5 by 20 m (16.4 to 65.6 ft.), and a wall-mount bracket.
Utilizing this cellular machine holder for robotics functions, OEMs can shortly and economically develop and deploy train pendants compliant with the ISO 10218 sequence requirements whereas utilizing cheap tablets to offer a complete HMI.
Requirements change to maintain robots protected
Robotic security requirements are altering and are anticipated to affect the quickly rising market share of cobots. Nonetheless, OEMs can method this evolution as a chance to offer safer tools, with larger options that differentiate their choices.
Requirements-compliant 3PE switches and cellular machine holders are cost-effective COTS merchandise that may add important flexibility and functionality to robotic designs, whereas making certain compliance with related security requirements.
Concerning the writer
Luiz Shida is a advertising and marketing specialist at IDEC Corp. and liable for security product advertising and marketing. Since becoming a member of IDEC Japan headquarters greater than seven years in the past, he has turn out to be licensed as a security sub-assessor in Japan. Shida can also be a specialist in security merchandise.
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