Introducing the Idec Safety Commander

Idec has released a series of Safety Commander products that can be attached to commercially available tablets to enhance safety, robustness, and reliability by adding mechanical switches such as emergency stop switches and 3-position enabling (3PE) switches, as well as wired LAN communication (HT4P version).

In recent years, the introduction of commercially available tablet devices into various machines and equipment has been promoted at manufacturing sites due to their easy-to-understand screen displays and touch panels for ease of operation.

On the other hand, as collaborative robots and AGV/AMRs become popular, general-purpose tablets with high expressive power, excellent operability and relatively low cost are increasingly being used in place of conventional teaching pendants. The challenge, then, is the safety of tablet operation.

Even with such tablets that excel in expressiveness and operability, risk reduction in the field is essential, and there is a growing demand for safety devices such as emergency stop switches and three-position enabling switches.

The ISO 10218 series of international standards for industrial robots and robot systems, which are scheduled for revision, will incorporate the contents of ISO/TS 15066, the technical specification for collaborative robots, and will require the use of new safety functions and safety devices for many industrial robots, including collaborative robots. These new safety requirements and control functions can be solved by adopting the Safety Commander, and it is rapidly gaining attention in the industry not only for its ease of use at the manufacturing site, but also for its effectiveness in ensuring safety and improving worker wellbeing.

Idec’s Safety Commander adds safety features to tablets on the production floor. Two models are in the line-up: the HT3P type for tablets with 8- to 11-inch screens launched in 2021, incorporating the required E-Stop and 3-position enabling switch all mounted ergonomically. And now there is the latest model, the HT4P type (for 10- to 13-inch tablets) with added features. The HT4P type, in its basic format includes the emergency stop switch and a 3-position enabling switch; however, other buttons and joysticks can be equipped as options providing more control features to the user and their application.

The applications for the Safety Commander include teaching industrial robots, operation control of large equipment and machinery, control of automobile production lines and conveyor lines, control of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, chip mounters, food machinery, packaging machinery, and other equipment, and manual control of AGV/AMR, etc. The number of companies that have already introduced the system and the number of cases where the system is being introduced on a test basis increases on a weekly basis.

The traditional teaching pendant, which are dedicated devices from various companies, have been widely used for teaching industrial robots for decades. The teaching pendant must be equipped with an emergency stop switch and a three-position enabling switch in accordance with the ISO 10218, an international standard that specifies the safety of industrial robots and their systems, to reduce risks when a human and a robot work in close proximity. The Safety Commander provides a cost-effective alternative to these dedicated teaching pendants.