Safety products, important updates, drives and more
New Inspection Box, Temporary Run Station
North American component supplier Delco Elevator Products has announced new nonproprietary products from Amsterdam-based manufacturer Giovenzana International. First is the Top of Car Inspection Box with adjustable high-output LED floodlight to enable control of the car during inspection or maintenance. Its components are SIL rated, and features include clearly labeled functions, wiring flexibility with multiple entry points, and high-impact and lightweight, visible housing and switches. Designed to the latest ASME A17.5/CSA B44.1 and National Electrical Code standards, it is UL listed and includes a failsafe normal-inspection switch.
The Temporary Run Station with Tubular Key Lock, 5 Position includes emergency-stop and up/down push buttons. The elevator technician must enable the key switch for it to operate. Its five positions are:
- Tubular lock
- 40-mm-diameter emergency-stop push-button switch with visual indication
- A green push-button switch labeled with up and down arrows
- A white push button labeled “U”
- A black push button labeled “D”
Escalator Handrail Film Adds Antimicrobial Protection
Ad Rail USA, exclusive U.S. distributor of the AdRail Escalator Handrail film (ELEVATOR WORLD, October 2013), developed and patented by EHC Global, announced in March that the film is now coated with antimicrobial material. The lamination “eliminates germs significantly and offers facilities a great solution to make their escalator handrails cleaner,” the company said. It also reminds the industry that, based on safety studies, passengers were not distracted by the handrail graphics, AdRail’s motion indication results in a safer step on and off the escalator, and knowing that film includes an antimicrobial property, up to 70% more passengers are encouraged to hold on to the handrail.
Safety Fieldbox
Wuppertal, Germany-based Schmersal Group has launched its Safety Fieldbox with PROFINET/PROFIsafe field bus interface. Designed to provide a flexible, individually configurable safety solution for complex machines and systems, as well as transmission of diagnostics and status information, the eight-pin universal device interface enables connectivity with a wide range of safety switchgear devices, including electronic and electromechanical safety interlocks, sensors, control panels, light curtains and switches. This allows for numerous combinations, enabling the product to cover typical safety concepts usually used on multipart, modular packaging systems. Examples include:
- Two or three safety switchgear devices or interlocks may be used for safety door or maintenance-hatch position monitoring.
- A safety light curtain may be installed for area protection at a workstation.
- A control panel with emergency-stop button may be connected to the superior safety control system via the Safety Fieldbox.
The device’s M12 power connector means that, depending on switchgear type and current consumption, up to 10 Safety Fieldboxes can be connected in series with 80 devices. The integrated digital output at every eight-pin connector slot allows a wide range of operating data to be collected, transmitted and evaluated to help identify irregularities and enable early intervention in the event of a malfunction.
Drives for New Installations and Modernizations
Gefran Drives and Motion S.R.L. of Gerenzano, Italy, offers its ADL300 and VDL200 drives, designed to simplify both new installations and modernizations. Certified to EN 81-20 and -50, they can be used on the same unit to combine many advantages. They are also available with the company’s Integrated Control System, an elevator control platform in which the system control board is integrated into the inverter, while providing the car’s typical functions with plug-and-play logic to reduce design, installation and maintenance costs. It also allows dialogue with other companies’ devices to enable compatibility with most common communication protocols.
The ADL300 series is intended to provide long life in high-demand gearless and geared elevator systems. Its “Safety Torque Off” feature, according to EN 61800-5-2-2007 Safety Integrity Level 3, allows avoidance of contactor installation between the inverter and motor, enabling “contactorless operation” intended to reduce costs and improve comfort (precluding the switching noise). Compact dimensions for machine-room-less installations, direct or creep-to-floor approach leveling for safe passenger ingress/egress and pre-torque function for a smooth start are also among the drive’s features. Specific attention is dedicated to energy consumption in the “Start & Stop” function, which allows savings of up to 70% during standby.
The VDL200 series is designed for low- and medium-rise geared applications in both open and closed loop with asynchronous motors. High-performance control algorithms allow installation in sensor-less configuration, while maintaining the comfort level of high-range inverters. Simple installation and configuration suit the drive to the modernization of obsolete systems, as well as to new installations. The drive conforms to EN 81 Amendment A3, “Unintended Car Movement.”
PLCs and Couplers
Germantown, Wisconsin-based WAGO offers two new second-generation PFC200 programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and two new fourth-generation Ethernet-based couplers in its XTR line of products. The company said the new devices are designed to work in the harshest environments and provide solid performance in extreme conditions.
The 750-8212/040-010 and 750-8213/040-010 XTR controllers have two configurable M12 Ethernet ports and an onboard SD card slot for additional data storage for program updates. The 750-8212/040-010 has one configurable RS232/485 port, while the 750-8213/040-010 comes equipped with one CANopen port to connect to engine parameters via the J1939 communications bus. The 750-364/040-010 MODBUS TCP/UDP and 750-364/040-010 EtherNet/IP couplers each have two M12 Ethernet ports, with the rotary switches configuring the last byte of Internet Protocol addresses.
All the devices share the following features:
- -40°C to +70°C operating temperature
- Temporary condensation permitted
- 5-G vibration and 25-G shock resistance
- Electromagnetic compatibility protection
- Flexible input/output system
Get more of Elevator World. Sign up for our free e-newsletter.
