What is a Coupled Machine System? According to the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, a “machine assembly” refers to a group of devices designed to function as an integrated whole. This means each machine within such a system must comply with safety requirements both individually and in interaction with other machines. Similarly, the standard PN-EN ISO 11161 uses the term “integrated manufacturing system,” which includes at least two interconnected machines working within a single process. In both cases, it is crucial that the entire system is designed to ensure maximum operator safety and operational efficiency. Do you know how these regulations impact your machines?
Table of Contents
Definition of a Coupled Machine System
A Coupled Machine System is more than just a collection of standalone devices. Under the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, these machines must operate as a single integrated system where interactions significantly impact the safety of the entire process. Each device must meet safety requirements both as an individual machine and as part of a larger system. The PN-EN ISO 11161 standard, harmonized with the Machinery Directive, introduces the term “integrated manufacturing system,” referring to machines collaborating in a single process. Meeting this standard presumes compliance with the Machinery Directive, simplifying the risk assessment and certification process for the entire system. This means that design, safeguarding, and risk assessment must encompass not only individual machines but the entire system to ensure safe operation.
Safety Requirements for Coupled Machine Systems
The PN-EN ISO 11161 standard provides detailed guidelines for integrated manufacturing systems (IMS) consisting of two or more connected machines. Harmonized with the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, this standard ensures that compliance with its requirements presumes conformity with the directive’s regulations. This means such systems must meet specific requirements for risk assessment, safeguarding, and protective measures.
Integrated manufacturing systems require the design of safeguarding systems that include not only guards but also appropriate safety control systems. Each machine in the system must be designed so that its failure does not pose a threat to the entire system. Additionally, the standard emphasizes the need for creating task zones that allow safe execution of specific service or maintenance tasks without stopping the entire system. These zones minimize the risk of unplanned downtime while ensuring operator safety.
Remember: Meeting the requirements of the PN-EN ISO 11161 standard presumes compliance with the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, facilitating the certification of complex machine systems.
The standard also highlights the necessity of synchronizing emergency stop systems. Stopping one machine within an integrated system must affect the operation of other machines if their continued operation could create a hazard. This ensures safe and coordinated operation of the entire assembly.
Risk Assessment and Safety System Integration
Both the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC and the PN-EN ISO 11161 standard require a thorough risk assessment for a Coupled Machine System. In complex systems where multiple machines operate together, assessing each machine individually is insufficient. Identifying hazards arising from their interactions is essential. Risk assessment must cover not only normal operations but also emergency situations, maintenance, and system handling.
Integrated manufacturing systems can generate new, non-obvious hazards, such as a lack of synchronization between machines or unexpected stoppage of one machine, potentially leading to system failure. Therefore, planning protective measures and guards in a way that minimizes risk to operators and other personnel near the machines is crucial.
In practice, this means that not only machine designers but also industrial automation integrators must closely collaborate to ensure comprehensive risk assessment. Each machine must be designed to consider its impact on other devices, and safety systems, such as emergency stop systems, must operate in a coordinated manner, ensuring safe stoppage of the entire assembly.
Compliance Assessment Process for Coupled Machine Systems
Before a Coupled Machine System is put into use, it must undergo a compliance assessment process with the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC. This assessment evaluates not only individual machines but the entire system—each machine in the assembly must operate in full harmony with others. Safety systems, such as emergency stops, must be synchronized to prevent hazards arising from the failure of one machine.
At this stage, industrial automation integrators play a crucial role—ensuring that all system components work together. Only after a thorough risk assessment and confirmation that the entire Coupled Machine System meets directive requirements can a Declaration of Conformity be issued for the entire production line. The compliance assessment process ensures that the entire system meets the stringent safety requirements set by EU regulations.
Lack of Responsibility for the Entire Line – Who Should Handle It?
Often, clients purchase several machines from different manufacturers, but no one takes responsibility for the entire production line. Each focuses solely on their part, ignoring interactions between machines and overall system safety. Sound familiar? Even under the new regulation 2023/1230/EU, the role of external companies conducting risk assessments for entire production systems is growing.
This necessitates a holistic view of the system, defining safety zones, and analyzing interfaces between machines. Without this, the entire line may be at risk of non-compliance, increasing the likelihood of accidents. A responsible approach requires someone to oversee the entire system and ensure compliance with standards, opening new opportunities for ensuring safety and reliability across the production line.
Did you know: Without comprehensive risk analysis and appropriate safety zones, you not only risk non-compliance but also costly downtimes and potential hazards.
Practical Approach to Implementing Safety Systems
Effective implementation of safety systems in Coupled Machine Systems requires not only technical expertise but also a strategic approach. The process begins with a thorough risk analysis, considering interactions between machines and potential hazards at their operational interfaces. Based on this, appropriate protective measures are selected, such as muting, which allows temporary disabling of safety functions under specific conditions, and blanking, which disables part of the protected zone to adapt to changing work conditions.
In complex systems, light curtains or safety scanners are often used to monitor large areas and dynamically adjust protection based on the presence of operators or other objects. In simpler cases, supervised guards provide adequate protection where requirements are less stringent.
The best results are achieved when the entire process, from risk analysis to the implementation of protective systems, is conducted in collaboration with industrial automation integrators and the production line operator. Proper selection of safety technologies and their coordinated operation is crucial for ensuring the safety and efficiency of the entire system.
FAQ: Coupled Machine System
- What is a Coupled Machine System?
A Coupled Machine System is a group of machines collaborating in one production process. They require safety assessment as an integrated system, not just individual devices. - Who is responsible for the safety of the entire production line?
The responsibility for the safety of the entire line falls on industrial automation integrators, who conduct risk analysis, define safety zones, and coordinate safety functions between machines. - What are the key requirements of the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC?
The directive requires each machine in the assembly to comply with safety regulations, and the entire system to be designed and integrated to ensure complete user safety. - What safety technologies are used in Coupled Machine Systems?
Depending on needs, technologies such as muting, blanking, light curtains, safety scanners, or supervised guards are used, based on the level of risk. - Why is risk assessment so important for a Coupled Machine System?
Risk assessment identifies hazards arising from interactions between machines, crucial for ensuring safe and compliant operation of the entire system.