Build machine-safety functions around fail-safe inductive sensing, guard monitoring, electro-sensitive protection and safe field I/O. Product capability must always be integrated into a complete risk-reduced and validated safety architecture.
Do not choose by housing alone. Start with what must be detected, how personnel access the hazard, and how the signal will be evaluated.
Directly detect suitable metal targets without a dedicated coded or magnetic actuator.
Monitor machine guards, doors and gates with non-contact coded sensing.
Protect access points and open hazardous areas without a physical guard.
Use fail-safe inductive sensing where a suitable metal component itself can be detected.
Use RFID or magnetically coded switches when opening a guard must interrupt hazardous motion.
Use electro-sensitive protection where operators need frequent access without opening a physical guard.
Use AS-i Safety or Safety over IO-Link where the approved architecture benefits from distributed wiring.
A safe sensor does not by itself establish a machine-level PL or SIL. The complete safety function must include the protective device, safety logic, safe outputs, stopping behaviour, reset/restart logic and validation.
| Requirement | ifm route | Why it fits | Key check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safe position of a metal component | Fail-safe inductive | No special actuator required | Safe sensing zone, target geometry, logic interface |
| Physical guard / door | MN RFID or magnetic | Non-contact guard-state detection | Coding level, series architecture, manipulation risk |
| Open intervention point | Safety light curtain | Finger/hand/body protection without a gate | Resolution, range, protective height, stopping distance |
| Access opening / perimeter | Safety light grid | Body/access detection over wider spans | Beam spacing, range, muting if required |
| Distributed safe signals | AS-i Safety / Safety over IO-Link | Reduce field wiring in suitable architectures | Controller, network, safety level, approved modules |
Safety selection requires more than a part number. Primionics should understand the hazardous movement, access, required response and existing safety logic before proposing a route.