Festo launches innovative category 4 safety valve for pneumatically-operated automation

EN ISO 13849-1 replaces the existing EN 954-1 safety standard on November 30, 2009, and forms part of the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC which becomes mandatory at the end of 2009. The valve helps designers and machine builders address some of the key issues in the directive, including mean time to (dangerous) failure, self diagnostics, common cause failure protection, and external validation and certification.

Festo’s new MS6-SV valve provides a 3/2-way function and features exceptionally fast venting – it has an exhaust flow rate of 6,000 litres per minute, which is 1.5 times its standard maximum operational flow rate – making it ideal for implementing ‘emergency stop‘ functions in safety-critical system areas.

The MS6-SV soft-start and exhaust valve is a high reliability, self-testing mechatronic component, with built-in safety redundancy; the design incorporates parallel valves to ensure fail-safe exhaust of the system, even in the event of one of the valves developing a fault. Fully integrated sensors continuously monitor the physical position of the valve components to confirm the valve’s condition and status, and built-in self-test facilities automatically check the safety functions at system power-up and every hour thereafter. Overall system safety is further enhanced by the MS6-SV’s soft-start function whereby the gradual – and adjustable – pressurisation of the system ensures that pre-exhausted actuators move steadily to their start positions without shocks or impacts that could damage machinery or operators.

All MS6-SV valves feature an integral LED status display for local condition monitoring, diagnostics and troubleshooting. Configuration options include an easy-to-read built-in pressure gauge, and an exhaust silencer which is a safety device in its own right – it features a labyrinth design with a minimum internal bore size of 4mm, to preserve air flow even in the presence of heavy contamination.

Festo’s MS6-SV soft-start and exhaust valves can be optimally combined with the company’s complete MS range of configurable air service and preparation units to create ready assembled and tested, fully EN ISO 13849-1 compliant, compressed air safety systems.