Honda has used collaborative robots for safety rated monitored stop applications. These applications enable robots to be loaded by human workers without the servo needing to be shut off.
When they started implementing the system, the first thing they showed their associates was the then draft of ISO/TS 15066, says Dave Smith, a robotics safety expert at Honda Canada Manufacturing.
“We showed them in the standard why these robots are different, because they are used to the robot being locked down during loading. We used ISO/TS 15066 to show our associates the requirements and all the different features that are keeping them safe. We will do the same with power and force limited applications,” says Smith.
Implementation of ISO/TS 15066 allows application engineers, integrators, and production managers to demonstrate the safety of the system to end-users, improving factory floor worker's confidence in the process.
Note: Safety rated monitored stop applications can also be performed by regular, non-collaborative industrial robots.