If you are not following some of the discussion groups on LinkedIn, you are missing out on some excellent advice. One in the Automation & Control Engineering group posed the question “Is Modbus suitable for emergency shutdown?”
The short answer is no, of course not. But the discussion was interesting anyway. Naturally the topic of PROFIsafe came up, raised by Jonas Berge of Emerson. At Jonas’ urging I finally jumped in with some application examples and other resources. If you can’t get to the whole discussion, here is my recent comment:
@Jonas has mentioned PROFIsafe quite a few times in this discussion. PROFIsafe is the most broadly installed functional safety network with over 2,000,000 nodes installed with products from many vendors. For more information, here is a list of additional resources for PROFIsafe:
Marketing Flyer: PROFIsafe: http://us.profinet.com/documents/marketing-flyer-profisafe/ (It’s just a marketing flyer, but it’s a place to start.)
System Description: PROFIsafe Technology and Application: http://us.profinet.com/documents/system-description-profisafe-technology-and-application/ (A lengthy explanation of PROFIsafe.)
Webinar, PROFIsafe – Functional Safety over PROFIBUS and PROFINET: http://us.profinet.com/webinar/profisafe-functional-safety-over-profibus-and-profinet/ (PROFIsafe just ensures that safety messages are delivered. This webinar describes how that is done and also explains what makes safety IO, safety IO and what makes a safety controller, a safety controller. This is really where you should start!)
Blog post with videos for discrete and process applications: http://us.profinet.com/two-points-safety/ (Filmed at a trade show demo stand, these videos show each application space’s use of PROFIsafe.)
Safety the Movie is Online: http://us.profinet.com/safety-the-movie-is-online/ (This 45 minute movie shows a little about PROFIsafe, but also puts it in the context of an overall approach to safety.)
A few application stories (there are more in Safety, the Movie):
KUKA Reduces Machine Safety Components by 85% While Increasing Machine Safety: http://us.profinet.com/application-story/kuka-reduces-machine-safety-components/
PROFINET in Automotive Manufacturing: http://us.profinet.com/application-story/profinet-in-automotive-manufacturing/
PROFINET in the Steel Industry: http://us.profinet.com/application-story/profinet-in-the-steel-industry/
Of course, I am partial to these three PROFI-specific groups:
–Carl Henning