Smallest Safety Laser Scanner on the Market

The new ultra-compact RSL 200 safety laser scanner from Leuze can be integrated effortlessly and used flexibly to safeguard danger zones and access points on narrow production lines, automated guided vehicles and robots.

Minimum size, maximum safety

In industrial automation, efficiency and safety must go hand in hand: People, machines and processes must be reliably protected without impairing production processes. However, space is limited in narrow production lines, on automated guided vehicles and robots. This is where the new ultra-compact RSL 200 safety laser scanner from Leuze scores points: claimed to be the smallest safety laser scanner on the market, it can be integrated effortlessly and used flexibly to safeguard danger zones and access points.

Safety laser scanners are increasingly in the limelight in almost every industry. This is because the versatile devices are indispensable in many cases to ensure the highest safety standards for the protection of people. Thanks to configurable protective and warning fields, they can be used very flexibly for danger zone and access guarding – for both stationary and mobile applications. A typical area of application is protecting a machine’s dangerous working ranges against access and the presence of persons. Laser safety scanners are also ideal for safeguarding autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and driverless transport systems, also known as automated guided vehicles (AGVs).

Maximum safety in the smallest space: The future of laser scanners

Modern safety laser scanners have to meet a wide range of requirements at once: Besides their main task of safely shutting down machines or systems, they must not impair machine availability or lead to unnecessary downtimes. In addition, laser scanners are expected to have an impressive operating range and scanning angle, while the system operator takes safety classifications in accordance with Type 3, SIL 2 and PLd as given. The system operator must also be able to rely on convenient configuration and diagnostics, which can be carried out effortlessly and intuitively via various interfaces such as Bluetooth, USB or Ethernet TCP/IP. Last but not least, modern safety laser scanners are selected based on their device size. That’s because increasing automation is making spatial efficiency ever more important in many production environments. Systems are becoming more complex, while the space available for safety technology is shrinking. There is often little room for this, especially in mobile use on AGVs.

Innovative solutions are needed to meet these challenges. The ‘Sensor People’ from Leuze are setting new form factor standards with their advanced safety laser technology that keeps the user as the number one priority. The ultra-compact RSL 200 safety laser scanner is currently the smallest device on the market. It combines state-of-the-art LiDar technology in a minimal space of just 80 x 80 x 86 millimeters. This makes it easy to integrate even in extremely confined spaces, whether in stationary or mobile applications.

Simple installation

The compact safety scanner from Leuze gives the user more options for simple and more flexible installation, especially in confined environments, thanks to its space-saving mounting bracket or connection technology. The right mounting accessories are key to quick integration: That’s why Leuze has developed its own innovative mounting bracket for the RSL 200 to provide effortless fastening and allow the safety laser scanner’s scan level to be aligned horizontally and vertically. Simple servicing is also ensured: The RSL 200 can be replaced quickly and easily with just four screws, and the sensor parameters can be transferred from the old to the new sensor via a memory card without any sensor knowledge required.

Connections and cables must not cause any obstacles either. Rotatable M12 connections on the RSL 200 laser scanner allow extremely flexible cable routing for I/Os, power supply and data transmission. These are essential criteria, particularly for use on small AGVs. The Sensor People also offer a new mobile diagnostics app that allows status information to be conveniently retrieved even if the laser scanner is installed in locations that are difficult or impossible to access.

Aligned to every requirement

For a safety laser scanner to work optimally, its ‘inner’ values are also important. For example, the scanning angle must be large enough to reliably fulfill the application-specific safety task, e.g., to completely cover blind spots or hard-to-see zones behind machines or conveyor belts. It must also be able to safeguard small omnidirectional AGVs/AMRs in every direction – for example, the RSL 200 from Leuze offers a 275-degree scanning angle at an operating range of three meters. The large scanning angle allows the user to ensure all-round protection with just two diagonally positioned devices, even taking mounting tolerances into account.

32 switchable sets of protective and warning fields enable the AGV/AMR user to continuously adjust the speed and direction of travel. The monitored areas can thus be optimally adapted to curved paths, different speeds and various load conditions.

The next generation of safety laser scanners begins with the RSL200. Thanks to its ultra-compact dimensions, it can be easily integrated even in extremely confined spaces, whether stationary or mobile. Advantages such as the innovative, space-saving mounting bracket and rotatable M12 connections also help here. Plus the mobile diagnostics app from Leuze lets system operators retrieve all status information via Bluetooth conveniently and at any time, even if the laser scanner is installed in an inaccessible or difficult-to-access location.

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AR Data Visualization and Error Analysis in your Pocket

SICK UK unveiled its trailblazing SICK Augmented Reality Assistant (SARA) at Smart Factory Expo 2024 in Birmingham. The intuitive augmented reality app provides data visualization and error analysis by merging machine, sensor and diagnostic information with the real environment using technology most people carry in their pocket.

With the unique SARA app, you can take data from any source and map it into the SARA augmented reality (AR) engine for review on a handheld device, such as a mobile phone, without requiring costly wearable devices or fixed HMIs. SARA provides visibility of information that can’t be seen with the naked eye, taking you directly to the site of the problem that needs maintenance.

Created in response to customer demand, SARA provides access to data and faults at the location where they arise to accelerate commissioning, diagnostic, condition monitoring and maintenance activities. The market-leading engine empowers shop floor staff to diagnose faults and monitor the performance of machines to get the best results.

Skills shortages continue to bite

UK manufacturers and OEMs are experiencing significant skills gaps and the problem is showing no signs of abating. According to the WorldSkills UK Manufacturing Excellence report , published last year, more than half (55%) of manufacturers questioned were experiencing shortages in advanced manufacturing skills and 61% in traditional manufacturing skills. Similarly, the Manufacturing Commission warned in October 2023 that labour shortages and skills gaps in the sector are costing between £7.7 billion and £8.3 billion a year in lost economic output.

With increasing use of automation, it is more important than ever to monitor and maintain machinery and prevent costly stoppages. However, the skills and recruitment problems dogging the industry are particularly acute when it comes to qualified operators and maintenance technicians. As companies require more from employees on the ground, SARA offers the ideal opportunity to upskill existing staff and get new hires up to speed fast, empowering them to carry out more tasks such as machine monitoring and basic maintenance. OEMs and equipment providers also report increasing numbers of callouts as end-users struggle to hire the maintenance staff and operators they require.

The potential applications of SARA for OEMs, equipment providers and manufacturers/end-users are limitless and as SICK UK Data Solutions Consultant Charlie Walker explained to visitors at the SICK stand at Smart Factory Expo 2024, “You can let your imagination do the talking.”

SARA was in action on the SICK stand at Smart Factory Expo 2024 as part of demonstrations of SICK products working in harmony to deliver digital manufacturing solutions. These included one demo on the use of various SICK devices (load detection, line guidance, height measurement, safety laser scanners and barcode readers) to enhance the safety and performance of AGVs, and another showcasing the vertical integration of SICK smart encoders and sensors.

With such a vast range of potential applications, SICK has created various licences (including LiDAR and Robotics variants, in addition to the Base licence) that unlock specific features of SARA to allow users to customize solutions for specific use cases. There are plans to develop further specialist licences in the future.

Charlie Walker, SICK UK Data Solutions Consultant, says, “SARA is a unique application, blending data visualization with the real environment and delivering it via the technology you have in your pocket. Using SARA, teams can reduce the risk of outages, increase machine availability and boost productivity by ensuring equipment is performing optimally.

“SICK’s SARA AR app can be used to bring employees up to speed quickly with equipment, to regularly monitor machines and to enhance safety. Codes can be scanned and linked to relevant documentation to provide access to critical information where and when it is needed. The possibilities and opportunities SARA can bring are vast and we are excited to officially launch it to the UK market to see how companies unleash its potential.”

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