When a major mining operation in Western Australia needed a complete review and overhaul of 32 lifting and maintenance systems, they turned to TURCK Australia & New Zealand.
These intricate systems are used for iron ore rolling stock servicing and the project’s primary objective was to modernise the control architecture while maintaining the highest levels of electrical and operational safety across the entire lifting network.
David Coghlan, Product Marketing and Channel Manager for TURCK explains, “We needed to deliver a sustainable, highly scalable, safety-rated solution while simplifying the installation and leaving room for further modifications and expansion in future.”
He adds that the most important objective of the project was in fact to retain the electrical and physical safety ratings, which should ideally be at SIL3 / Cat4 of the complete network, while complying with all relevant international standards for vehicle lifting jacks.
TURCK sees safety success
David explains that the original specification called for a Siemens Safety PLC with locally wired safety I/O. The team worked closely with the system integrator and end customer to deliver an alternative architecture using TURCK’s TBPN Safety Modules with remote safety wiring over PROFINET communication to the master PLC.
“These TBPN Safety Modules are IP67/IP69K-rated and ideally designed for PROFINET/PROFIsafe applications,” says David. “They provide decentralised safety functionality directly at the machine level, eliminating the need for control cabinets. By integrating safe inputs and outputs with standard I/O - including IO-Link – we ensure that our solutions operate efficiently even in the most demanding environments.”
Talking to the application in focus, David explains that each lifting jack station has since been equipped with a TBPN safety module, achieving SIL3 / Cat4 compliance across all 32 stations in accordance with relevant international standards for vehicle lifting systems.
“Twin RI360 encoders were also deployed on every jack to ensure precise synchronisation of lifting heights and eliminate anomalies caused by power failures or voltage spikes. In total, 64 RI360 encoders were supplied as part of the project scope.”
Additional flexibility was achieved through the integration of four TURCK FEN20-4IOL modules, enabling the capture of various IO-Link sensor inputs and providing capacity for future I/O expansion. In addition, TURCK supplied a complete connectivity solution for the installation.
“By moving from traditional local wiring to TURCK TBPN Safety Modules over PROFINET, we were able to simplify installation while still achieving SIL3 / Cat4 safety performance across the entire network. The architecture also gives the customer flexibility for future expansion and standardisation across similar lifting applications,” he says.
Following the successful implementation, the system integrator standardised on the Siemens and TURCK TBPN safety solution for future projects and has subsequently ordered a TURCK demonstration kit for ongoing sales and testing activities.
“The success of this project is proof of what strong collaboration, superior technical expertise and product excellence can do. While we are always dedicated to – and proficient in safety – across all industries, the mining industry is one of the most demanding and we pride ourselves in delivering solutions that last” he concludes.
More information available at: https://www.turck.com.au/en/g
