As a part of this solution portfolio, Balluff is introducing an IO-Link safety I/O hub enabled for PROFIsafe and a host of safety field devices including an e-stop pushbutton, interlocking door/gate switches, and light curtains. When used in conjunction with a PROFIsafe controller, the PROFIsafe IO-Link safety I/O hub can achieve Safety Integrity Level (SIL) CL 3 according to EN/IEC 62061 or Safety Performance Level (PL) e according to ISO 13849-1.
Balluff's safety I/O hub is an IP67 protection rated machine mount IO-Link device. The safety I/O hub features eight M12 ports capable of connecting 6 dual channel safety inputs, 2 safe outputs and 2 standard I/O points. A multitude of safety devices can be connected to this safety hub.
The hub utilizes a black channel tunneling principle to communicate with the PROFIsafe controller via a Balluff PROFINET IO-Link master.
Safety over IO-Link from Balluff eliminates the need for safety relays or a separate safety controller. Programming for safety and automation is brought together with a single PROFIsafe enabled automation controller. As the safety I/O hub is also an IO-Link device, it also eliminates the need for a dedicated network node to host safety devices; resulting in a robust, cost optimized solution for functional safety.
