Hi All,
We are purchasing a couple new CRX series robots from a Fanuc integrator. We have the option of using either hardwire safety or CIP safety for the new projects.
In the past, we have always used hardwire safety, but since this line has a GuardLogix processor, I thought it would be simpler to just use Ethernet/IP. It will also save us the hassle of adding extra safety relays, outputs, etc to our existing cabinets.
One thing that concerns me is the ability to run the line with the controller powered off. This is a piece of "ancillary" equipment for this production line, so it's functions are not 100% critical. I can see us trying to operate the line without the robot on off shifts while we are working the bugs out of the system.
On our old hardwire robots, the ESTOP for the line does not trip, even if the robot controller is powered off. I believe the buttons will still function because it seems they are just hardwire in line with the safety chain passed into the robot controller.
With the safety being over ethernet, I presume this means we will have a communication fault with the robot off, which would cause the ESTOP to trip in our GuardLogix processor?
Can anyone confirm my suspicion? Has anyone found any solutions to work around this, or should we stick to hardwire safety in this application?
Thanks!