The Machinery Safety Alliance is a
new, non-profit collaboration
between Festo, Fortress Interlocks,
Pilz Automation Technology, Troax,
UK Engineering, and Werma, each of
whom will provide expertise from
their own field to help machine
builders and users make sense of
safety, and safeguard productivity.

With the withdrawal of EN 954-1
at the end of 2011, EN ISO 13849
becomes the most widely used
standard for the design, verification
and validation of safety related parts
of control systems. It states that
electromechanical, non-electrical (eg
hydraulic, pneumatic, mechanical),
complex electronic (programmable)
and combinations of all the
technologies are within its scope.

Any component within the realms
of these technologies can play a part
in safety with the proviso that
reliability data (in the form of a
B10d, MTTFd or PFH) can be found
for it. In addition to components
which contribute to functional safety,
other components essential in
machinery safety include guards and
signalling devices.

Collectively, as suppliers of safe
pneumatics, trapped key, key
exchange, solenoid locks, interlock
switches, safety relays, safety PLCs,
non-contact switches, RFID switches,
light curtains, safe 3D vision, safe
automation, safe motion, guard
systems, signalling components and
systems, members of the Alliance
have committed to providing shared
knowledge of these technologies in
accordance with what will become
the de facto functional safety standard
and other relevant standards.